Adept design does big things does big things for a small space

EVEN THOUGH IT’S off the master bedroom, is it fair to refer to a 92-square-foot bathroom with one vanity and fuddy-duddy fluorescent lighting as a master bath?
Maybe not; but now that Anita Dawson has updated this still-tiny space, the room deserves all that the title implies.

“My clients wanted to create an inviting, spa-like bath that was very easy to maintain and that complemented the organic feel of their whole-house remodel,” Anita says.

To that end, a glass backsplash, porcelain floor tiles and quartz counters were selected. The sea glass, basket-weave backsplash and smooth-stone shower floor added texture and a sense of nature to the scheme.
“The homeowners also requested a bath that would not date too quickly; that is, nothing too trendy, but something more than just neutral.” The color palette’s calm undertone — a sophisticated hue between gray and beige — stands the test of time and fits the bill. Caesarstone counters are white.

“I love bright white counters in baths,” the designer says. “They provide a great contrast with wood vanities and always feel clean and fresh.”

She expanded the space without adding square footage
by raising the ceiling, adding mirrors on both sides of the room and replacing a fiberglass shower enclosure with a frameless shower. Removing a partition wall also added an airier spirit, and replacing a door to the side yard with a large window revived the room with natural light. A big bonus for the homeowners was a second vanity, which was achieved by removing 6 feet of closet space across from the vanity.

“The bath is still small,” Anita says, “but each element works together to create a nice room as a whole.”

Kitchens/Baths: By Eva Ditler • Photography by Brady Architectural Photography

Rejuventating Rooms

The right combonation of form and dunction adds up to baths that cultivate relaxation

WHETHER IT’S SINKING BLISSFULLY INTO A TUB or basking in soft, restorative light, you can’t beat a soothing bathroom at the end of a long, wearying day. The thoughtfully designed bathroom can make all the difference in the morning, too, when the challenges of a new 9-to-5 beckon. These four custom bathrooms, each fashioned to meet their homeowners’ individual needs and visions, have one important component in common: They’re sanctuaries — places in the home to relax in privacy and comfort.

A Tudor Twist

“MY TWIST IN MOST PROJECTS THAT I WORK ON is taking the existing style and giving it a nice clean feeling,” designer Kristin Lomauro says. “I always try to add some detail that reflects something a little more modern.”

Her client in the Del Mar Heights area owned a Tudor-style home, “a charming space, from the garden all the way through. I just took the flavors of her existing house and finished the bathroom,” Lomauro says.

“There was really basic white tile and a huge spa tub taking up most of the floor space,” she recalls. “We knew that [the homeowner] wanted a freestanding tub, and we knew we needed to give it some charm.”

The focal point of the bathroom is a replica of a solid marble tub from Europe. Next to the tub is a comfortable, wingback chair covered in linen. “My client actually sits in it and reads,” Lomauro says. “She relaxes and enjoys her space.”

Other features include a marble sink, an iron and wood chandelier, scallop shell-shaped sconces on the wall above the tub, mosaic tile on the floor, vintage mirrors, French window frames and hand-printed wallpaper in the water closet.

Judge Kathleen Zbacnik praised Lomauro’s “excellent use of various lighting levels and excellent choice of fixtures for the room’s architectural style,” while judge Lena Brion cited the “Old World charm” and details that “take one back to Grandma’s house.”

Above: A custom iron and wood chandelier contributes to the Old World motif in this Tudor-style home's bathroom

A Healing Retreat

“I couldn’t say no when I heard her story,” says Michelle Strausbaugh, principal of Reveal Studio, about a client who turned out to be particularly meaningful for her. The woman had lost her entire Lake Elsinore home to a fire. “She is the reason I do design. I feel that spaces can help people heal, and she was someone who really needed that,” Strausbaugh says.

Part of the rebuilding process was the creation of a master bath designed “as an escape — a place to find peace in the midst of the chaos,” the designer says.

To that end, she selected a deep whirlpool tub with space for candles. Body sprays — created in a soothing palette of grays and whites, with a hint of purple — and a bench in the shower provide “a space to help heal the body and also heal the mind.”

Collaborating with her client, Strausbaugh came up with the concept of integrating simplicity with luxury.

“In this bath,” Strausbaugh says, “modern elements are seen in the straight countertop and slab-door cabinetry, while damask wallpaper, vertical tiles and crystal hardware add glamorous touches. It’s taking modern and giving it a little bit of showiness.”


“Beautifully balanced materials provide a romantic sophistication to this bathroom,” said judge Lena Brion.

Judge Kathleen Zbacnik observed, “As someone who knows firsthand what it is to lose one’s home to a fire, I compliment the designer on her choice of materials and colors. She created a calm and healing retreat for her client.”

Above: Wall sconces and recessed lighting, combined with damask wallpaper, distiguish the vanity area of this Lake Elsinore home's bathroom.

A Sparkling Jewel

THE MASTER SUITE BATHROOM in a 1930s Spanish home in Point Loma was 7½ feet wide and 27 feet long. As she took up this remodel, designer Anita Dawson recognized a challenge:
“We couldn’t rearrange walls.”

“To combat the feeling of a bowling alley when you walked into the master bedroom, we added some arches to break up the hallway, and we did move the opening to the bedroom so there’s a cool sightline to the tub,” Dawson recounts. “Then we took out the cabinetry and the weird sunken tub, replacing it with a freestanding one, and put everything on one wall. It opened up the whole room.”

