Bathroom of the Week: Bedroom Is Converted Into a Spa-Like Bath
A design-build firm reconstructs the space to include a vaulted ceiling and a large arched window
This couple’s Somerville, Massachusetts, home was lacking the convenience of a second-story bathroom. They decided trading out a bedroom for a spacious bath would be well worth it to avoid late-night trips up and down the stairs. “One of the homeowners’ fathers knew of our name because we used to have an office down the street, so he went to Houzz to look us up and sent it on to his daughter,” Michelle Sousa of Morse Constructions says. In-house architect Matt Jesi helped complete the transformation that provided the couple with a light-filled, spa-like bathroom.
After: Getting more light into the room and giving it an airy feel were priorities. Jesi removed the drop ceiling and raised it to the roofline. This created a beautiful vault and left room for an arched window. While the roof had this pitch, reframing it was necessary to create a clean vault that was as high as possible and free of collar ties. (Collar ties are structural horizontal boards that run beneath a vault like this.) Jesi also had the new structural ridge — a laminated veneer lumber, or LVL, beam — wrapped in stained wood, adding a warm touch to the ceiling.
The new window combines a double casement window that opens for ventilation and a graceful arch above it that lets in more light.
“With the tub centered under the window, everything else fit in very nicely,” Jesi says. “But we did go through a lot of different layout options with the clients before we landed on this one.” Victoria & Albert’s Amiata bathtub has a sculptural, minimalist shape that adds some big curves to the clean-lined room.
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The new window combines a double casement window that opens for ventilation and a graceful arch above it that lets in more light.
“With the tub centered under the window, everything else fit in very nicely,” Jesi says. “But we did go through a lot of different layout options with the clients before we landed on this one.” Victoria & Albert’s Amiata bathtub has a sculptural, minimalist shape that adds some big curves to the clean-lined room.
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Before: There was a second window on an adjacent wall of the bedroom. The closet was located on the right side of this photo. As part of the project, Jesi borrowed some space from this room to expand the closet in the primary bedroom next door.
After: The expanded primary bedroom closet was pushed into the bathroom where the angled wall is on the right. The toilet room was placed in a spot where it would get natural light from the room’s second window. A pocket door saved space compared with a door with a swing. Transforming the room into a bathroom also required beefing up the structural integrity beneath the room to handle things like the bathtub’s weight.
The homeowners worked with the firm’s in-house interior designer, Lisa Speziale, on the finishes. “The clients were very involved,” Jesi says. “This room is quite a departure from the style of the rest of their house, which is traditional.” The new space feels fresh and modern, and it gave the couple the spa-like feel they craved for their bathroom.
A soft gray-green elongated subway shower tile continues from the shower to the walls around it, adding soothing natural tones to the room. The stacked composition lends a modern sensibility. Meanwhile, the more traditional running bond composition of the large-format porcelain floor tiles mixes things up. The shower floor tiles are similar in color to the main floor tiles but are much smaller and hexagonal.
Floor tile: Tresana Blanco, Pamesa; shower floor tile: Cloud Nine, New Ravenna; wall tile: Leaf Glossy, Habitat collection, Adex USA
The homeowners worked with the firm’s in-house interior designer, Lisa Speziale, on the finishes. “The clients were very involved,” Jesi says. “This room is quite a departure from the style of the rest of their house, which is traditional.” The new space feels fresh and modern, and it gave the couple the spa-like feel they craved for their bathroom.
A soft gray-green elongated subway shower tile continues from the shower to the walls around it, adding soothing natural tones to the room. The stacked composition lends a modern sensibility. Meanwhile, the more traditional running bond composition of the large-format porcelain floor tiles mixes things up. The shower floor tiles are similar in color to the main floor tiles but are much smaller and hexagonal.
Floor tile: Tresana Blanco, Pamesa; shower floor tile: Cloud Nine, New Ravenna; wall tile: Leaf Glossy, Habitat collection, Adex USA
The new white oak vanity is custom. The long oval sink is large enough for two people to use at once, each with their own faucet. This option saved counter space — double sinks would have taken up more room.
The brass-framed oval mirror the homeowners chose works beautifully with the shape of the sink. Along with the tub, these elements add some curves to the room.
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The brass-framed oval mirror the homeowners chose works beautifully with the shape of the sink. Along with the tub, these elements add some curves to the room.
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Choosing wall-mounted faucets also saved counter space. They also make cleaning the countertop easier. All the plumbing fixtures are by Jason Wu for Brizo. Their matte black finish adds some high contrast to the light-colored room.
The countertops are Pure White quartz from Caesarstone, a material that’s durable and low-maintenance.
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The countertops are Pure White quartz from Caesarstone, a material that’s durable and low-maintenance.
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“We used a sliding glass shower door to save space,” Jesi says. A door with a swing would have hit either the tub or the vanity. The shower door’s handle doubles as a towel bar that’s convenient to both the shower and the tub.
Before: This was the existing hallway between the primary bedroom and the bedroom that became the bathroom. The new bathroom is located at the back of the house. This floor has two other bedrooms that serve as the homeowners’ offices.
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After: The couple wanted to move their washer and dryer upstairs as part of the renovation. The machines, topped with a butcher block counter, now sit across from their bedroom door.
Floor plan: This rendering shows the back of the house. The primary bedroom is directly off the bottom of the plan on the right. The washer and dryer are off the bottom of the plan on the left.
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More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
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Shop for your bathroom
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Somerville, Massachusetts
Size: 142 square feet (13 square meters)
Design-build firm: Morse Constructions
Before: Because the space had been a bedroom, the before-and-after reveal is very dramatic. The things to pay attention to in this photo for comparison with the next one are the window and the ceiling height.
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