The Little Bathroom that Could!
by Elanie Simcoe
Photography by Chronic Creative

Circa mid-sixties, standard 5'x8' builder's bathroom now
renovated to really pack some punch!

    The first thing that caught her fancy was a fabulous Jenna System tub-and-shower combo from MAAX. Never having had a real shower stall in her bathroom before, this combo offered the best of both worlds. "It's a nice replacement tub," says Rob Syrenne of Dynasty. "It has a very smart European look and comes with a thermostatic valve that allows you to set the temperature and pressure of the water from a 2-handle tap set and keep it there. It's very efficient and that saves you money in the long run." The deep tub with complete shower system - a bank of six body sprays plus a telephone shower - has a glass half door that pivots seamlessly, without the aid or springs or tracks, half way across the tub. The Kolidas chose a plain white tub, but this system is available in colours and with air or whirlpool jets.

    Beautiful tumbled marble tiles that echoed the colours of her floor next caught Roberta's eye. These are true stone tiles each slightly different in pattern from the other. "Because each tile has its own look, Roberta explains, I didn't want the tiles to come straight out of the box and have six similar tiles close to each other, so I sat down with Peter (the tiler) and worked out my own pattern. I sat on that floor for a whole week handing him tiles one by one. It was fun and we both had a good time!" she says with a laugh.

    The cabinetry, a very interesting combo that is not your standard fare, was custom made for the space in the bathroom. A little more expensive but well worth it when the look is just right. To offset the warm colours of the floor, stones and caramel-and-black granite counter, they chose a bleached oak/light grey colour combo. The lower cabinet curves gently on the side of the toilet giving that extra bit of clearance so you don't nick your shins on a sharp corner. A single-lever faucet by Grohe, a standard white basin and a standard low-flush white Crane toilet, that fits nicely in its small space, complete the fixtures. A tower cabinet on the left with two doors flanking open shelving gives just the right amount of hidden and open storage. A matching light grey valence at the top marries the tower and the large mirror over the counter and serves to camouflage two bright pot lights. Another interesting dual-function fixture is a super-quiet fan with a built-in light on a dimmer switch that provides bright day or dim night illumination.

    Roberta and Bob's satisfaction level with their brand new bathroom...A+. "It cost somewhat more than we had intended to spend because once we saw what was available, we went with what we liked instead of trying to stay within the original budget...we're so glad we did! And, everyone involved with Dynasty was great, making the renovation so much easier to deal with. All materials and tradesmen were assembled before the job even got started so they wouldn't waste anyone's time. We love our bathroom design and the great thing about it is that it was all accomplished in the same space we had. Dynasty certainly gave us more than we hoped for from this little bathroom. It's just great!"