Date: September 7, 2018 | Story: Tiffany Adams | Photography: Rett Peek | Styling: Lauren Cerrato |
Repairs from a leak led to a full-scale renovation that suits this Little Rock couple’s style and needs
A work by local artist Lauren Meredith hangs near the tub. “Carol loves her art and has other pieces from her throughout the house,” Leigh says.
When Carol and Mike Hulse discovered they had a leak in their home’s master bath, their first call was to Ray Lusk Plumbing. Little did they know the hard-to-detect leak—which they discovered was coming from the shower unit—would lead to a complete remodel with designer Leigh Lusk.
“Carol said, ‘If you do the shower, then you have to do the floor, and if you’re going to do the floor, you might as well do the tub,” Leigh says. “Mike laughs because we went from just doing the shower to doing the entire bath, but in the end it’s turned out to be so beautiful,” she adds.
Leigh recently took over the interior and remodeling portion of Ray Lusk Plumbing and is transitioning it from Bath and Kitchen Gallery to Leigh Lusk Interiors, a name that is all-encompassing of her company’s full-range of capabilities from bath and kitchen design to organization and décor-focused updates. She worked with the Hulses on every aspect of their renovation as it grew in scope. “Because we are connected to Ray Lusk Plumbing, we could get a call for a countertop or for a shower pan or a full-scale remodel. We service everyone for all size projects and all budgets,” Leigh notes of the team’s day-to-day agenda and willingness to help no matter the size of a project—or how it may grow.
For this bath, Leigh, who has a project management and event planning background along with her contractor’s license, began by assessing the floor plan and evaluating storage and functionality needs. Eliminating a double toilet room provided the square footage needed to create a double shower. Carol also gained space at her vanity thanks to a cabinetry reconfiguration. “Her former vanity was shoved into a corner and had a little bitty makeup desk. I said, ‘If we’re going to do this right, you really need new vanities that will give you a nice makeup area with lots of storage,” Leigh says.
From there, the designer worked closely with Carol to select a palette, fixtures, and accessories that reflect the couple. “Carol has a fun, exuberant personality—and this bathroom is wild and funky, but it’s also very classic and traditional.” Thinking of the future (the couple has twin daughters who are high school seniors), they opted for a design with bones that appeal to the masses should they opt to sell the home and downsize. “I wanted to keep it neutral with soft taupe colors,” Carol says of the palette. Richly hued custom factory cabinetry pairs with “Queen Beige” marble and “White Macaubas” quartzite to accomplish this. “We added in her personality with the art and the knobs, the arch in the shower (that lights up at night), and the cool, funky accent tile,” Leigh says.
The result is something that not only the couple enjoys but also their daughters: “For proms and homecomings, this bath seems to be the gathering place for about six girls, so I love it for that, too,” Carol adds.
Extra-deep niches neatly store and conceal shower necessities.
Design Resources
Contractor, bath and interior design Leigh Lusk, Leigh Lusk Interiors Accessories, fixtures, furniture, hardware, painting, tile (accent), and window coverings Leigh Lusk Interiors Art Lauren Meredith Art Countertops McElroy Tops and Floors Mirrors Chenal Valley Glass Tile (flooring) The Tile Shop
