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Completing the look is a Memoir holder rack from Kohler, with a towel rack placed below.

Residential Bath $30,000 to $60,000
Reduced-Sized Bathroom Creates Big Design Possibilities for Designer

Simply stated, bigger is not always better. Just ask Michael Anschel, who was recently faced with an unusual design request.

“Being asked to make a bathroom smaller is not something that happens very often,” says Anschel, who is owner/designer for Otogawa-Anschel Design Build, LLC in Minneapolis, MN. As Anschel relates, the clients felt that the original, 150-square-foot master bathroom was too large for two people and was neither comfortable nor attractive.

But, since the firm had worked with the clients before, Anschel believed that he had a good sense of their stylistic needs and that he would capture every design detail.

The results earned the firm the national CotY award for the “Residential Bath $30,000 to $60,000” category.

He explains: “By taking the excess space from the [now 85-square-foot] bathroom, their small bedroom closet could become much larger and more functional.”

He continues: “Working around the existing stool [toilet] location and two existing windows – so as to avoid additional costs – we created the angled walls of the steam shower so that it could accommodate two people, but not pinch flow to the rest of the room.”

Furthermore, he points out that there is also a small stepped half wall that provides privacy for the stool [toilet], but doesn’t create a distracting cave effect. Anschel notes that he incorporated a variety of high-end products into the design, as well, including a Panasonic ultra-quiet fan, Grohe faucets, a Delta shower valve, the Bolero 12" round undermount sinks from Kohler Co. and toilet from Kohler Co.’s Memoirs Suite Collection.

Custom cabinetry by Otogawa-Anschel Design Build (and built by Stevens Cabinets) was enhanced by a remnant of granite on the vanity, extending past the vanity and becoming a shelf and beauty station. Remnant granite was also used for the seat in the steam shower,” he describes. “The edges were hand-drawn and cut to complement the organic nature of the stone, while also enhancing the flow of the room.”

He continues: “With seven structured faces – each containing a different set-up of drawers and doors – we created a structure that flows with the rest of the home.” Accenting the look are knobs and towel bars from Anne at Home, light fixtures from Bessa, tile flooring from The Tile Shop, glass tile shower accents from Oceanside Glass and Casa Dolce Casa tile on the shower walls.

“This master bath is now spa-like, and the clients love to spend time in it. It’s warm and comfortable, functional, and appropriate to their home,” he concludes.

Residential Bath Over $60,000
Firm Earns National Honors With Dramatic, European-Styled Bath

Ask Thomas Buckborough the key to a successful bath design, and he will tell you “the difference is in the details.”

After all, a keen focus on the details of this bath design earned Buckborough, CKD, CR, president and design director for Thomas Buckborough & Associates, in Concord, MA, top honors in the “Residential Bath Over $60,000” category of this year’s CotY awards.

He offers: “The clients were looking for a dramatic, contemporary refuge with sleek, Euro-style detailing.” To show the client how materials mix together, Buckborough built a ¾" scale interior model of the bathroom space, he notes.

“We had materials to switch in and out of the model. It was very cool,” he says.

The bath features glass tile by Oceanside Glass, “cut” faucets and accessories by Boffi, a Porcher L’expression toilet and showerhead, and a valve and handshower by Lacava. He adds: “The suite is entered through a short hall that’s separated from the bath by art glass partitions with a door and a sculptural storage block.”

Buckborough perforated the flooring with accents of the yellow marble counter material, while the walls were accented with bronze squiggle tiles.