Scope

Cliff and Laurie hired Approach Architects to remodel the second floor of their home in Marblehead. The existing two-story house had a single story attached garage off to one side. The goal of the project was to add a new mater bedroom suite to the existing second floor while retaining the (3) existing bedrooms and full bath.

Our Approach

In order to retain a total of (4) bedrooms, we needed to increase the square footage of the second floor. The most logical location for the expansion was over the single story garage. Once we agreed upon this location for the new master suite, the major design challenge was in creating a second story addition that would blend seamlessly into the original house. In order to create this seamless effect, we centered the bedroom over the garage below. This provided us an opportunity to step the new construction in from the walls below, reducing the massing and scale of the addition. Moreover, the dressing area of the addition that connected the bedroom to the house was reduced further in width to minimize the massing.

The master bath was located in what was formerly an extra bedroom/home office. The new master bath became, in many ways, the focal point of the renovation. Cliff and Laurie wanted to create a private bath for themselves that they would no longer have to share with children or house guests. The space was designed with only themselves in mind. The bathroom program included a large walk-in shower area, a separate water closet area, and two free-standing lavatories.

With the new master bath located above the main house and the new master bedroom located over the garage, we designed a mutli-functional closet and dressing area to serve as the transitional area that would connect the two spaces.

The Details

In the new master bath, the lavatories selected were porcelain bases set on chrome pedestal frames. We designed a large niche for the lavatories to be recessed into that included mirror-faced medicine cabinets and recessed shelving adjacent to each side to store larger items.

The large shower area features tempered glass partitions, stone tiles, chrome plated fixtures and a towel warmer. The shower system employs multiple shower heads and body sprays providing a variety of angles and options for bathing.

The transitional area we used to bridge the bedroom and bath included a large walk in closet with built-in clothes and shoe storage. The dressing area, which was adjacent to the closet, included built-in dressers, a full length mirror, and a small built-in settee.