Los Angeles Home Staging Info

Los Angeles Interior Designer on Hollywood Hills master bathroom design project - the design. Part one of a multi-part series.

I was recently called to redesign the bathroom of a gorgeous two story Spanish home in the Hollywood Hills. When I was first contacted, I asked the homeowners to peruse some shelter magazines and compile photos of bathrooms that they liked, and photos in general of any subject that appealed to them either by color, composition or just gut reaction. I find this approach helps to save a lot of time in determining the direction the design should go to best suit the tastes and expectations of the homeowner.

During our first meeting the homeowners showed me several photos, but kept going back to one in particular. By the end of the meeting we had decided that this photo best represented what look appealed to them for their new bathroom. Through my questions and their answers I learned how they would be using the bathroom, how that use would differ from their current bathroom, what were the absolute "must haves" and what were the "we'd really like XYZ if it will fit and we can afford it". We also discussed color with the help of my trusty Benjamin Moore paint fan. I took copious measurements and photos (I will post before photos after we empty the rooms in a few weeks to protect my clients' privacy). Once we settled on a color scheme, I used a photo similar to this one (this is a stock photo I purchased; the actual photo was taken from a magazine and I don't own the rights to publish it:o)) as color inspiration.

Here are the Must Haves that were on the homeowners' list:

• 2 separate sinks, his and hers
• Make-up/vanity area included with her sink
• Lots of closed storage space for beauty products and cosmetics
• Soaking tub large enough for two
• Insulate wall of bathroom to help with afternoon heat gain
• Replace 3 windows with low-E dual pane casement windows to help with heat gain
• 2 ventilation fans (currently none)
• Faucets with lever handles instead of X shaped handles
• Undermount tub and sinks
• Add HVAC ducts to bathroom (currently none) for heat and A/C

Would Really Like to Have (if space and budget permit):

• Separate tub and shower
• Steam shower
• Separate enclosed WC room (toilet)
• Nickel finish (brushed) on faucets and fillers
• European style frameless shower glass
• Small refrigerator for cosmetics built in to her vanity area

This is an older Spanish home with lathe and plaster walls, some of which are curved (on purpose!). In order to accomodate their "Must Haves" and as many of their "Would Really Like to Haves" as possible, I was going to have to "steal" a closet from an adjoning bedroom for more space. I'll tell you, measuring the space and figuring out the relationship of the various spaces (some curved) we were going to use to create this bathroom was very complicated and required taking measurements from several different directions to make sure everything lined up.

Here is the as-built (before) floor plan:

And here is the floor plan of the final design:

As you can see, by "stealing" a closet from an adjoining bedroom (lower right, where the tub is) I was able to give my client all of their Must Haves and all of their Would Really Like to Haves:

*Separate tub and shower

*Separate private WC

*Her sink and vanity/makeup area with plenty of room for storage

*Separate sink and counter for him

To Be Continued: Hollywood Hills Master Bathroom Design Project- Material Selection  

*Hollywood Hills Master Bathroom Design Project - The Design* Copyright 2008 Michelle Minch and Moving Mountains Design. All rights reserved.

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Michelle Minch, Principal Designer and Owner of Moving Mountains Design is an award winning Interior Designer and Home Stager. Her Interior Design, home staging and film design projects have been featured numerous times in national and international publications. Michelle can be reached at (626)441-8975 or visit her Los Angeles home staging and design web site.