Serene Sanctuaries
From a blushing beauty with cut-crystal hardware to a tranquil but lofty retreat with metallic interplay, the winners of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles’ 2016 Bath of the Year contest prove eloquent examples of serene spaces serving as the ultimate sanctuary. Sensuous, sleek sophistication—carried through in both feminine, masculine and shared spaces—awaits.
Girl-Glam
Courtney Giles Interiors creates a blushing beauty in Buckhead.
The beauty secret of this Peachtree Battle home’s “hers” bath, designed by Courtney Giles, began with the homeowner’s love of a certain countertop.
“She called me and said, ‘I saw this beautiful pink marble, and I would love to use it in my bathroom,’” Giles says. “That was two years ago when construction was first starting. We didn’t have any idea what the bathroom was going to look like.”
Giles paired the pink, taupe and white countertops with a pink desert marble tile from Waterworks, which she says was a perfect match. The addition of a custom quatrefoil border around the tile creates a center “rug” for the room. The petal-like motif continues in the metal chandelier and trim on the drapery panels, lending itself to the bathroom’s feminine quality.
“Finding tile to complement the pink slab was probably the biggest challenge,” Giles says. “Then, figuring out the rug design.”
Cut mirrors line up with the vanity cabinetry and frame delicate sconces with custom pink shades. Details such as cut-crystal hardware from the Matthew Quinn Collection further enhance the bath’s feminine wiles, while the homeowner’s collection of antique silver jars, brushes and mirrors, along with a pink upholstered vanity chair, maintain old-fashioned charm in a modern setting.
While Giles’ client wanted something different from the typical white bathroom, it was also important that the space avoid the look of a Barbie dream house. To that end, white Thassos marble covers the rest of the heated floors, while taupe walls provide a neutral backdrop for the pink palette of the countertops, floors and fabrics.
The lines of the shapely freestanding tub add a modern verve while allowing the focus to remain on the tile work. It’s a clean space, Giles says, with refined old-school glamour.
INTERIOR DESIGN Courtney Giles, Courtney Giles Interiors ARCHITECT Duane Stone, Duane Stone & Associates Inc BUILDER Dallas Denny, Holland Renovation & Restoration Inc. CABINETRY Block & Chisel COUNTERTOPS Mega Marble, fabricated by James Stack TILE Waterworks TUB Ferguson CHANDELIER Gabby SHADES Schumacher (fabric) with Lee Jofa (trim) HARDWARE Matthew Quinn Collection PAINT Sherwin-Williams, Tony Taupe
Scaled to Sophistication
Harrison Design’s Karen Ferguson brings intimacy and beauty to a sprawling master bath.
Not one to feel overwhelmed by a large space, designer Karen Ferguson was instead emboldened by the dramatic scale of this Sandy Springs master bath.
The 400-square-foot room was able to accommodate a long shower with multiple showerheads and sprays, a separate tub, dual vanities and a cozy seating area. The blue-gray palette of the Bianco Carrara marble shower walls set the tone for the rest of the lavish bath.
“I worked from that corner out,” says Ferguson, director of the interior design studio at Harrison Design. “The marble panels in the shower lead to the wood panels in the bathroom, which makes it feel cozier and more intimate.”
The bathroom, says Ferguson, was intended to feel like an extension of the living area and have the same personality as the rest of the home. The custom cabinetry is the same color as the wood panels, while additional elements, such as walnut floors, a delicate chandelier, sheer Roman shades and Moattar rugs, create a tranquil retreat with a scale that remains intimate enough for two.
“It’s not just a utilitarian space,” Ferguson says. “It’s a space where you can hang out and be comfortable.”
A mix of metallic finishes adds layers of interest, while an antique floor mirror, made from wood with gold leaf, adds patina and a romantic air. The mirror, purchased in Los Angeles, stands tall behind a rectangular freestanding tub that commands attention, rather than disappearing in the substantial space. Soft curves soften the tub’s appearance, beckoning the homeowners to relax and rest.
It’s a careful interplay between textures and shapes. “I think this space feels calm and serene because of the mix of materials and finishes,” Ferguson says.
