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Mosaic
glass tile, originally intended for the ceiling above the tub,
is eye-catching and instrumental in creating the spa-like feel
homeowner Bonnie Starks wanted in the master bathroom. A.
Fillinger Inc. designer Matthew Tollefsen created the wood
vanity and dressing table to be in keeping with the light and
airy feel of the space.
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Queen of the
castle
As the mother of
an autistic son, Bonnie Starks designed the master suite in her new
Mequon home to be a quiet retreat at the end of the day. "I
wanted it to be my space where I could just go to get away from the
stress," she says of caring for her son as a then single mother.
The spacious
master bedroom, with its tray ceiling, impressive fireplace and
kitchenette, echoes the castle-like design of the rest of the house
with its thick plaster walls and Medieval-style windows.
For the master
bathroom, Starks recalled trips to Africa and the hotels she stayed in
for design inspiration. "I loved the way it felt. I wanted to
feel that way in my own house," she says. Starks says she spent
hours and hours in the space deciding what to do with the mosaic glass
tile that was originally intended for the ceiling. Because the ceiling
angles weren’t square, it couldn’t be used there. Now, the step-up
tub area, surrounded by the glass tile, is one of her favorite
features of the room. She chose glass block for the shower to pay
homage to her grandfather, who was a mason.
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Starks
envisioned homes on the duPont Registry when planning her
master closet. Hanging clothes are protected inside closed
cabinets. A. Fillinger’s Tollefsen treated the design as an
extension of the spa-inspired master bathroom vanities. Closet
design, he says, is similar to kitchen design when using
full-depth cabinetry as he’s done here.
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Starks worked
with A. Fillinger Inc. designer Matthew Tollefsen to create the custom
vanity and dressing table, which are made of birch. "We wanted
the wood to be warm to balance the tile," Tollefsen says.
"With so much going on in the room, we kept the lines very simple
and put a clear-coat on everything — stain didn’t have the Zen
feel we were going for."
"The master
suite just makes me feel like I am somewhere else, like I’m in
another place," Starks says. "It turned out exactly the way
I felt."
 Contemporary
calm
Darla and Jim Schneider
stepped away from the traditional look of their former home when
remodeling the new master bath in the couple’s Delafield condo.
"They wanted a calming, spa effect," says Molly Madsen of
AB&K Bath and Kitchen, with locations in Mequon and Greenfield.
"The continuity of square lines and crisp edges were important to
Darla." To soften the room, the couple chose recessed medicine
cabinets with an arched mirror. The espresso-colored custom cabinetry
and white quartz countertops complement the robin’s egg blue walls
and glass tiles. The oversized pulls and faucets in stainless steel
complete the look.
 Handsome
haven
The 6-foot soaking tub
inspired the design of a second-floor bath in a 1909 Milwaukee Tudor
by Cream City Construction, Milwaukee. "The house is grand; large
spaces, tall ceilings, a lot of coffer work on the walls," says
Cream City’s Jim Grote. "We kept that in mind and were
respectful of that, but we gave it an updated, nice clean look,
too." A hallway bath and guest-room bath were combined to create
the new space. The room’s special features include a high-gloss
black double vanity, oversized shower, in-floor heat and a corner
fireplace. "It’s a fairly good-sized space but there is not a
lot of stuff in it," Grote says. Custom sconces and chandelier
and a dramatic black-and-white marble floor pay homage to the home’s
traditional roots while the open, uncluttered feel speaks to a modern
sensibility.
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The
prevalent use of mirrors can create an illusion in the master
bath area. "You can stand in that space and you don’t
know if you are looking at a reflection in the mirror or
looking outside," says Dale Kolbeck. "They wanted a
minimal look, so we floated the cabinets and gave them that
open, uncluttered feel." Calista fixtures, wood flooring
throughout and a composite bathtub made by Wet carry out the
natural aura in the bath area. The homeowners found the
bathtub on a trip to Seattle. "We liked it because it
almost looks like a piece of art," says the homeowner.
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Simple Serenity
Every morning
the sunrise over Moose Lake greets the homeowners in this master
suite. Only partial walls were constructed between the bed and bath
area to create an open ambiance. "We wanted the room to be
surrounded by windows, and walls blocked the view," the homeowner
says.
"They were
looking for a space that was really open to the outside with as much
glass as possible. We took that concept by removing part of the wall
while still creating a separate bed and bath space," explains
Dale Kolbeck of Architectural Homes, Waukesha, who designed and built
the home. Kolbeck says the couple desired a spa-like atmosphere in the
master suite with a contemporary design and the intentional feeling of
bringing the outside indoors. Custom touches are seen throughout the
rooms, such as the bed that was designed and built by Kolbeck. A
fireplace in the corner was installed at a height that the homeowners
could enjoy while relaxing in bed.
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The
open concept between the bed and bath area lends an
uncomplicated feel to the space. The earth tones combined with
the watercolor paintings done by Alice Rossman, the homeowner’s
mother, complete the natural look.
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