A retired couple desired a valiant master suite in their “forever home”. After living in their mid-century house for many years, they approached our design team with a concept to add a 3rd story suite with sweeping views of Puget sound. Our team stood atop the home’s rooftop with the clients admiring the view that this structural lift would create in enjoyment and value. The only concern was how they and their dear-old dog, would get from their ground floor garage entrance in the daylight basement to this new suite in the sky? Our CAPS design team specified universal design elements throughout the home, to allow the couple and their 120lb. Pit Bull Terrier to age in place. A new residential elevator added to the westside of the home. Placing the elevator shaft on the exterior of the home minimized the need for interior structural changes. A shed roof for the addition followed the slope of the site, creating tall walls on the east side of the master suite to allow ample daylight into rooms without sacrificing useable wall space in the closet or bathroom. This kept the western walls low to reduce the amount of direct sunlight from the late afternoon sun, while maximizing the view of the Puget Sound and distant Olympic mountain range. The master suite is the crowning glory of the redesigned home. The bedroom puts the bed up close to the wide picture window. While soothing violet-colored walls and a plush upholstered headboard have created a bedroom that encourages lounging, including a plush dog bed. A private balcony provides yet another excuse for never leaving the bedroom suite, and clerestory windows between the bedroom and adjacent master bathroom help flood the entire space with natural light. The master bathroom includes an easy-access shower, his-and-her vanities with motion-sensor toe kick lights, and pops of beachy blue in the tile work and on the ceiling for a spa-like feel. Some other universal design features in this master suite include wider doorways, accessible balcony, wall mounted vanities, tile and vinyl floor surfaces to reduce transition and pocket doors for easy use. A large walk-through closet links the bedroom and bathroom, with clerestory windows at the high ceilings The third floor is finished off with a vestibule area with an indoor sauna, and an adjacent entertainment deck with an outdoor kitchen & bar.

The bathroom is about a sequence of spaces. To the left in this shot is the door to the master bedroom, and to the right is the door to the "hers" walk-in closet. Ahead is the shower for 2 with a built-in bench out of the same quartzite used consistently around the room. "His" closet is straight ahead and a bank of tall linen cabinets in matching SieMatic sterling gray holds all the linens. The clients worked closely with both interior designer Gay Dyar Shorr and bath designer Matthew Rao and with their own stone resources locally to pull off a symphony of materiality in a rich but simple way.

Anatolia Mayfair Volakas Grigio 2" x 2" porcelain mosaic basketweave shower floor tile and custom bullnose shower threshold tile!

An expansive traditional master bath featuring cararra marble, a vintage soaking tub, a 7' walk in shower, polished nickel fixtures, pental quartz, and a custom walk in closet

Mike and Anne of Barrington Hills desperately needed to update and renovate both their kid’s hall bath and guest bath, and in their 1980’s home each project presented a different set of unique challenges to overcome. When they set out to identify the right remodeling company to partner with, it was important to find a company that could help them to visualize design solutions for the bath renovations. When they came across Advance Design Studio’s website, they were immediately drawn to the solution-oriented remodeling process and the family friendly company. They say they chose Advance Design because of the integrated approach of “Common Sense Remodeling”, making the design, project management and construction all happen in one place. When they met with Project Designer Michelle Lecinski, they knew they chose the right company. “Michelle’s excellent work on the initial designs made it easy to proceed with Advance Design Studio,” Mike said. Like most homeowners anticipating a big renovation project, they had some healthy fears; with two bathrooms being remodeled at the same time they worried about timeframes and staying within budget. With the help of Michelle, and the “Common Sense” guidelines, they were confident that Advance Design would stay true, orchestrating all the moving parts to stay within both the estimated timeline and budget. The guest bath offered the biggest design challenge. A dormer obstruction made the already cramped shower awkward to access. Mike and Anne also wanted the shower size to be expanded, making it more accommodating. Working with Advance’s construction expert DJ Yurik, Michelle relocated the shower concealing the original dormer and creating a larger, more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing guest shower. The unsightly and not at all user-friendly closet was removed and replaced with elegant White Maple Dura Supreme cabinetry with much improved function featuring dual tall linen cabinets, a special makeup area and two sinks, providing a dual vanity which was extremely important for better guest use. The Fossil Brown quartz countertop is in pleasing contrast to the white cabinetry, and coordinates nicely with the mocha porcelain tile gracing the shower for an accent. The decorative glazed turquoise tile backsplash, tile border, and bottle niche adds a taste of marine green to the room, while marble-looking porcelain tile makes guests feel they are staying in a 5-star hotel. Polished nickel Kohler plumbing fixtures were chosen to add a touch of sophistication. This renovated guest bath is comfortable and elegant, and Anne and Mike’s house guests may never want to leave! “The end result was updated and restyled bathrooms that the client will enjoy and increase the value of their home,” Designer Michelle said. The children’s hall bath had its own set of challenges. The current placement of the sink was not conducive to the best use of the existing space, nor did it allow for any visual interest, something Advance’s designers always work to achieve even within the tight confines of a small bath. Advance removed the linen closet and used the gain in wall space to create a dramatic focal point on the vanity wall. They also took additional space that wasn’t being used for new Storm Gray Dura Supreme tall built-in linen cabinets, creating functional storage space that the former bath lacked. A customized glass splash panel was created for the bath, and the high ceilings with skylights were accented with a custom-made track lighting fixture featuring industrial pipe and cage materials. Authentic cement encaustic tile was used wall to wall surrounding the vanity to create a dramatic and interesting back drop for the new elegant and stately furniture-like double sink wall. Hand-made encaustic tile originated in Western Europe beginning in the 1850’s and reminded Mike and Anne of tile they had seen and loved from their travels overseas. Today, encaustic tile has made a re-appearance in today’s modern bath design with its wide array of appealing patterns and artistic use of color. Oil rubbed bronze Kohler fixtures echo the black accents in the beautiful tile pattern and reflect the matte black of the unique lighting detail. Easy to maintain Blanca Arabescato Quartz countertops add practicality and natural beauty and compliments the warm wood porcelain tile floors. This handsome bath has generated praise from friends and family even before it’s complete unveiling as photos of the space leaked out on social media! It’s not only completely functional to use, but especially pretty to look at. “Advance Design Studio did a terrific job for us. We really appreciated how easy it was to work with them on a complex project of the complete remodeling of two bathrooms. They very capably handled all the details from design, to project management, to construction. It is a great group of people to work with and we would welcome the opportunity to work with them again anytime,” Mike said.

