WHIDBEY ISLAND REMODEL- 1 year to finish

When you don’t have lot of space and want a jetted jacuzzi tub and a shower, this works! It is a 48” long Japanese Style soaking tub that has really powerful jets- not those tickling bubbly ones that do not get into your sore muscles. Have done 2 projects with this tub and everyone loves it. 30” deep. EMPAVA EMPV-48JT11

The tub faucet is built into the lip of the tub with the controls and an integral sprayer to wash down the tub after use- very handy! The wiring is a bit tricky. The contractor did not look at my drawings when installing the cabinet handles and put the lower drawer handles in the middle of the door panel instead of at the top. This means that one has to bend down another 6 inches and practically touch your toes to open a drawer- ugh! My pet peeve! Please try to catch your hardware installer before they make this mistake….once the holes are drilled, it is over. You can patch the holes, but a divot will always be there.

The Laundry involved adding a skylight, changing flooring, adding cabinets . Much more functional with storage to put stuff and a folding counter.

Nice new shower in the Guest Bathroom!

New media cabinets with pull out drawers for an extensive record collection! Equipment hidden behind screened doors. Again, cabinet pulls are mounted in the center of the doors instead of a the top of the doors! The older that you get, the harder it is to bend down:-) No patching those holes now…..these cabinet installers are likely on the construction crew, do not look at the drawings, and are told to install the hardware….do I sound picky? God is in the details, as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe used to say!

Kitchen needed more storage, so the space under the overhang with filled in with cabinets. Easy fix! And people can still gather there.

KITCHEN & BATH MAKE-OVER IN ANACORTES, WA.

This was a challenging existing space with many 45 degree angles. I was determined to get rid of the 45 angles in the cabinets and not ditto them as the previous design had done.

Kitchen “AFTER” uses rift cut Oak Cabinets from “Smith & Vallee” in Bow, WA. Photo Credit- Damian Vines Photography.

The Kitchen “BEFORE” had angled cabinets everywhere and a refrigerator that took center stage. We moved the stove to the peninsula, moved the refrig. and kept the sink where it was.

The Kitchen “BEFORE” had a weird corner area to the right of the refrig. with more angled cabinets, even in places where the wall did not angle.

Kitchen “After” backsplash detail is glass mosaics that go well with the Quartzite counters. The gas stove was supposed to have a pop-up downdraft, but there was a structural member in the way so had to go with an over-head fan. New doors go out to the deck, where there once was a picture window.

AFTER- New Master Bathroom utilizes that existing space much better then the old design with flanking storage cabinets.

AFTER- The backlit Vanity Mirror really floats off the wall and adds good light at the same time.

The Master Shower ”AFTER” features a pre-fab shower base, a bench under the shower head, glass tiles (from Home Depot, no less) and a glass enclosure. The free-standing tub replaces a huge tub deck that took up most of the bathroom before. This is very light and airy.

Master Bath BEFORE had 2 sinks, an enclosed shower.

Master Bath BEFORE with huge tub deck. Very dated looking and not a good use of space.

CONTRACTOR = TRUE BEARING BUILT CONSTRUCTION (This is my 4th kitchen/bath job with them- they really keep the clients informed on weekly progress with reports that are very helpful)

VICTORIAN REMODEL IN CAP SANTE, ANACORTES, WA

Contractor- Josh Williams of “True Built Bearing Built” in Bow, WA (www.truebearingbuilt.com) . Cabinets from “Creative Cabinets” in Anacortes (https://www.anacortescreativecabinets.com). This kitchen has come a long way from how it looked before. New Pantry, new 3/4 bathroom from powder, new Master Bath with added tub with a view! And new laundry moved to the second floor with all the bedrooms are located to save stair travel. House was built in 1905!

Same side shot but from farther back

New kitchen from the side. Brass faucet adds a nice touch.

The kitchen before was dominated by a brick fireplace that no longer was used, so that got removed and freed up a lot of real estate to use. The main window got shifted over to allow room to get the stove on the same wall, It was cluttered and the stove was below the other window before.

Before and after “Panos”

The new backsplash is glass tiles from “Home Depot”, in subtle shades of blue to reflect the water view outside. The counters are a quartzite that looks like sand, So the “Beachy” theme of sand and water drove the color choices and cabinet color. “Polar Orbit Blue” Mosaic Wall glass tiles from Home Depot: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Jeffrey-Court-Polar-Orbit-Blue-11-625-in-x-11-625-in-Interlocking-Glossy-Glass-Mosaic-Wall-Tile-0-938-sq-ft-Each-13014/316717528

By removing a side full height pantry cabinet, the kitchen got opened up to the den, and a walk-in pantry was added by shaving off some space from the old laundry/powder room.

