mbing added. The shower was widened by a foot and equipped with body sprays and a frame less glass door that ushers in light. A half?wall was built to obscure the toilet so it would no longer be the first thing seen when entering the room.
Just how small was it? "It was so tiny that when you opened the door to the bathroom, you literally had to close it in order to open' the door to the shower," designer Carolyn Oliver?Broder says.
"It was beyond tiny," says designer Barat Gerard, who teamed up with Oliver?Broder to transform the Hollywood bath for the Assistance League of Southern California.
The designers' script called for a luxurious retreat that paid homage to the home's European roots. It was a tall order, indeed, considering the bath begged for a total rehab. 'With a bath, you're looking for performance as well as design," Oliver?Broder says. "There's no other room in the house where style and function need to come together like they do in a bathroom."
To add functionality, the dividing wall came down. With its removal, however, the designers encountered a m6lange of awkwardly placed, offcenter fixtures and plumbing. 'We opened a can of worms," Gerard says. 'We took the entire room down to the studs. Everything was moved in some way, shape, or form."
Still, the bathroom's 12xl2?foot size was small compared to that of many new ones or for a bath clamoring for pampering amenities. Space was at such a premium that Oliver?Broder and Gerard even moved
On another wall, the old pullman sink was pulledout and
new plu
mbing added. The shower was widened by a foot and equipped with body sprays and a frame less glass door that ushers in light. A half?wall was built to obscure the toilet so it would no longer be the first thing seen when entering the room.
With the peccadilloes corrected, Oliver?Broder and Gerard were ready to give the room a dose of Tinsel Town glitz. Though they took a restrained approach, they didn't scrimp on style. They intro duced classic, clean?lined fixtures, furnishings, and surfaces to give a nod to the historic home's roots. "We truly wanted to respect the integrity of the house," the toilet six inches closer to a wall. 'We were trying to give the room the feel that it is much handmade art tile, larger than it actually is,"
Gerard says. designers chose exquisite part of a line that dates back to 1919, to grace the (Left)The focal?point two?piece European soaking tub is sloped at both ends, with the water source in the center to accommodate two bathers. On the walls, contemporary glass shelves and l8th?century engravings of Italian urns add interest.
(Below
Right)fs A freestanding sink with polished?nickel tapered legs furthers the European look. Nickel was chosen over chrome because it looks warmer. For continuity, the mirror was framed in the same handmade
tile that adorns the lower walls, and satin Venetian plaster to cover the upper portion. "We really wanted the tile to tell a story," Oliver?Broder says. Used extensively throughout the room, the tile itself almost becomes artwork.
A gracious European soaking tub set out from the wall adds a focal point without distracting from its tile background. On the floor, Portuguese limestone imparts an old?world feel. An antique walnut an?noire lined with a nubby fabric and holding leather storage boxes stands in for built?in cabinetry, lending charm and function.
The monochromatic color scheme invests the room with a serene quality. But because the designers culled a mix of textures, the bath is far from bland. Roman shades made from woven horsehair fabric from Italy present a warming counterpoint to the tile. "That was kind of my whimsy coming out. I grew up on a Thoroughbred farm in Kentucky," Oliver?Broder says. Glass shelves that seem to float from the walls bounce light and hold stacks of plump towels.
Despite the dramatic transformation, the designers were perplexed about bow to hide an unsightly view of a rooftop and gutter beyond one window. Taking last?minute inspiration from an existing window box, they built a new box into the second window and filled both with flowers and foliage. "It really added a sense of drama to the room," Gerard says. "It gives a tranquil, succulent feel, with exotic grasses spilling into the room."
Touted as a "gentleman's guest suite," the newly revamped but classically inclined bath plays a starring role in the house. "Its about understated elegance and sophistication," Oliver?Broder says of the bath's appeal.
"It's a little feng-shui it has a very soothing feeling," Gerard says. And amid the Hollywood hubbub, that's worthy of an Oscar.
Photographer. Mark Lohman, Designers: Carolyn E. Oliver?Broder and Bar?at Gerard. Field editor. Robin Tucker.
Showhouse location: Assistance League of Southern California Design House 2000, Hollywood, California.
ABOVE: The tile?iaden bath took its cue from the tiles on a fireplace in an adjacent bedroom. On the window, Roman shades with a subtle waffle?weave pattern introduce texture, while a window box bursting with greenery injects interest