Solid shower walls were replaced with clear glass, and lighting fixtures were upgraded. “We resurfaced everything with one kind of tile so that it was very unifying,” Dawson says.

Her client also wanted the remodeled bath to sparkle, literally. “She’s very artistic, very spiritual; and she had a definite look that she wanted from the beginning. I found that every time I would show her something, she really liked sparkly,” Dawson says.

“We needed to have that kind of crystalline feeling that would go well with the bedroom, which has an almost rustic, French look.”

Locating just the right tile (and at an affordable price) produced a bathroom that is “super-sparkly,” Dawson says, “like a little jewel box.”

“This is my favorite bath,” praised judge Lena Brion. “A wonderful combination of modern luxury, glamour and refined elegance.”

Above: Anita Dawson's inventive design creates compatibility between this customized bathroom's crystalline feeling and the adjacent bathroom's rustic French look.

An Organic Mingling

LISA INNS OF GREY COAST DESIGNS had a vested interest in the master bathroom project for this five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath home in Solana Beach: It’s her house, where she resides with her husband and four children.

“When I approached this bathroom,” she says, “it was with the thought of incorporating all of the things that I love. For me, this was something I wanted to live with for a long time.”

Given her hectic household, Inns envisioned the master bath as a “rejuvenation center” for herself and her spouse.

It starts with a freestanding, therapeutic bath, which judge Kathleen Zbacnik called “a great focal point when walking down the hall.” An acupuncturist designed the tub’s jets. There’s also a steam shower for two equipped with polished nickel, wall-mount fixtures and a waterfall.

This bathroom is an organic mingling of new and traditional.

“I wanted the whole space to look timeless,” Inns explains. “I didn’t want it to look like a brand-new home. I wanted it to have some patina. So the vanity has mild distressing, while the medicine cabinet is a little more urban.”

Skylights, French doors and double-hung windows add light. “The house is fairly close to the ocean,” Inns says, “so for me that kind of organic element came into play. I like the home to feel warm and inviting.”
This bathroom “creates a drama that is enticing,” said judge Lena Brion. 

Above: The centerpiece of this Solana Beach bathroom is a jet powered therapeutic tub, from which one can also bathe in the room's natural light.

Baths of the Year: By David L. Coddon

Photography By: Martin Mann (A Tudor Twist and An Organic Mingling), Gail Owens (A Healing Retreat), Brady Architectural Photography (A Sparkling Jewel)

A designer transforms a cook's space with a Tuscan touch

INTERIOR DESIGNER TATIANA MACHADO-ROSAS gave her clients a journey to the old country. No, she didn’t buy them plane tickets. Instead, she remodeled their kitchen into a space that calls to mind a charming Italian farmhouse.

“The husband is of Italian heritage, and the couple share a love of his homeland,” she says. “The new environment is evocative of Old World Tuscany, but with all the modern conveniences of contemporary life.”

The kitchen’s rustic mood was achieved by mixing wood with natural stone. Heavily grained hardwood flooring brings a foundation of rural authenticity to the space. Dark cherry-stained cabinets add depth and warmth. A generous-size slab of Mascarilla granite on the island makes a bold statement, which is complemented by a backsplash of neutral travertine. And a wall area of stacked stone echoes the abundance of stacked stone on the home’s exterior.

“Master craftsmen painstakingly hand placed each stone to dramatically convey the Old World authenticity the clients desired, while achieving visual harmony with the rest of the living space,” the designer says.

Thoughtful attention was given to the importance of integrating the kitchen design with the rest of the family room area. While the kitchen beckons as a striking and warm focal point, it looks as though it has always belonged in the home.

“My clients can hardly wait to have their daughter, a professional chef, flourish her skills in their remodeled kitchen,” Machado-Rosas says.

Kitchens/Baths: By Eva Ditler • Photography by Preview First

YOU’VE HEARD THE OLD SAYING, “Location, location, location.” It bears repeating when you’re talking about homes nestled near some of San Diego County’s most picturesque spots, including Black’s Beach in La Jolla and San Elijo Lagoon in Solana Beach. And for the kitchens of these homes, compatibility with the environs, in look and materials was at the forefront of the homeowners’ and industry experts’ design visions.

JULE AND HARRY EBERLIN decided that if you want something done right, do it yourself — at least when it came to remodeling their kitchen.

“This is our pride and joy,” Jule Eberlin says of her family’s home near Black’s Beach in La Jolla. “But I hated my kitchen. It was very ’80s Scandinavian. We have an acre, and we wanted it more open to the yard.”

By moving the home’s laundry room, the Eberlins got the extra space they wanted and enhanced the view of the lush outdoors from the kitchen using iron windows. “The first thing I get (from visitors) is, ‘Oh my gosh, how amazing!’ You walk in my front door and you go straight to the kitchen and you see right out the back.”

The homeowners refer to the design of their remodeled kitchen as “industrial French.” Amenities include three Subzero refrigerators, an undercounter fridge and three sinks — that’s the industrial part. Then, on the French side, the Eberlins have antique stone floors and limestone and marble countertops.

The kitchen is suitable for more than just cooking. One of the sinks is perfect, Jule says, for potting herbs and even bathing the family’s small dogs. This lively household includes four dogs, two cats, seven birds, kids and grandkids.

During the remodel, the Eberlins had to rough it, kitchen-wise. “We cooked in our garage for seven months for seven people,” Jule says. But, she adds, it was worth it. “I got my dream kitchen.”

Homes: By David Coddon • Photography by Martin Mann