The challenge: Redesign a basic "builder-beige" master bathroom in a 1980s home to give it Arts and Crafts-inspired character, better functionality and pampering amenities.

The designer: Lynne Shears, White Crane Construction, Minneapolis, www.whitecraneconstruction, com, 612-827-3800.

Same size, different result: Homeowner Cindy Banchy, Rosemount, was happy with the generous size of her master bathroom. But the drawbacks were lots of wasted space, the shower leaked, and the mirrored walls made her "feel like I just stepped into a funhouse," she said.

Shears reconfigured the bathroom using new components, including a steam shower, sleek slipper tub and his-and-hers cherrywood vanities with clean-lined rectangular sinks and cabinet pulls.

Stained-glass starting point: Before Shears was hired for the project, Banchy, a fan of the Arts and Crafts period, had already replaced the bathroom window with a stained-glass reproduction of a Frank Lloyd Wright design by Andersen Windows. "We based the style and color palette of the bathroom remodel off the sapphire blue patterned stained glass," said Shears.

Color it beautiful: The color scheme includes organic brown tones, including the metallic mocha floor tile, and shades of blue pulled from the stained glass window.

Dml -, Star Tribune
BEFORE: This is what the space looked liked before a makeover by White Crane Construction.

Stylish steam shower: The shower door is a textured "rain-glass" panel that lets light filter in, but still gives the homeowners privacy. The shower wall is an arty mix of metallic, stained glass and honed marble tile, which Shears also wrapped on the outside of the shower. "It's not too busy because the tiles are in the same color family and play off each other," she said.

Organic stone: Shears chose stacked-slate stone for the vanity walls "to add texture, and it's also a beautiful contrast to the white slipper tub," she said. Low-voltage recessed lights in the ceiling wash the stone wall with light.

Fool the eye: Shears designed the vanity mirrors so they appear to be floating off the wall. To accomplish this, paint the edges of a sheet of plywood black, screw it to the wall and attach the mirror with invisible clips.

At-home spa: Banchy trains for triathlons, and when she gets home, "I want to be able to choose between taking a steam shower or soaking in a tub," she said. She places a laminated wine-glass holder across the tub, so she can sip wine and gaze out the stained-glass window to unwind at the end of the day. "You lose all sense of time and space," she said. "Now I feel like I'm walking into a high-end spa, but it happens to be my home."

Lynn Underwood • 612-673-7619