The 2018 Connecticut IDA Winners: Bath Design

At only 70 square feet, this redesigned, reconfigured bathroom had to serve many functions in a 1960s Westport bungalow. As part of the open-plan main living area, the bathroom needed to work as a powder room for guests while functioning also as a full bathroom for the guest bedroom. Designer Gara Morse began by reorienting the fixtures, moving the toilet to a more discreet spot around a corner and positioned the now-windowed shower behind a wall so as to maintain the powder room feel.

Brown cabinets and wall trim echoes the color of the bark on the trees just outside. Brass hardware elements bring some shine, if not glamour, into the space, while white marble floors and a white vanity top provide a contrast to the rich wood tones.

Pure, white, clean, geometric, bright are among the ready adjectives to describe this new master bathroom. When a couple with young daughters and a baby on the way purchased the house on Wilson Point in Norwalk, they had the bathrooms gutted and reconfigured, with a directive to designer Yvonne Ferris to introduce as much light as possible. Large expanses of windows certainly accomplish that, along with the right use of materials and patterns, including a light-hued stone for the floating vanity top, frameless mirrors and a marble floor tile configured in an engaging herringbone pattern. The discreet lighting fixtures by Michael Anastassiades produce light to maximum effect. A large white Agape tub is positioned to take in water views.

Despite its size, there is much to look at in this 106-square-foot master bathroom by architect McKee Patterson—expansive views of Long Island Sound from the glass-walled shower, the handsome finishes and textures, and even, perhaps, the television, which is concealed in the mirrors over the vanity. In addition to wanting the bathroom to connect intimately with the colors and patterns outside, the client wanted a room that is in peaceful harmony with its setting. Honed limestone countertops, walls and floors establish a serene palette that echoes the hues in the salt flats seen outside at low tide. An electronic obscure glass allows for instantaneous privacy at night.