1 Modern yet humble approach
When you take a boy from the Mississippi-Delta and educate him under an old-school Modernist, you get an architect with a distinct design sensibility. When architect Bentley Tibbs added a wing to his home, it included a master bath with a palette borrowed from the Old South. His goal was to pair traditional, humble materials with a Modern sensibility, and “make it all dance well together. Modern is all too often thought of as untouchable and unapproachable,” Tibbs says. “And if you can’t drown in the lushness of it, it’s kind of not worth having.”
2 Tranquil spa
Oak Cliff neighbors Mark Wright and Alex da Silva bought their 1945 mid-century modern home in 2005 and completely renovated it before moving in. They gutted the master bathroom to remove all traces of a remodel “stuck in the ’80s”, replete with glass block and Nagel-esque black-painted toilet fixtures. For their new space, they wanted an indoor, tranquil spa that seamlessly joined with their master bedroom and borrowed its color palette from the sea. Architect Keith Anderson, lighting designer Bill Jansing, and contractors Todd Arnold and Charles Mustin assisted the owners.
3 Maximizing space
Susan Wetzel and her husband, Jason Balgowen, wanted to add color and functionality to their master bath, once an exterior porch. In remodeling older homes, often the biggest challenge is maximizing space — providing needed storage while visually expanding tight quarters. Design and remodeling firm The Burke Company used frameless glass to separate the shower from the rest of the sink area, opening up the bathroom and allowing husband and wife to use the space together in the morning without feeling crowded.
