Luxury Bathroom With a Coffee Bar

Come take a tour of a luxury bathroom with a coffee bar, an incredible freestanding spa tub that looks like it was carved from a block of quartzite, a deep green-tiled shower with all the bells and whistles, gorgeous custom cabinetry and a playful surprise in the separate toilet room.

While our client knew he wanted it to feel dramatic, he wasn’t sure how to do that. In addition, he wanted the space to feel cohesive with the rest of his French chateau-style home, which was updated and luxurious.

Our job was to make the bathroom function better. At the same time, we knew that well-balanced bold design moves and thoughtfully proportioned elements would make this room a showstopper, giving our client the drama he desired.

Design Challenges

Before: One of the biggest challenges in this room was its large scale. Sometimes there is such a thing as too much square footage. That was the case for this very large primary bathroom. Or at least it seemed so due to the dated finishes, the amount of wasted space and bad proportions.

The biggest challenge was the vast size of the space. There was enough room for ballroom dancing in the center of the room, which made it uninviting. Other issues included:

The finishes were dated
The layout had a lot of wasted space
The proportions of the elements made things feel off
Working with some of the existing trim style and slanted ceiling was tricky
The thermal air system for the new bathtub our client chose was noisy

Luxurious Bathtub

After: We made the layout feel inviting by creating elements that stood up to the grand scale of the large bathroom. The focal point of the room is now a stunning freestanding bathtub with a Taj Mahal quartzite surround. The tub’s proportions suit the scale of the room, and the tub area lends a sense of symmetry.

We added high wainscoting that makes the proportions of the room sing. This provided a natural spot for a lovely chandelier overhead. This focal point and the design elements around it give the eye pleasing places to rest.

Finally, the Hydrosystem thermal air system can be noisy. We wrapped the tub in Rockwool to dampen the noise of jets.

Coffee Bar

Next up, we needed cabinetry that would work well with the other large-scale items like the tub surround and wainscoting. It was also going to fulfill one of our client’s main requests: to create a luxury bathroom with a coffee bar.

Before: One of the biggest challenges was laying out the space in a way that was engaging and gave it good energy. The existing layout lined the room in cabinetry, leaving unpleasing proportions.

After: Our client loves to get his coffee brewing as soon as he wakes up, so we designed a handsome, one-stop coffee bar for him. This replaced the vanities to the left of the bedroom door in the “Before” photo.

The coffee bar has adjustable shelves, a beverage fridge, prep sink and retractable doors. Also seen in this elevation is a pocket door that replaced a swing door and the new wainscoting that continues along this wall.

What Coffee-Brewing Method Makes the Best Tasting Cup?

Vanity Wall

Before: In other sad cabinetry news, the vanities, a dressing table and other incongruent cabinetry wrapped two walls of the room.

On the left, we’d already replaced the vanity on one side of the door with the tall coffee bar. The challenge was to find a place for a double-vanity and create proportions that suited the large size of the room.

After: We chose the wall where the makeup table had been in the previous photo. Not lining every bit of these walls with cabinetry allowed the room to breathe. We made the most of this wall by adding two vanities with the makeup table between them.

The 10-inch-high backsplash and the apron sink fronts also provide strong proportions that stand up to the high ceilings.

Part of the challenge was to create a pleasing composition that would stand up to the scale of the room. We used vertical shiplap to emphasize height. The curved backsplash, mirrors and long sconces (not shown in this elevation) stand up to the height of the room and give the vanities a strong presence.

Details include reeded drawers and quartzite countertops with matching mitered sinks. These elements break up the cabinetry, making it more visually interesting than one long monolithic block of cabinets and countertops would have been.

The vanities have charging drawers that keep devices off the countertops. The countertop waterfalls down to the lower makeup table for a continuous and luxurious look. The long Art Deco-style sconces add glamor and their proportions are appropriate in the room.

We continued a substantial intricate molding around the tops of the walls. This brought the darker color of the wainscoting up against the ceiling. The thickness of this molding provides pleasing proportions and balance in the large room.

Luxurious Shower

Before: The shower stall was dated and uninviting. The detailing around it was not appealing.

After: We created a new arched opening that adds some soft lines to the room. A sumptuous green tile brings a luxe and relaxing feel to the stall.

Luxurious features in the shower include:

A built-in bench crafted of Taj Mahal quartzite
Three shower heads including a handheld wand and rainshower head
Body sprays
Twin niches
An elegant herringbone floor and ceiling

Toilet Room

The toilet room was a chance to have a bit of fun. We think this remodel made it worthy of the elevated title of “Water Closet.”

We added matching wainscoting for continuity and to bring the elegance of the rest of the bathroom into this small space. We also installed a new pocket door for a more streamlined look and to eliminate a door swing.

Finally, the pièce de résistance is a playful wallpaper that features Benjamin Franklin blowing bubble gum bubbles. It lightens the mood!

Floor Plan

Here’s a look at how all these different pieces fit together. Our client now has a primary bathroom that’s relaxing, dramatic, luxurious and pleasing to the eye.

We are very proud of this luxury bathroom with a coffee bar, and of all the ways we met challenges that popped up along the during construction.