We created two new stunning areas in this home for these clients! The first is a spa-like en suite bathroom that offers a retreat to relax and rejuvenate. The second area is a show-stopping fireplace and feature wall in the main living area of their home. Both of these renovations elevate this home from a nice place to live into an elegant and modern home with all the comforts and luxuries these clients could dream of. Get inspired by what might be possible in your own home!
A Spa-themed En Suite Bathroom Reveal
Check out the full tour of this bathroom transformation below, or read on to learn more:
To be frank, this bathroom was already pretty remarkable when we first came into this home, but the existing design just wasn’t really satisfying the client. The space was a bit dark and lacked the modern style they were looking for.
So here’s what we’ve delivered. First, we installed a beautiful steam shower with large format tile. We added gold trim everywhere throughout the space, which is gives it that luxurious look. Then we added a nice freestanding tub. We built this little tub bump out to house a niche, which is a nice design detail. Around the tub, we installed more large format tile combined with some mosaic tile on either side. There’s some nice LED lighting for accent, and a beautiful little chandelier above the tub.
On the wall, we installed this really unique double sink vanity unit. We used nice tile details in the backsplash combined with the quartz countertops. And then we added some millwork details around these back lit mirrors.
On the other wall, we built a kind of makeup area, again using nice millwork details. It’s a dry area, with no sink, but it’s laid out to be able to sit there and have a little workspace.
Overall, it’s a very sleek, modern space with features like large format tile that keep grout lines to a minimum. And amenities like a steam shower, towel warmer, and freestanding tub make it extra comfortable!
Pay Attention to the Bathtub and Bathtub Surround
Here are all the details we paid attention to when we created the bump-out for the niche by the bathtub in this renovation.
We installed a nice floor standing tub as part of this renovation. One of the main features here is this bump out in the back wall that creates a niche, and gives some depth to this wall. We added large format tile on that wall, with mitered edges all around it. On either side of the bump out we installed this mosaic tile to give some texture and depth, as well as some accent lighting along the sides of the bump out to really make the space pop.
We do have the controls for this jetted tub mounted in this bump out as well. And then we have this beautiful gold trim package for the tub, in addition to a heated towel warmer mounted on the wall. So, it’s a remarkable corner of this bathroom!
Elevate Your En Suite With a Steam Shower
This bathroom also has a beautiful new steam shower, and what makes this shower area remarkable is a combination of design details. First, there is this large format tile which really minimizes grout lines and keeps it a clean and elegant design with very low maintenance on grout. Next, there is this beautiful gold colored plumbing trim package. This ties in really well with the rest of the space while also being a very unique in how it’s laid out. For example, look at the controls. They’re a nice linear design.
The shower has it all—large square overhead rain showers, some body sprays, and a bench. There’s also a niche detail.
One thing to consider if you have a steam shower is that you need to think about how you will vent out the steam from the space. In this shower we included a transom located above the door. The other option is just leave your door open afterwards, but it’s far more convenient to have the transom window.
Add a Custom Vanity
A custom vanity can be a show-stopping piece in your en suite.
This custom wall-mounted double vanity is a unique touch that takes this space to the next level. Since it’s a wall-mounted unit with a floating shelf below, it looks very clean and simple. It has some great millwork details that tie in well with these circular backlit mirrors above it as well.
While this is simple and elegant, it certainly was not simple to install. As part of this renovation we also added a pocket-door, so this wall mounted vanity is suspended from a pocket-door wall. This means the wall itself is not very structurally sound, so we had to create a lot of reinforcements to brace this. While the end result is simple and beautiful, it certainly took a lot of planning and careful execution. And it means you want to work with a contractor who knows how to handle this if you want to include something similar in your renovation!
Create a Show-stopping Fireplace and Feature Wall in Your Living Area
In the main living area of this home, the client was looking for a more modern look in the fireplace area, as well the ability to have a TV over the fireplace. The previous configuration didn’t allow for a TV, so we tore this whole thing out and re-framed a brand new configuration of a fireplace chase.
