Filling a Tall Order
A bathroom redo steps up to challenging heights
BEING TALL HAS ITS ADVANTAGES. You can reach into those high places where the turkey platter is kept. When it comes to sports, you have longer strokes for swim-ming, better angles for tennis and extended strides for running. However, if you’re tall and you move into a house where the previous owner was short, you may find certain challenges.
Such was the case in the condo bath-room of designer Cynthia Ryan’s client. Besides feeling like a cooped-up rooster in a compact space, he couldn’t comfortably use the showerheads and vanity, which were too low. The bathtub was similarly unsuitable for his frame.
Cynthia ditched the shower/bath combo and opted instead for a luxury shower with a higher showerhead and a bench with a hand-held showerhead.
Old 4-by-4-inch white ceramic tiles were replaced with tumbled travertine in Baja Crème. The vanity height was raised; and to complement the shower wall, Cynthia chose a countertop of vein-cut travertine. Gold mirror frames bring out the rich colors in the stone.
The new bathroom is easier for the homeowner to navigate, and its design won Cynthia the 2013 Star Award in the Medium/Small Bath category from the San Diego Chapter of the National Kitchen & Bath Association.
By Eva Ditler Photography by Preview First
