Professional Remodeler

Natural Wonder

Ann Matesi, Contributing Editor -- 11/1/2006

The walk-through shower features slate walls, a granite seat and a river fock floor with starlight LED lighting in the ceiling.
After photos by Yerko H. Pallominy

BATH OVER $30,000

Remodeler and architect: Landis Construction Corp., Washington, D.C.

A dramatic, glass-tiled curvilinear wall, accented by a floor-to-ceiling water feature rather than a conventional doorway, marks the transition from the bedroom into the new master bath in this 42-year-old residence in Potomac, Md. This open design permits the soothing sound of water spilling onto a pool of rocks and the bathroom's unique blend of contemporary and rustic finishes to be shared with the bedroom as well, lending the totally remodeled owner's retreat the soothing, Zen-like ambiance the homeowner desired.

"She wanted the bathroom to feel as though it was outdoors," says remodeler and architect Chris Landis, co-owner of Landis Construction Corp., the Washington, D.C.-based design/build firm responsible for the project. "In this case, we had a client who was looking for something out of the ordinary, and fortunately, she was committed to spending what she needed to in order to achieve those results."

Before

The entire project, which included a complete reconfiguration of the master bedroom as well as a 10-foot by 40-foot addition that contains the new bathroom, cost approximately $150,000. The original bathroom became a central walk-in closet that separates the newly located bedroom from its own private study. The new bathroom includes a circular tub, a dual-basin vanity and a stunning walk-through shower. The combination of skylights, transom windows above the vanity and a translucent window in the shower floods the entire space with natural light without sacrificing privacy. A separate HVAC zone in the addition controls excess humidity.

Landis' director of design, Armin Bondoc, served as lead designer for this project. One of the biggest challenges of the open design was to make sense of the flow between all of the spaces. The backdrop for the water feature, for example, serves as the interior perimeter wall of the shower and separates the water closet from the dressing and bathing zones.

The new dressing area includes in-floor electric heating zones and two counter-mounted sinks atop a granite slab.

Bondoc also selected the upscale but unusual combination of finish materials that were used in the master bath, which included cherry, glass tile, slate, granite and stone. "Initially my client was worried about how all of these materials would look together," he says, "Sometimes, it just comes down to trusting the vision of the designer until they can see the finished product."

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