BALANCING BEAUTY AND DURABILITY IN THE WAGNER RESIDENCE
With the minimalist design trend in full force, it’s very common to see spaces that may have really embraced that open look and feel, but fails to account for the day to day needs and lifestyles of the homeowners. By focusing on comfort and functionality during the design process, as well as the intended use of a space, we can avoid that error and instead create beautiful spaces that are made to be used and enjoyed.
Elle Cherie’s first visit to the Wagner residence was about two years ago, when they had decided to move their bedroom from the basement to the main floor. They wanted to have the basement available as a guest suite, which provided more privacy and a separate space for visiting family and friends. Having settled into the new bedroom, our most recent task for the Wagners was to transform the main bathroom into a luxurious master bath and to add a spacious and functional walk-in closet. During the transfor-mation we wanted to incorporate the clients’ love of colour and far-off places, while also focusing on the functionality and user experience.
LUXURY, STYLE, AND USABILITY IN THE MASTER BATHROOM
With the Wagners love of travel in mind, we infused a Moroccan vibe into their new master bath with a multicolour mosaic tile as an accent. We chose a bold backsplash and offset the colour with white accent tile and soft white washed faux wood look to match the closet. For the flooring, we opted for luxury vinyl tiling for a number of reasons. At first glance, the vinyl tiling is indistinguishable from porcelain marble tile, but because of the degree of flex in vinyl flooring, it is less likely to crack or sustain other damage. Once it is installed, it is completely waterproof and easy to maintain. Vinyl tiling is also easier and less expensive to install and has less of an environmental impact because, unlike ceramic tile, luxury vinyl tiling is typically recyclable and doesn’t create toxic dust when removed. Also, vinyl tiling is softer and warmer on the feet, which is a must with our Calgary winters.
Speaking of winter, nothing keeps the chills away like the deep soaker tub we installed in the master bathroom, along with more shower heads for the ultimate spa feeling. We selected Moen fixtures for the shower and vanity. The counters in the bathroom are engineered white quartz. Quartz is becoming another popular material that is durable, easy to maintain material. It comes in a variety of styles that can enhance any living space.
One of the biggest problems people run into with bathrooms is the amount of clutter that accumulates on the counter tops. The biggest reason for this is there simply isn’t enough room for all those wonderful beauty products to be put away. In the Wagners master bath, they’ll never run into that problem with the floor to ceiling millwork towers flanking the vanity, as well as one just as you enter the bathroom. Not only does ensure there is a home for everything, but it also means that they’ll be able to enjoy the beau-ty of the space we designed together.
A CLOSET YOU WANT TO WALK INTO
For the Wagners, it was really important to add a separate space to the bedroom where one or the other could get dressed without disrupting the sleep of their spouse on days when their schedules don’t match. Keeping that in mind, we wanted the walk-in closet to not only be spacious, but to also be a beautiful place to start the day.
We decided to paint the walls a brighter blue, which not only brightens the space but really makes the custom cabinetry pop. For the cabinetry, both in the closet and the master bathroom we went with a pre-finished, textured melamine that looks just like real wood. The difference is that the melamine is easy to clean, low maintenance and doesn’t scratch or chip easily.
BEAUTIFUL SPACES TO ENJOY
The walk-in closet and the bathroom met the Wagners goal of adding more storage space, but did so in a sleek, fashionable way that accentuated their love of travel and colour. The materials we used are durable and easy to maintain, so the spaces will continue to look amazing after plenty of everyday use. Most importantly, the master bath and walk-in closet