INTERIOR DESIGN Karen Ferguson, Harrison Design CONTRACTOR Smith-Kennedy ARCHITECT Caldwell-Cline CABINETRY Morgan Creek Cabinet Company FAUCETS AND SHOWER TRIMS Newport Brass TUB MTI SHOWERHEAD Hansgrohe COUNTERTOPS Precision Stoneworks ACCENT TILES Traditions in Tile and Stone SCONCES Circa Lighting CHANDELIER A. Tyner Antiques PANELING AND CABINETRY PAINT Benjamin Moore, Bunny Gray MIRROR Little Paris Antiques, Los Angeles
Masterful Suite
Rothman + Rothman Design mixes raw materials and handmade features to create a bath that’s anything but run-of-the-mill.
When James Bond explodes his family’s countryside manor in the 2012 movie Skyfall, he says, “I always hated this place.” But unlike the fictional secret agent, Eric and Jenny Rothman’s clients wanted to love their remodeled Decatur home, whose Tudor design was inspired by Bond’s ancestral lodge in Scotland.
To achieve this in the master bathroom, rough, organic elements and sleek style—in the form of concrete and wood—collide to complete the clients’ vision of a room with both texture and warmth.
“This is a very clean, simple, modern space, but with the same kind of rustic, raw, handmade elements that you could expect to find in a Tudor house,” Eric says.
Some ideas emerged organically in discussions between the designers and the homeowners. Because the tub’s placement would allow water to flow in from the side, for example, the four were excited to select an unconventional tub filler. A trough carved out of concrete now flows into the freestanding tub, creating an eye-catching water feature. The concrete continues to create a bench that embraces the tub, which is sunk into the floor. Teak-lined niches to the right and left store towels.
Across the room, the shower is accented with a glass mosaic tower that feels as though it has been pulled from the opposite wall. Within the shower, two white laminated glass panels give a shoji screen effect, capturing light from other parts of the home and casting a glow from the bathroom.
Dual vanities with waterfall edges are placed in a wall niche between the tub and shower that adds depth and dimension. A horizontal band of mirrors inset above each serves as a piece of art. “Our signature, whether or not it’s a traditional house or a modern house, is to try to simplify and create cleaner lines,” Eric says. Mission accomplished.
INTERIOR DESIGN Rothman + Rothman CONTRACTOR John Wesley Hammer CABINETRY Wood Cabinet Design CONCRETE Thornton Concrete Studio TUB AND SHOWER TOWERS Signature Hardware SHOWER TILE Tumbled marble from Topcu Tile and Stone ACCENT TILE Cemento and Casa Dolce Casa FAUCETS Kingston Brass TUB FILLER Aquabrass TUB ACCESSORIES Ginger VANITY COUNTERTOPS Stone Connection SINKS Duravit MIRRORS Dixie Glasshoppers LIGHTING Lumens SHOWER DOORS Drexler HARDWARE Build.com PAINT Sherwin-Williams, Incredible White
About the Judges
Jackie Naylor
Jackie Naylor Interiors Inc. is a residential interior design firm that specializes in kitchen and bath design, space planning and selection of finishes and fabrics. Naylor attended the University of Georgia and The Art Institute of Atlanta before founding her own firm in 1988. The firm’s philosophy is: “Whether the space is small or large, our goal is to provide design that is dramatic, functional and fun. A simple approach to complicated spaces using curves, angles, dramatic colors and natural materials, with emphasis on lighting. Our clients’ input and needs are always a top priority through the design process.”
June Chamberlain
June Chamberlain’s award-winning interior design career spans more than 20 years and covers a rich realm of both commercial and residential work. She began as an intern in the prestigious offices of Frank McCall. Since then, she has worked throughout Georgia, Florida, Alabama, North and South Carolina, Texas and Turks and Caicos. Chamberlain’s work is distinguished by her clean, classic approach, and she has won numerous ASID Design Excellence Awards. In 2008, she was featured in Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles’ 20 Under 40, and her work can be seen in many design publications, including Interiors Southeast and Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles.
Frank Neely
For 19 years Frank G. Neely Design Associates has been helping families turn their architectural aspirations into beautiful, well-functioning realities. The firm’s attention to detail and mastery of scale and proportion has earned them myriad awards and features. They specialize in renovation, restoration and new construction. In each of their projects, attention is given to every detail, from site design and spatial layout to custom interiors, cabinetry and molding. With every home, they strive to achieve the ideal balance between beauty, function and the goals of the homeowner.