Stretching out bathrooms by Alan Berman

The eyes are surprisingly easy to hoodwink. Choices of dimensions, tone or room layout can all greatly alter our perception of space.

In this project by architect Alan Berman, and designers Juliana Codas and John Kristovich, the owners had expanded into the apartment next door. Bathrooms were typically Manhattan style quite small and they wanted to rejuvenate them. One is a guest bathroom, while the other is for their daughter, says Berman.

"For the guest bathroom, we were able to remove a closet completely and move the toilet to that position, adding more usable space.

"The owners strongly favored the color green, so we introduced horizontal glass shower tiles in this hue and ran a border in the same tile around the top and bottom of the square wall tiles, drawing the room together. The horizontal glass tiles create the illusion of breadth."

"Specifying a pedestal sink rather than a full vanity also gives an impression of space," says Codas. "We selected a narrow basin to further expand the usable floor area"

The glass shower stall extends sightlines, and the mirror appears to double the size of the room, increasing the sense of openness.

A sense of playfulness was requested for the daughter's bathroom otherwise, the directive was to continue the emphasis on green.

"To inject youthful energy into the design we opted for a decorative wall in an Ann Sacks tile," Berman says. "This features glass bubbles' in a marble setting. We also introduced this tile as a border on the floor, tying the shower area into the greater volume of the bathroom."

Specified in exactly the same shade of green, the horizontal wall tiles alongside again give the feeling of a more generous space.

"While this bathroom required the storage of a full vanity, we played down its presence by cantilevering the unit off the wall and fitting wall-mounted faucets," says Codas.

As in the guest bathroom, a glazed shower stall and mirror help give the valuable illusion of spaciousness.

"The glass bubbles contribute an adolescent charm and zest, but the look won't date as the teenager grows up," Berman says.

Story by: Charles Moxham