Date:  May 2, 2013  |   Story: Jennifer Bonds  |   Styling: Mandy Keener  |  

An extensive hot water heater leak turned out to be a blessing in disguise for this Little Rock home. “The master bath—which had been last updated in the 1980s—wasn’t too bad,” says designer Meridith Hamilton of MLH Designs, “but it didn’t fit well with the contemporary style of the rest of the home.”

When the homeowner returned from a business trip to find water damage, she took the opportunity to update the space. Her demanding work and travel schedule inspired the room’s spa-like feel. “She needed a place to relax at the end of the day,” says Hamilton, who worked the adjoining bedroom’s blues and grays into the room’s serene color scheme.

Possibly the biggest change came from repositioning the tub and vanities. “Before, the tub jutted out into the center of the room with the vanities enclosed on either side,” recalls Hamilton. “It made the room seem very crowded.” She opened up the space by merging the two vanities into one and running the tub along the same wall.  The sleek, dark-stained maple used on the custom cabinetry wraps around the modern rectangular tub, and the vanity’s Cambria countertop continues along the tub surround. A mosaic accent tile made of marble along with honed and polished glass was taken up to the crown moulding behind the vanity and around the tub.

On the other side of the room, a new steam shower took the place of the previous one. “It would have been too cost-prohibitive to move the shower fixtures and the water closet, so they remained,” explains Hamilton. At the homeowner’s request, an additional rainhead shower faucet was added to the ceiling. A niche was cut into the mosaic tile wall to hold soaps and bottles, and a granite bench provides a spot to rest during a steam. Hamilton had the large porcelain floor tiles cut down to 4-x-6-inch subway size to use in the shower stall.

“The room’s ultra-sleek finishes could have felt stark or cold, so I wanted to add some organic elements,” she says of dressing the room in natural accessories. The gray silk roman shade adds a feminine texture, while a white cowhide is painted with metallic silver in a zebra stripe. Leather buckets hold fresh towels, and a commissioned piece by Maumelle artist Buddy Whitlock warms up the tub area. “The homeowner and I both love the addition of champagne gold that it added,” says Hamilton.

Design Resources

Designer Meridith Hamilton, MLH Designs, Little Rock, (501) 766-0594, mlh-designs.com

Contractor Jack Hartsell Construction, Little Rock, (501) 376-2871

Accessories, furniture and rugs Urban Pad, Little Rock, (501)664-4202, urbanpad.net

Art Buddy Whitlock, Maumelle, buddywhitlock.com

Cabinets Distinctive Kitchens & Baths, Little Rock, (501) 666-7756, kitchensofarkansas.com

Countertops AHI Stoneworks, Hot Springs, (501) 262-1622, ahistoneworks.com

Fabrics Cynthia East Fabrics, Little Rock, (501) 663-0460, cynthiaeastfabrics.com

Fixtures Don Houff Plumbing, Little Rock, (501) 225-2411

Glass Glass Erectors, Mabelvale, (501) 537-4625, glasserectors.com

Paint Sherwin-Williams, locations statewide, sherwin-williams.com

Tile—floor and wall ProSource, Maumelle, (501) 758-0801, prosourcefloors.com

Window coverings Nancy Osborn, North Little Rock, (870) 680-2730