Bored with their bathroom, Hal and Marcy Mendel wanted to recreate the elegant, modern spaces they’ve experienced while staying in European hotels, in luxury resorts in places such as Las Vegas and on ski trips.
“When we travel, we go into hotels and say, ‘Wow, we don’t want to leave because the bathroom is so nice.’ Our bathroom at home wasn’t nearly as nice,” Hal said. “We wanted a bathroom that was sexy.”
They gutted their master bathroom before redesigning and remodeling it into a functional, organized space, featuring transitional design in a gray and soft taupe palette.
Snapshot
Residents: Hal and Marcy Mendel and their dog, Lindy. Hal owns an Atlanta-based designer flooring business.
Location: Marietta
Size: 3,750 square feet, four bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths
Year built and bought: 1996
Architectural style: Traditional
Favorite architectural features: The wider slope of the roofline, which adds character and makes the home look different from other traditional homes, Hal said. The roofline creates tall ceilings that span 20 feet in the living room, 16 feet in the master bathroom, and makes for interesting angles inside the home.
Renovations: The four-month bathroom renovation added multiple showerheads by Hansgrohe and a frameless European shower door; Kohler fixtures and toilet (from Ferguson Enterprises); custom cabinets by Clifford Stanley Construction; marble countertops from North Georgia Granite and Marble; and tile from Ceramic Techniques. Hal designed the majority of the new layout, which overcame challenges such as the small, angled shower.
The layout included a new makeup vanity area with pullout drawers for Marcy. “I wanted functionality in the bathroom. I wanted organization,” she said. A 40-inch flat screen Samsung TV, with DirecTV (which allows them to play music), is one of Hal’s favorite additions, along with the Kohler toilet with a quiet-close seat.
Cost of renovations: $40,000
Contractor: Clifford Gieselmayr of Clifford Stanley Construction
Interior design style: Transitional
Favorite outdoor feature: The in-ground gunite pool, which the couple added a couple of years after buying the home. They purchased the lot because of the ability to access the pool, which has a waterfall feature, from the main level of the home and not the basement.
Resources: Bathroom accessories from Masland Carpets & Rugs, Pier 1 Imports, Z Gallerie, Atlanta Decorative Arts Center (ADAC), Antonio Raimo Galleries, Lewis & Sheron Textiles and Progressive Lighting (Adele Toltzis and Coleby Joyner selected the accessories). In the kitchen, they have GE Monogram appliances, including an Advantium built-in oven.
Decor tip: Accessorize your bathrooms. The new handmade oriental rug, which has a washed look that makes it look aged, mirrors with beveled glass and etched frames, and a crystal chandelier with a curved shade, along with smaller accessories, create the elegant look the Mendels desired for their bathroom.
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