Contests
Design Connection
The rapport between two homeowners and a design-build team leads to an inspired master bath
BY
Schraepfer Harvey
PHOTOGRAPHY
David Papazian

J.A.S. Design-Build and homeowners Michael Nelson and David Updike focused the design of their master bathroom project on the feel of the home’s midcentury modern origins. Beneath a slightly pitched, exposed-beam ceiling, aluminum-framed windows allow natural light to reflect off the Aztec yellow terrazzo floor while the wall tile pattern calms the eyes. Three pieces by Jeffrey Simmons provide a calculated splash of color on the wall opposite the suspended, aluminum-frame mirror.
After about 20 years each in the real estate business, Windermere agents Michael Nelson and David Updike have developed keen eyes for bathroom design. "We work in the real estate industry; we're critics," David says. Their Seattle Homes & Lifestyles 2007 Bath of the Year is the result of their sixth collaboration with J.A.S. Design-Build, which focused on a new master bathroom in their current 1956 Matthews Beach home.

Michael and David worked with J.A.S. on two different remodels of their former Capitol Hill townhouse before moving to their current home. By the time this master bathroom project began in autumn 2006, the homeowner -- design-build team’s project history had established an important level of trust. "It's a pretty open conversation," says J.A.S. owner and lead designer Joe Schneider of the collaboration.

The rapport allowed David and J.A.S. designer Kim Clements a free association on the midcentury modern look. "I really wanted to reflect the character and sense of that time period," David says. They began by installing ribbon mahogany custom cabinets, aluminum window wraps and yellow-hued terrazzo floor tiles that David held in the garage for the year between projects in the Matthews Beach home. Features that accent those base materials include a cabinet with etch-matte glass sliding doors, horizontal aluminum blinds, a glass-enclosed terrazzo-and-tile shower area, limestone counter tops and six lighting options, including LED step lights, under-vanity-mounted track lighting and an overhead Nelson pendant lamp.

"You want something to harmonize with the total look of the room," David says of the finishes. Low-key fixtures by Hansgrohe, aluminum wall sconces by Resolute and silver-tipped light bulbs fit the room’s sleek and cohesive look.

The floating mirror partially obstructs the high north window, which Michael insisted remain in place to preserve the exterior of the home. The aluminum-framed custom mirror aids not only the midcentury modern look with a "logical extension of the aluminum window frames," David says, but also its spacious feel, by reflecting the natural light that enters room.

From floating mirrors to uniform wall coverings, the elements of the bathroom combine to effect a feeling of being suspended on air. For Michael and David, the bathroom presents a calming, peaceful experience. "I think that's the surprising experience. Over time it all registers; you feel a connection," David says.

Schraepfer Harvey is a writer and editor based in Seattle.

For the full text of this article, see the September 2007 issue of Seattle Homes & Lifestyles.