The design of this new feature wall is amazing, incorporating a few different products that gives it a nice modern look. It’s an asymmetrical design with great cabinet details. The beautiful slat wall detail on the one side gives it overall this really impressive look.
On the main fireplace chase we used this large format tile. It makes a bold impression within the size of this chase and really helps make this entire area a real feature in the home. It’s kind of a showstopper.
As part of this we installed a new linear gas fireplace, which is far more modern-looking than the previous square-shaped one that was there before. While the fireplace previously was nice and oversized, it just didn’t really give it the balance and the nice strong impression that we get out of this new reconfigured wall.
To finish it all, there is a Dekton hearth, all custom designed and built, with mitred joints. It really gives a unique feel to the way the hearth is designed and it works really well with the overall configuration of this fireplace chase.
Now when you walk into this home, this fireplace is really kind of that focal point, and this room is somewhere you’d really like to spend some time.
It’s not as simple as it looks to create a fireplace area like this! Here’s a bit more about what all needs to be considered to deliver a stunning renovation like this.
The client had a vision for a very bold and modern design for their feature fireplace area and they worked closely with our designer, Michelle Pollock, from Refresh Design, and came up with this amazing design for this space. Bringing it to life took some planning! Here we have an 18 foot feature fireplace wall ceiling height and we actually renovated this space within a finished home.
This meant we had to protect all the existing floors, set up Polywall dust protection to make sure we didn’t dust bomb the entire house as we did the demolition process. We had to work off of a scaffold to be able to erect this structure and put it all together. Doing this scale of renovation inside of a finished home was a challenge and took a lot of advanced planning.
The design of the chase includes a bit of extra projection on the upper fireplace bump out, kind of over hanging over top of the fireplace unit. So when we framed this, it needed to be very laser accurate within how the structure is framed. When it came time to install the surfaces, it needed to finish at the exact dimensions as designed. A lot of planning had to go into the framing stage.
This fireplace has what we call a heat shift unit. You can see the vent above the TV that then helps to protect the TV and redirects the heat around and above it. So during the framing process, we needed to lay this out so these things are exactly where they were supposed to be according to the design.
On the tile installation side of things, these large format tiles weigh close to 150 pounds each. Getting these large tiles up into place, 15-16 feet up could be a struggle and the install itself is considered advanced with these large format tiles. Krisk Surfaces did a great job for us on this one! A lot of planning went into exactly where these tiles are going to sit, where the grout lines are, and what tiles are going to be featured within the finished product.
Down into the hearth area here we have a Dekton product on the hearth and all these joints are mitered. Shout out to Damato Granite, who did a great job on that for us.
This design also includes some nice cabinetry details within our floating shelves. This, again, takes a lot of planning to make sure we lay out the electrical to meet the correct locations for these shelves, so that it meets the original design. Shout out to Archetype, who did a beautiful job on this millwork in here.
And lastly, when installing the new fireplace we did have to replace the chimney chase, so there was a little bit of roof access required to do this, and other technical details to make this thing function.
So overall, a beautiful project. It was a lot of hard work executed within a finished home, and not a average renovation project—it was something that certainly considered a bit more on the advanced side of things! But it demonstrates that if this is what you have in mind, it’s best to go with a contractor who can consider all the details and know what needs to be done to bring your vision to life.
You can see the project portfolio for this project here.
Looking for more tips like this that maybe you haven’t thought of yourself? Talk to your contractor to see what they suggest! They might have great ideas to elevate your fireplace or the en suite in your master bedroom. Reach out to us here at Contact Renovations at (780)455-4446 or info@contactrenovations.ca for all your questions about your renovation project.
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About Contact Renovations & Custom Homes
At Contact Renovations and Custom Homes, our client-first philosophy has made us a top Edmonton Design Build Contractor for over ten years. We pride ourselves on high quality renovations that speaks for itself.
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