Karen Hill purchased her Chevy Chase home in 1993 and updated the 1960s-style kitchen but left the master bathroom stuck in the 1950s.
“It was a one-tushie bath,” Hill said. “That was OK when only one person was using it.” That changed in 2005, when Hill’s longtime boyfriend moved in, rendering the once tolerable bath unbearable. Hill decided it was time to remodel.
She enlisted the services of Bruce Wentworth, president of Wentworth Inc., to design the new space. The result: a luxurious first-floor master suite with a wealth of custom-built storage and spalike master bath retreat.
“I’m very pleased with how everything turned out,” Hill said.
Hill’s primary goal was to expand the bath and turn every available extra inch into some form of storage.
“She really wanted to maximize the space,” Wentworth said. Of the 220-square-foot addition, nearly 70 percent is devoted to storage, custom-built and finished with transitional-style cabinetry and elegant wood trim. Dazzling glass knops add sparkle to the rows of doors and drawers.
A hallway, created from the space where the original bath was located, now has an alcove of built-in drawers and shelves for linens. Two closets were converted into built-in armoires, with the bed repositioned between them. Vertical niches flanking the bed are equipped with extendable trays and function as nightstands.
“We made the master bedroom more functional,” Wentworth said. “She has no need for any additional furniture.”
The original bath was standard for mid-20th century homes, meaning it had one sink, and it was positioned off the master bedroom. “Back then you didn’t have two people getting ready for work at the same time,” Hill said.
“A dream come true” is how Hill now describes her shower. She decided to abandon the standard master bathtub, opting instead for her curbless shower. “I saw one like it in Europe and just fell in love with it,” she added.
A narrow sheet of frosted, tempered glass separates the shower from the rest of the bath. Floor joists under the shower were configured to slope the floor down toward the drain. An operational skylight was installed above the shower to allow cross ventilation.
A blue aqua-tiled bench stretches from one wall to the other in the shower. It was important for Hill to be able to “age in place with this house,” Wentworth said.
The bath cabinets are the same elegant cream dressers seen throughout the master suite, with drawer hardware in chrome to match the more contemporary feel in the bathroom.
Lagos Azul limestone tops a long, two-sink vanity while large square porcelain tile, set on a diagonal, flows from the bath entrance seamlessly through the shower.
An additional window sits between two mirrors, all framed in white trim.
Windows, in fact, play a key role in the design. The property slopes from the front yard to the back yard, where a beautiful patio and landscaping are visible from the master bedroom and bath. Three tall casement windows, framed in white trim, are positioned in the middle of the wall in the shower to capture the view.
“Because of the location of the windows, we had no privacy issues,” he said.
A small doorway was expanded to create a dramatic entrance to the master bedroom, just across from the new alcove. Pocket doors were used for the closets to allow for better circulation from bath to bedroom and closets. A French door was installed to separate the master suite from the main living area.
Across from the bathroom is a large U-shaped walk-in closet built by Closets by Design. The closet system features crown molding and cabinetry that blends with the rest of the suite.
“You can never have too much storage,” Hill said.
