“Uh-oh” moment. “When it comes to remodeling, there will always be challenging moments,” Pichler says. “You can never foresee what will happen, and costs can and will easily explode. Every wall that you open provides new surprises. A lot of money will go into those unexpected things and the owners will have the feeling that they are spending too much on things that nobody can see in the end. Therefore it is important to have a structured budget for different things in the beginning. Don’t spend all the money on concrete and electric wiring and leave nothing left for appliances, furniture and decor. This is what will really make the look in the end. A professional design team is aware of that and will calculate contingencies without spending the furniture budget.”
Low-curb shower details. 2½-by-8-inch light blue handmade-look tile on the walls and curb. “When it comes to remodeling, it’s tough to get a curbless shower, especially when dealing with a slab foundation,” Spruill says. “Most of the time the curbless shower is decided before the slab is poured. While forming up a brand-new foundation, the foundation contractor will lower the slab in the shower area to create the drop you need for a curbless shower. When remodeling, there can be quite a bit of extra costs associated with dropping the shower, such as chipping out the concrete, repairing post tension cables, etc. Cost is a big part of why we normally go with a low-curb shower, but 99% of the time a customer that wants a curbless shower and goes with a low-curb shower does not care once they see the finished product.” Other special features. Porcelain hexagonal floor tiles. Champagne bronze shower fixtures, with controls located in an easy-to-reach area away from the shower head.
Homeowners’ request. “This pool bath was original to the 1997 house and had dark brown and yellowish colors and a dividing wall between the toilet and vanity space, making it feel tight and enclosed,” general contractor Brandon Spruill says. “The homeowner wanted the bathroom to feel open and lighter. She had us remove the tub-shower combo and install a stand-up shower with frameless shower glass, which made the bathroom feel quite a bit larger. We also removed the dividing wall that blocked the toilet from the vanity area, allowing more light from the exterior door to enter into the space.”
A curbless shower makes a bathroom feel bigger and look cleaner — plus, it’s very practical for aging-in-place homeowners, since it adheres to universal design principles. This look is fairly easy to achieve in a new bathroom or a remodel — just make sure you mention it to your architect or contractor prior to construction.
13. Do a ‘U’ Modest-size U-shaped kitchens have the advantage of facilitating the time-tested kitchen work triangle, with the cooktop, sink and refrigerator laid out in a triangle shape. While U-shaped kitchens can be tight for more than one user, not having traffic flow through the workspace has safety advantages. A peninsula can create a more open feel in this configuration, as seen in this New York City apartment designed by Kimberly Peck Architect.
Continuing on the idea of playing with pattern, Desaulniers had the simple 3-by-6-inch subway tiles composed in a double basketweave layout. “This was a fun way to create pattern in the space,” she says. “While this may not have been a typical midcentury pattern, changing up directionality is a typical midcentury modern idea.”
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