Bathroom of the Week: Warm Natural Vibe in a Spacious Addition
An architect creates a bathroom with big views of the tree canopy, complemented by natural materials
While living in Texas, this couple made plans to get back to their roots in the Northern Virginia suburbs outside Washington, D.C. They found a home on a private wooded lot in Great Falls and knew it would be their forever home. Though they aren’t yet retired, they plan on spending those years here. They want this home to serve as a family hub as their kids grow up and start families of their own.
The house had great bones and was surrounded by lovely property, but inside it was very dated. The homeowners hired Four Brothers Design + Build and embarked on a full remodel of the home. Firm architect Iva Saller also designed a three-story addition off the back. The top floor of the addition contains a stunning new primary bathroom with a generous shower stall, claw-foot tub, vaulted ceiling and private balcony. While the bathroom is spacious, Saller maintained graceful proportions and used warm natural materials to give it a cozy feel.
The house had great bones and was surrounded by lovely property, but inside it was very dated. The homeowners hired Four Brothers Design + Build and embarked on a full remodel of the home. Firm architect Iva Saller also designed a three-story addition off the back. The top floor of the addition contains a stunning new primary bathroom with a generous shower stall, claw-foot tub, vaulted ceiling and private balcony. While the bathroom is spacious, Saller maintained graceful proportions and used warm natural materials to give it a cozy feel.
Rendering by Iva Saller
Exterior rendering: The portion in the center of this drawing is the three-story addition. The bottom level is a walk-out lower level. The glass door in the bathroom opens to the covered balcony seen on the top floor. Both the bathroom and its private balcony have beautiful views of the tree canopy.
Exterior rendering: The portion in the center of this drawing is the three-story addition. The bottom level is a walk-out lower level. The glass door in the bathroom opens to the covered balcony seen on the top floor. Both the bathroom and its private balcony have beautiful views of the tree canopy.
There were a few elements the homeowners wanted that jump-started the design. “She knew she wanted a dark floor and she wanted to use zellige tile,” Saller says. “They also wanted to use the pendant light over the bathtub, which they had hanging in their house in Texas.” A freestanding bathtub with a sculptural look was also on their list.
The vintage style of the tub lends a sense of age and coziness to the new space. Saller was able to customize it by specifying the feet and the finish on the drain. The flat edge meets the wall, which allowed her to install a wall-mounted tub filler.
The floors are porcelain but have a slate look and texture to them. They are heated. The glass panel seen on the right side of the photo is the shower enclosure. The shower is open on the tub-facing side. With energy-efficient insulation and windows, a heated floor and a new HVAC system, draftiness isn’t an issue with the shower.
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The vintage style of the tub lends a sense of age and coziness to the new space. Saller was able to customize it by specifying the feet and the finish on the drain. The flat edge meets the wall, which allowed her to install a wall-mounted tub filler.
The floors are porcelain but have a slate look and texture to them. They are heated. The glass panel seen on the right side of the photo is the shower enclosure. The shower is open on the tub-facing side. With energy-efficient insulation and windows, a heated floor and a new HVAC system, draftiness isn’t an issue with the shower.
Browse bathtubs in the Houzz Shop
The shower stall measures 7 feet, 6 inches by 5 feet, 4 inches. In lieu of installing a shower niche, Saller bumped out the wall on the left to create a ledge, which continues across the wall behind the tub. She topped the ledge with Carrara marble that matches the countertop on the vanity.
The fixtures are unlacquered brass. This is a living finish that will patina over time. “My clients really liked the idea of the finishes that would age naturally,” the designer says.
There’s recessed lighting in the ceiling over the shower.
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The fixtures are unlacquered brass. This is a living finish that will patina over time. “My clients really liked the idea of the finishes that would age naturally,” the designer says.
There’s recessed lighting in the ceiling over the shower.
Find a local tile professional
The vanity is stained white oak with reeded panels. “The reeding adds a textural element that makes the room feel cozier. We didn’t want to have too many hard, flat surfaces in this room,” Saller says. She continued the use of white oak on the open shelves to the left.
The countertop is the aforementioned Carrara marble, which the homeowners picked out at the stone yard. The zellige backsplash tile has warm tan and gray hues that pick up on the veining in the marble.
A detail worth noting is the edges of the tiles where they meet the open shelving wall. Rather than using an edging strip, the tile installer used mitered tile edges. “This shows off the handmade quality of these tiles,” Saller says.
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A detail worth noting is the edges of the tiles where they meet the open shelving wall. Rather than using an edging strip, the tile installer used mitered tile edges. “This shows off the handmade quality of these tiles,” Saller says.
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A high backsplash stands up to the height of the vaulted ceiling and provides plenty of room for the wall-mounted faucets. Like the wall behind the tub and shower, it also has a ledge. The ledges also have mitered tile edges.
The faucets, sconces and cabinet hardware are unlacquered brass. Saller mixed in polished nickel on the mirror frames. “This added another layer to the space. Sometimes when things are too matchy-matchy it can be distracting,” she says. Polished nickel has warm undertones, so it works well with brass in a way that polished chrome would not.
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The faucets, sconces and cabinet hardware are unlacquered brass. Saller mixed in polished nickel on the mirror frames. “This added another layer to the space. Sometimes when things are too matchy-matchy it can be distracting,” she says. Polished nickel has warm undertones, so it works well with brass in a way that polished chrome would not.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
On the left is the door to the toilet room. The sliding door at the back opens to the primary bedroom.
“We added the white oak to this bump-out because we didn’t want the room to feel too cathedral, too echo-y or too sterile,” Saller says. She also added texture to the ceiling. It’s covered in solid wood nickel gap boards painted white.
“We added the white oak to this bump-out because we didn’t want the room to feel too cathedral, too echo-y or too sterile,” Saller says. She also added texture to the ceiling. It’s covered in solid wood nickel gap boards painted white.
Floor plan: The door to the balcony is at the top, with the vanity to the left and the tub to the right. The shower is underneath the tub, with the toilet room beneath it. The door to the bedroom is at the bottom of the plan. When the homeowners walk into the bathroom, there’s a view straight out the balcony door to the tree canopy.
At 170 square feet, the bathroom is spacious. It’s the thoughtful proportions, layout and use of warm materials that make it feel cozy.
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At 170 square feet, the bathroom is spacious. It’s the thoughtful proportions, layout and use of warm materials that make it feel cozy.
More on Houzz
Read more bathroom stories
Browse bathroom photos
Find a bathroom remodeler
Shop for your bathroom
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with kids at home and away at college
Location: Great Falls, Virginia
Size: 170 square feet (16 square meters)
Designer: Iva Saller of Four Brothers Design + Build
During the design phase of the project, the homeowners worked remotely with Saller. They flew in regularly for in-person meetings, while others were virtual. Saller mailed them samples when they couldn’t make it to see them in person. For important decisions like the countertop stone, they came back and visited the stone yard to pick their slabs. One of the reasons they were moving back was to be near family, so the design trips also doubled as family visits.
The primary bathroom is part of the new addition off the back of the home. “The site is very private, located off a winding gravel road,” Saller says. “There’s a steep grade change from the front of the house to the back, and all they see from the windows is the forest. Feeling open to nature was important to them.”
Including lots of windows and the glass door in the bathroom opens it up to the views and brings in light. The door leads to a covered balcony. The roof extension over the balcony protects the room from direct sunlight and offers protection from the elements when the homeowners want to step out for some fresh air.
Paint colors: White Opulence (walls) and Chantilly Lace (trim), Benjamin Moore
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