Modern farmhouse bathroom remodel featuring a beautiful Carrara marble counter and gray vanity which includes two drawers and an open shelf at the bottom for wicker baskets that add warmth and texture to the space. The hardware finish is polished chrome. The walls and ceiling are painted in Sherwin Williams Westhighland White 7566 for a light and airy vibe. The vanity wall showcases a shiplap wood detail. Above the vanity on either side of the round mirror are two, round glass chrome plated, wall sconces that add a classic feeling to the room. The alcove shower/cast iron tub combo includes a niche for shampoo. The shower walls have a white textured tile in a subway pattern with a light gray grout and an accent trim of multi-gray penny round mosaic tile which complements the gray and white color scheme.

With an emphasis on functional aging-in-place that is also stylish, this Amherst Master Bath makes a statement with bold Cambria Bentley quartz tops and Delta Faucet fixtures paired with must-have curbless shower, seat, grab bars, and dual rain can and hand showering for ease of use.

Master bathroom w/ freestanding soaking tub

Remodel master bathroom. Replaced ceramic tile with LVT flooring, removed wallpaper and painted, replaced lights and mirrors. New vanity.

Nancy Knickerbocker of Reico Kitchen and Bath in Southern Pines, NC designed a primary bathroom featuring Merillat Masterpiece cabinetry’s Gannon door style in Evercore with a Moonshine finish. Selections for bathroom include Silestone Quartz in a Pearl Jasmine finish vanity countertops along with fixtures and accessories from Kohler and Moen. The shower features 12x24 and 2x2 Bakersfield Pumice floor tile, shower floor tile and 10x12 Bianco shower wall tile. The client emphasized Nancy's pivotal role in the remodel's success. "She was respectful of our budget, our needs (more handicap-friendly and storage space, fewer doors) and was knowledgeable about what was and wasn’t doable in our situation. Her excellent design suggestions took into consideration our choices for cabinets, fixtures, countertops, flooring and etc. She was interested and always available to help throughout the entire project," said the client. Nancy highlighted the bathroom's outdated features from the era of the garden tub. "The homeowner wanted to add storage, enlarge the shower and overall update the bathroom. By removing the tub, we added a cabinet with two roll-out shelves, a trash cabinet, and laundry hamper cabinet. Kohler mirrored medicine cabinets added personal storage above the sinks. To allow easier access to the bathroom, the entry door was widened. As a result, the vanity needed to be reduced to 18” deep." "The Kohler Veticyl 13” square sink was the perfect choice for the limited space! The shower insert was replaced with a tile shower, a glass panel and large door. We also removed the water closet door and reduced the height of the wall. There is still privacy and allows for easier access to the area. My favorite part of the project is the area where the tub was once located. The cabinetry and the arched window are lovely!” said Nancy. Photo courtesy of ShowSpaces Photography.

The hand shower was placed next to the shower bench for the homeowners to sit down and relax in the shower.

World Renowned Architecture Firm Fratantoni Design created this beautiful home! They design home plans for families all over the world in any size and style. They also have in-house Interior Designer Firm Fratantoni Interior Designers and world class Luxury Home Building Firm Fratantoni Luxury Estates! Hire one or all three companies to design and build and or remodel your home!