A great space starts with a great design. And this master bath in Holmdel, NJ, is no exception. However, in the case of this space, the great design started with great products. Maybe this is not the typical evolution of a project where the client shares his or her dream with the designer, the designer turns that dream into a vision and they, together, select products to make the vision a reality. But then again, this is not your typical bathroom. Boasting almost 500 sq. ft. of pure bath heaven and a ceiling that, at its peak, soars to 16 ft., the room's starting point was the products. And a page from a magazine.

As any editor will tell you, it's always encouraging and gratifying when designers say that their client found an idea or product in a magazine and showed it to them for inspiration. Mission accomplished. And sure enough, as Shannon John Mery, of NJ-based Denizen Design, explained, "Basically, the homeowner saw a toilet and bidet in a design publication, ripped out the page and definitively said, 'I want these.' They were the catalyst for the entire bathroom and the entire design." The fluid form and clean lines of the aforesaid pair made them instant must-haves for Mery's client, representing not only her taste in product, but also her personal style. "The client loves the organic aesthetic, a sleek look and a neutral palette," said Mery, who also worked on other rooms in the house. "We started with the toilet and bidet, went on to custom create a white tile, selected the sinks and continued down the product path. It was all very quick." Mery designed the whole bathroom in about a month. "We picked out everything, ordered everything, got it all going and finished in time for the arrival of the client's second child. It was remarkable—truly crunch time—and in fourteen weeks, from start to finish, it all got done." The baby arrived, and the bathroom, which is adjacent to a large, octagonal nursery, was new and clean. Just what the client wanted.

Like the master bath, the entire 8,000-sq.-ft. house is highly architectural in nature, where articulated forms define each room. Thoughtful placement and seamless integration of product let the shape and size of the bath prevail so that function—after all, it is a bathroom—does not interrupt flow. And as with any great architectural space, lighting—both natural and electrical—is key, a fact not lost on Mery. "Properly lighting this bathroom was paramount to the overall design," he said. "I not only wanted to maintain the open feel of the space and to emphasize its volume, but also intended for the lighting to become one with the space, as an architectural element." Mery opened up the two windows behind the tub and shower, expanding their size and allowing more daylight into the room—and affording views to the outside. "The bath is in the back of the house, which is tucked into the side of a hill, so it's pretty private," said Mery. "The client likes a lot of light coming through and, obviously, the clean aesthetic of glass walls. In fact, there are no window treatments anywhere in the home." But while privacy might seem like a non-issue because of the bathroom's location on the property, it is still a bathroom, so one could say it's protocol. "Flip the switch and there's instant privacy," explained Mery. "Transparent to opaque and back again. This 'smart glass' really is a great invention."

The existing skylights, high overhead, were replaced with larger, non-tinted versions to let light stream in and to also draw the eye upward, accentuating the height of the space. But that's during the day, when natural light is abundant. What happens at night when the sun ceases to shine? "That's a whole different story," said Mery. "And that's where a good lighting plan comes in. There's a beautiful form to this room with its soaring ceiling, but it's often difficult to light a space like that," said Mery. The designer chose wall-mounted, indirect fixtures to uplight the ceiling. "I wanted to make sure that through light, you can understand the feel of the room," said Mery. "The bathroom would otherwise be lost. We needed to illuminate the scale of the space." Flangeless (trimless) fixtures are thoughtfully placed in the ceiling, providing the necessary downlight and general illumination. "These 3-in.-sq. fixtures are great," said Mery. "They're spackled into the ceiling and don't detract from the clean aesthetic. It's all very architectural lighting. Nothing is pronounced."

And while the lighting should inform the room's shape and scale, that it also reveals and addresses the human scale is equally, if not more, important. For instance, lighting behind the vanity mirrors, in the mirrored shower niches and beneath a nearby bench helps bring proportion to the space by keeping illumination at eye level. In addition, it creates dimension, making these design elements almost weightless, as if they're floating. In the toilet area, there are rectangular glass cutouts backlit with LEDs. "We wanted to do something with the wall in there," said Mery. "I used frosted glass, trimmed with a metal schluter for a clean and crisp accent, to create light fixtures within the wall."

While the entire backdrop of the bathroom is neutral in tone—"the client loves tans and whites," said Mery—they opted for a vanity in a deeper wood tone to create a striking contrast. "The two-person vanity features a high-gloss, walnut laminate, and pullout drawers give the homeowner all of the storage she wants…and then some," said Angela Shannon, lead designer at ASL Design Studio, in Asbury Park, NJ, who consulted with Mery on the project. Furthermore, a shelf between the vanity mirrors and the aforementioned "floating" bench were fabricated from the same materials as the cabinetry, providing uniformity in the contrasting elements.

"This project was finished more than a year ago and it's still relevant," said Mery. Instead of going "trendy," Mery and his client wanted to stick with a classic, spa-like feel. "It's timeless," he said. "There's nothing that's 'date stamped.' This client has a great aesthetic and will spend the money if she loves something. We just started ordering, and the bathroom created itself. It's been fun." Added Mery, "There are six bathrooms in this home and they're all nice." And we believe him. But this one, well it's simply grand.


SOURCES
Designers: Shannon John Mery—Denizen Design, Asbury Park, NJ; www.denizen-design.com and Angela Shannon, lead designer—ASL Design Studio (a Poggenpohl dealer showroom), Asbury Park, NJ
Manufacturers: Cabinets, shelf and bench: Poggenpohl; Lighting: Belfer Lighting (sconces), USA Illumination (downlights); Toilet and bidet: Villeroy & Boch; Sinks: Rapsel; Fittings: Dornbracht; Mirrors: Nito; Walls (toilet area): 3form USA
Photography: © ShoreGrafx, Inc.