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Dual Personality

Niche Rooms: Master Bath

Ann Matesi, Contributing Editor
July 1, 2004
Luxury Home Builder

A dominant focal point for this bath is its barrel vaulted ceiling above a centerpiece whirlpool tub. The textured ceiling features a hand-applied, bronze lattice pattern and two-dimensional rosettes. On the floor beneath the vault smaller, two-dimensional tiles mirror the shape of the ceiling above.
Complementing the sophisticated elegance that characterizes this Mediterranean-style spec-built luxury home in Naples, Fla., its master bath catches the eye and captures the hearts of south Florida's most discriminating home buyers with his-and-her spaces that meet in the middle in this lavish bath for two. A unique, faux-finished barrel vaulted ceiling above the central tub sets the tone for the room. The fixture is framed by a stepped marble wall and matching pre-cast stone columns at its leading edge. Encircling the tub, a walk-through shower incorporates dual controls, showerheads and jets under a 14-foot ceiling.

"This bathroom is all about symmetry," says interior designer Kim Collins. "It has a very formal balance with definite his-and-her sides that flow together almost seamlessly."

The high ceilings in the bathroom presented a significant design challenge - how to create intimacy in this key retreat space, while making the most of the room's volumes, says Collins.

The arched niche above the vanity in the master bath features built-in downlighting, which complements the sconce mounted directly into the mirror. The custom cabinetry is designed to resemble fine furniture, complete with bun feet.
"The shower area is actually incorporated into a big bay window at the front of the home," says Collins. While extra height was needed for balance on the home's exterior, it translated into an extraordinarily high ceiling inside the bathroom. "The extreme volume of the space could have been disconcerting to someone actually using the shower," she says. "It needed to be brought down to a more human scale."

To accomplish this, Collins combined luxurious materials, a warm color palette and three-dimensional accents to create a space that is both sensual and spectacular. The walls feature a floor-to-ceiling marble finish accented by horizontal and vertical bas relief details in pre-cast stone, including columns and niches that contain classical-style urns. Pre-cast stone also was used for trim around the windows and for the ledge, set at a 6-foot wall height, which defines the start of the shower's privacy wall.

"These details draw they eye down from the ceiling," says Collins.

The home was completed in June 2002 and has been sold.

Marble extends from floor to ceiling on the window wall of the bath's walk-through shower. Designer Collins also used cast stone to outline the windows as well as to create both vertical and horizontal elements in the space, including classic niches holding urns. "The result," she says, "is that your eye is drawn down from the ceiling to a more human scale."
Style of Home | Mediterranean
Location | Naples, Fla.
Total Square Footage | 6,000
Estimated Market Value | $5 million
Builder | Gulfshore Homes, Bonita Springs, Fla.
Architect | Jackson Kirschner Architects, Melbourne, Fla.
Interior Design | Collins & DuPont Interiors, Bonita Springs, Fla.
Luxury Spec-Built Model Home

Major Products Used | Cabinetry: Distinctive Cabinetry | Countertops: Marble Works | Lighting: Valentino (ceiling fixture); Minka Lavery (vanity) | Plumbing Fixtures: Kohler Co.; Grohe America | Whirlpool Tub: Jacuzzi Whirlpool Bath

Photography by Laurence Taylor

© 2008, Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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