remodel Archives - Erickson Zebroski Design Group

Small Master Bath – Borrowed Space

By Chet Zebroski

While working on the American Clay installation in our soon to be Den/Guest Room, we discovered loose tiles in our Master Bathroom shower. There was no way around it, the Master Bathroom was to be our next excursion into transforming the style and use pattern of our humble ranch home.

Sarah Susanka has received notoriety for promoting the concept of living small in her book “The Not So Big House”. It’s an observation contrasting developed space, small versus large, focusing on what makes a home special. She puts forth that it’s not size so much that makes a place special, as it is it’s function, detailing, and relation to adjacent spaces. The main point being: invest money on details and relationships, not necessarily on square footage.

Her work and observations flowed perfectly into and beyond the training we received while working at JSW/D, coauthors of “A Pattern Language” (another book on the study of successful design patterns). JSW/D wrote a follow up to Pattern Language titled “Patterns of Home: The Ten Essentials of Enduring Design”. It’s a book focused on successful residential design patterns only. A link to the residential design patterns list can be accessed here.

Using these guides as a foundation for decisions, we saw an opportunity to improve our sense of space by enlarging the doorway into the bathroom and borrowing space from an adjacent closet and under the existing roof eave. This is an example of the tactic “borrowed space”. In one case, by enlarging the size of the door from 24″ to 64″ we gained a sense of space from the hall. In another, by extending into an adjacent closet and under the existing roof, we take advantage of those elements and evolve their function with a new use pattern for our daily activities.

This is the wake up room. The place where we spend time preparing to meet the day. In a small space such as our bathroom, we worked to minimize visual clutter to maximize a sense of tranquility. So, we took care to choose each detail carefully, assuring a pleasant space. Though the selection phase was slow and deliberate, the end result is that each and every element was chosen by us, with no exceptions. It was worth the effort in the end.

We got some positive press from Fine Homebuilding in their Fall/Winter 2007 issue when we completed this aspect of work. Here’s a copy of the article below in pdf form. (Reprinted with permission © 2007, The Taunton Press, Inc.)

June 18, 2016/by Laurie Erickson

Clay Plaster – The Benefits Therein

Home

By Chet Zebroski

As we created the natural light in our hallway via a built-in cabinet/art niche, we also turned our attention to improving the layout and function of the adjacent bedroom, soon to become Den. The existing bedroom plan was odd, in that it didn’t provide a resting place for the open door among other issues. So, we took the opportunity to revise the layout.

By eliminating an existing closet we expanded the sense of space in the room. And, by placing a new smaller closet next to the door opposite the built-in cabinet, we created an area along one side of the room for clothing storage. This tactic created a larger sense of space within the same footprint. To soften the atmosphere we introduced elliptical arches into the space. But, the real joy we discovered was in the finish material of the walls: American Clay Plaster.

This wall finish is natural, unlike modern paint. It’s base is clay and natural minerals are used for color. Odorless? Well, there are no toxic fumes, but there is a joyful wisp of ionization as the clay interacts with the atmosphere in the environment. We’re all familiar with this smell, or aroma. It’s similar to Petrichor, the smell in the air just after a fresh rainfall. The atmosphere in the rooms finished with clay plasters involve a natural interaction regarding humidity levels. So, there are many reasons to choose this finish to enhance our indoor air quality and sense of space.

There are contractors out there available to apply this finish. I’ve read the costs are coming in at around three times the cost of painting for the basic finishes, more for stenciling and other detailing. The options are vast, so pricing varies depending on complexity. Being on a tight budget and having more time, experience, and confidence, we decided to apply the finish ourselves.

I won’t bore you with the details of the application. But, will provide a number of photos to share the process. It truly transforms the sense of space far beyond simple paint. You can actually sense it, if you pay attention. Working with the material is pleasant. There is no fear of chemicals during prep, application, and clean up. All natural, water based clay plaster with minerals added as a colorant. Also, in these photos, we share a technique for softening the sense of space by use of elliptical arches. The use of the arches in this room helped to soften and define the space while keeping it open.

July 14, 2015/by Laurie Erickson

Home Design – Natural Daylighting

Home

By Chet Zebroski

Once the water intrusion, air infiltration, and insulation solutions were installed in our crawl space, we moved our attention onto interior improvements. With the desire of opening up circulation and providing natural light into a dark hall, we started by removing a door and related framing to allow additional daylight to enter the hall space from the Living Room.

We considered adding a skylight for natural day light, but the roof form over the hall where we’d like to place one is way too complicated. So, we came up with the idea of borrowing light from a bedroom window and feeding it through a large display niche into the hallway.

What happened is that while contemplating a solution for gaining natural light in the hallway, a friend/client and I bartered an exchange. I did some design work for him, and he did some glass blowing for me. His work actually inspired the concept of the niche in the hallway instead of a skylight because we needed a place to display his art.

It occurred to us that by using a niche as a light-source / display-space in the hallway, we could also expand the niche on the bedroom side and provide a built-in cabinet. ~and, avoid the hassle of putting in a skylight. We wanted to make improvement to the bedroom, too. So, it’s kind of a two-fer.

We love built-ins and the charm they bring to a home. So, game on!

By removing a door and related framing from a hall entry, and providing a source of light from an adjacent bedroom’s window via a large niche, we provide natural daylight into what was once a dark hallway. These pictures should be self explanatory…