The powder room got the laundry removed and a shower added in the same glass tiles as the kitchen backsplash- so a consistent theme of water. The owner is a sailor and has her boat in Cap Sante Marina!

Same room before as above- the laundry before. Cramped and crowded! with the toilet opposite. So the toilet and sink got flipped to get in the shower.

Old Master bath before. Sink in facing the view, but hard to see your face…

Old Master Bath

New Master Bath! The owner really wanted a tub in the bathroom, so we lowered the window sill so that one could see out from the tub. Moved the sink with a new cabinet and new focus. Re-did the shower int he same glass tiles as else where.

A closer shot of the new vanity with counter mounted sink.

And an even closer shot- I really like the open filament sconces- there was no way that we could mount a light over the mirror because of the ceiling height sloping down at the sink, and the side sconces actually get more light on the sides of the face to evenly light it to see better what is going on, eh?

New Shower with same glass tiles! The tub is only 48” long, but 30” deep- so a great Japanese soaking tub experience with small, powerful jets.

This detail shot shows the limestone flooring

Lastly, the sitting room off the Master Bedroom is pictured above before the remodel.

After- The new laundry saves dragging all the laundry down the stairs and back up again. And serves as an exercise room now! Cheers! Original wood flooring was retained.

San Juan Island Addition survives Covid!

Oh my, what a journey this project has been! 1st of all, getting materials to an island is hard….then material prices went crazy with supply chain delays. Plywood went from $25/sheet to $125/sheet in a year. Much appreciation to my clients for sticking through it thick and thin, and figuring out a way to keep the project going. Kathleen is a designer in her own right, and has a fantastic eye for detail and color! The blackened columns on the front entry were executed by local wood working legend Joe Romano. Construction by Ivan Plaza.

The front of the house used to have an old rotted exterior stair, and the client wanted to have an enclosed interior stair that united with floors of the existing house;

Partially a 2 story space, partially a cantilevered space, the addition adds an elegant way to access the main living space which is on the 2nd floor.

The new steel railings and wood treads blend in with the Zen Esthetic throughout.

Th new Powder Room features a wall of mirror with a floating LED circle light suspended delicately in front to light the whole room.

The Master Bathroom sink features a cool sliding up Robern Medicine Cabinet, that has a hidden LED strip below to light the counter- a built in night light for the whole bathroom. LED lights also frame and highlight an antique stained glass window that the clients have saved from another house.

The Master Bedroom features a cool window Bench that will eventually look out onto a nicely landscaped garden- still in progress.

A cedar wood paneled feature stripe runs across the ceiling of the Master Bedroom from the Window bench across to the opposite wall, to create an accent feature that focuses the room down the walls on both sides.

Master Bath has a lot os hidden storage.

Kathleen loves the Japanese soaking tub and says that the jets are more powerful then her hot tub outside! It is only 48” long!!!

Pandemic Bay Area Bathroom

“Seagreen & Mocha” is the theme of this bathroom remodel in Novato, CA. that is nearly completed for a repeat client . The glass shower screen doors still need to be installed.

Pebble tile floor in the shower insures not slipping on slick marble and adds texture.

The large format Porcelain floor tiles are a nice soothing sand colored neutral and the metal edging on the shower dam and pony wall ensure no chipping. We added an electrical outlet by the toilet for future bidet attachment- the rage now. No toilet paper needed! Next pandemic, no worries of running out:-)

To appreciate the changes, here is the shower before the remodel- standard pre-molded fiberglass very dated.

The toilet before felt cramped and wedged in.

MASTER BATHROOM RE-IMAGINED

Dean Birinyi PHOTOGRAPY

Dean Birinyi PHOTOGRAPY

This New Master Bathroom was created from extra space not used in the Master Bedroom. We shaved off part of the space opposite the view to create a bigger bathroom and a walk-in closet, The floor in the bathroom is made of large 8" x 48" porcelain tiles that look like Driftwood. The new doors are Fir with a clear coat, matching fir trim. The new sink cabinets match the fir and have molded porcelain tops.

Zen Spa Master Tub

Kohler Tub Filler is mounted in the ceiling of this Master Bath with a waterfront view. Kohler SOK Tub is paired with it to create a Zen home SPA experience. Granite Tub surround. Glass tile face.

The tranquility of this Master Bath is achieved with the use of serene soothing colors of Celadon Green and light blue from the recycled glass tiles from Hakatai Glass.