The challenge: Update and expand a narrow master bathroom while keeping it in character with the 1930s Federal-style manor home.
The designer: Charlie Simmons, Charlie & Co. Design, Minneapolis, 612-333-2246, www.charlieandcodesign.com.
Refresher course: Charlie Simmons' brother Chris Simmons, and his wife, Jane, fell in love with the red brick home in St. Paul because it had plenty of room for their growing family. But from the start, they planned to renovate the outdated kitchen and all the bathrooms.
The impractical master bathroom had a cast-iron pedestal sink and only two feet of counter space. "It was fairly primitive and had no room for towels and hair dryers," said Jane. Charlie's description was "small, unusable and ugly."
Goodbye, closet: Charlie knocked down the wall of an adjacent walk-in closet to gain more square footage for the cramped bathroom. "When dealing with a narrow width, don't be afraid to consolidate spaces," he advised.
Multi-functional vanity: Charlie took cues from antique Federal-style furniture to design an 11-foot-long vanity. He included his-and-her double sinks, towel shelves, lots of drawers and a makeup station. Vintage-style medicine cabinets with mirrors are carved into the wall above the sinks. "The space is so narrow that I had to have all the storage built-in," he said.
Spa retreat: The new oversized tiled shower is outfitted with a bench and rain shower head.
Mixed metals: Charlie chose two different finishes: satin chrome in faucets and light fixtures and oil-rubbed bronze in cabinet knobs and hinges. "The bronze provides a contrast between dark and light," he said. "It allows you to add a rug, bench and other darker elements."
