The renovated master bathroom of Gregg and Susan Achtenhagen includes a heated floor and towel bar, multiple showerheads and a computerized fan. "It’s nice just having all the up-to-date features," Susan Achtenhagen says.

Space and Light

In the master bedroom, closet and bath redo of Gregg and Susan Achtenhagen’s Oconomowoc home, space wasn’t the issue, but the layouts were cumbersome and not very efficient. Enter Jake Ruiz of Quality Remodeling Specialists, who worked with the homeowners to improve the layout and update the design of the rooms without changing the overall footprint. In the master bathroom a curved glass block shower wall offers privacy yet allows light in the new shower, which is nearly twice the size of the previous shower. Floating cherry vanities are topped with Colonial Cream Artisan granite. A travertine backsplash is used in vertical application as a focal point over the raised center unit. "We really like the simplicity of the design and the great execution on the part of the builders," Susan Achtenhagen says. The project received a 2011 Milwaukee/NARI award.

A linen cabinet to the right of the steam shower houses the shower’s steam generator in the bottom and offers storage above.

Modern Elegance

After updating the rest of their 1920s Whitefish Bay home, David and Ann Pasterski turned their attention to the outdated master bathroom. Working with AB&K Bath and Kitchen designer Kelly Fine, the new design exudes formal elegance and modern flair. A luxurious steam shower with bench seat is tiled in timeless Carrera marble set vertically in a brick pattern for a dramatic, modern look. Chrome plumbing fixtures and accessories give the room a crisp, clean appeal. Fine reorganized the room’s layout by borrowing space from a bedroom book case, closing up a hallway entry, eliminating the bathtub and the radiator, which was replaced with electric heated mats under the tile. The classic palette also features a white pedestal sink and toilet and a blue-gray paint color on the walls. The project received a 2011 Milwaukee/NARI award.

Keeping the existing layout intact, this Fox Point bath remodel focuses on updating finishes that coordinate with the style of the home.

Keeping Classic

In the bathroom renovation of this 1930s Fox Point home, subtle changes make a big impact in the overall design. Working with homeowner Polly Drew, Mike Wade of Wade Design kept the existing layout generally intact. He gained space for a larger bathtub by installing an undermount style from Kohler and added privacy to the toilet area by borrowing space from an adjoining closet and sliding the toilet back from view. A chandelier Drew found online adds a formality to the room over the double-sink vanity. Other finishes, such as a crackle-finish subway tile with beveled edge and penny round mosaic floor tiles, are elegant details that fit in with the home’s traditional design.

The countertops of this master bath remodel are Silestone. A glass tile backsplash corresponds with the glass inlay surrounding the bathtub.

A Perfect Start to the Day

From the earth tone, soothing shades to the high-tech Kohler shower, Deb and Daryl Michlig start their mornings in the perfect spa-like experience. "I love everything about my bathroom, it’s an escape," says Deb Michlig.

The Michligs are general managers at Best Price Plumbing in Waukesha, so how does one design a new bath when you have access to anything?

For starters, in the center of the room sits a Kohler Devenshire Bubble Tub with 100 air jets and a Laminiar facet that fills the tub from the ceiling. "The bathtub is like sitting in a glass of champagne," says interior designer Cheri Ware of Ware Design, who was in charge of the project.

Next to the tub, Ware designed some niches in the wall for plants and candles to give the space some interest and depth. The picture window looks out over a golf course. The sink area has Kohler undermount memoirs sinks with waterfall faucets in polished nickel.

The mirrors above the vanity are recessed medicine cabinets that are flush to the wall, one of Michlig’s favorite features of the room.