From outside of Joyce Shaffer's home, the ivy-covered brick, front-facing French doors and tended landscape evoke a cottage vibe that promises to delight guests as well as passing pedestrians. Inside, original details are commingled with contemporary touches, offering a comfortable yet updated feel. The foyer, showcasing a chandelier original to the home, built in 1929, confirms this inviting home has style.
Continuing to the second floor, it’s clear this home benefits from a very specific yet creative homeowner. Opposite the newly-added pocket door to the lastly-renovated bathroom, a unique glass picture frame consisting of beveled semicircles encompasses a decorative print hand chosen by Shaffer. Visibly, this was no ordinary home with ordinary details. Someone with a discerning eye has been at the helm of decorating it.
The self-envisioned, award-winning bathroom leaves no exception. As the crowning jewel of Shaffer's artistic home, the entire design is, Shaffer says, "all me." Possessing no formal interior decorating education, Shaffer imagined a bathroom twice the size of the original with a walk-in, open, and "curbless" shower. Attempting to engineer such a shower in an eighty-six-year-old home would prove to be a venture most contractors shied away from. "I knew what I wanted, but no one could figure out how to do it," says Shaffer. "Several contractors wouldn't even call me back."
Seeking someone "brave enough" for the job, she finally contacted John Fox of Fox Restoration & Remodeling, York. A symbiosis between designer and experienced remodeler formed, and the two set out to accomplish Shaffer's vision. Difficulties arose in configuring the original plumbing to accommodate a bathroom expanding to twice its size and, of course, installing the open shower. Fox's knowledge of remodeling and renovation solved the dilemma of shower drainage and the issue of the necessary elevation to prevent the bathroom from flooding. Employing "a European method," Fox utilized a plastic pan underneath the shower tile, allowing the tile to form an almost imperceptible basin shape. He also elevated the floor on the side with the tub and shower, creating two distinct spaces within the room that also required a header for support.
Such an extensive project required three months of construction. "I had to move out because I only have one bathroom," says Shaffer, who stayed with her father during the renovation. Fox meanwhile removed two closets from the oversized master bedroom to accommodate the expanded bathroom, which originally only had a clawfoot tub, a vanity, and no shower. Due to the age of the home, both Fox and Shaffer sought to work with original home materials: "I always try to work with what's already there," says Fox, who saved as many moldings and various trims as possible, while mimicking others, like those needed for the aesthetics of the added pocket door.
Using painter's tape, Shaffer outlined the layout of her future bathroom after the removal of the closets. She stripped the old paint herself, chose and applied the new color, and single-handedly decorated the space. Asked where she was able to conceive all of these ideas, sehe says"I spend a lot of time on the website Houzz."
Finding it important to keep the materials of the house intact while introducing a "modern twist," she also perused the website of Restoration Hardware, who she said sent her a catalog so large it came via UPS in a "big box." The stunning antiqued black eighteenth-century French-inspired vanity, a piece she culled from the "overwhelming" site dedicated to preserving historical design, looks in tune with her home.
Juxtaposing the large, dark vanity while keeping the space bright and modern are large, glazed porcelain tiles on both the floor and walls of the shower, light gray painted walls and cohesive chrome finishes throughout. The spa-like Moen rain shower coordinates with the silver accent stool displaying a gray-striped white towel. An oversized antiqued-silver mirror hangs above the vanity, spanning the vanity's full width, favorable for reflecting the opposing wall to create the illusion of an even larger space. Beside the mirror hangs a decorative silver double-armed wall sconce with a black fabric shade, adding the optimal amount of style and function.
One piece not evicted from the space, the home's original cast iron clawfoot tub, is showcased on the elevated portion of the room as a tranquil alternative to the shower. "The cast iron retains heat, allowing for a warmer soak," she says. Additionally, she installed an overhead heat fan that, with the flip of a switch, turns the bathroom into an even more resort-style experience, especially in winter. Though the tub is original, Shaffer updated the faucet, keeping it consistent with the sink faucet, the towel rack, and the hand-held shower.
Opting to remove the dated wood and metal radiator cover, Shaffer chose to expose the radiator, making it part of the overall bathroom design, updating it with white paint, creating a synergy of classic and modern design.
While Joyce Shaffer remains modest about the amount of labor and detail she poured into her design, she has much to be proud of. Her bathroom collaboration with John Fox ultimately won a Grand Award (the category awarded by industry peers) from the York Builder's Association in their 2015 Remodeling Awards of Excellence. Although the bathroom boasts its own award, it’s simply the piece de resistance of a house made a home.
Resources:
Remodel: Fox Restoration & Remodeling LLC, York, www.foxrandr.com Paint: Benjamin Moore Wickham Gray Rain shower: Moen Mirror and garden stool: www.horchow.com Claw foot tub faucet: www.signaturehardware.com Wall sconce: George Kovacs Regency, www.eurostylelighting.com Maison vanity, vanity faucet, towel rack, and hand held shower: www.RestorationHardware.com Art over tub: www.gallerydirect.com Ceramic: Marmol Collection 12x24"Venatino brushed and honed, 2x2" Brushed Mosaics; Accent: Endeavors Mystic Glass Sheets, North Hills Flooring, York, www.northhillsflooring.com. Shower Floor System: AKW Tri-Form Base
By Crystal M. Schreffler / Photography by Donovan Roberts Witmer
