Grand Rapids, MI — Building a residence from the ground up offers the perfect opportunity to create a consistent vibe throughout an entire home. In this case, over the course of the two-year project, interior designer Sarah Sherman Samuel worked with TruKitchens custom cabinetry design studio, architect J Visser Design and Insignia Homes, all located in western Michigan, to bring warmth and character to this Grand Rapids , MI home, which – as new construction – lacked any historical, inherent architectural details.
“We accomplished that by bringing in natural stone wherever possible,” says Samuel, principal designer/owner of Sarah Sherman Samuel, Inc. “We also mixed wood tones and layered natural materials and finishes that would patina over time.”
Marrying Two Design Styles
The design team was also challenged by bringing together two distinctively different styles into one cohesive design.
“He leans towards a more modern, almost commercial aesthetic,” states the interior designer, “while he has a much softer, more traditional touch with a little more detail. Our goal was to marry those styles in a way that makes them both happy.”
In the primary bathroom, one needn’t look any further than the floor-to-ceiling Arabescato Corchia marble backsplash and the custom concrete focal-point vanity as representations of the couple’s tastes.
Given its relatively soft constitution, maintenance requirements and susceptibility to stains and scratches, designing with marble isn’t without its challenges. However, Samuel knew that the stone’s natural beauty would fulfill the traditional aesthetic the wife wanted so he used the marble on a vertical, rather than horizontal, surface, cladding an entire wall floor to ceiling with two book-matched slabs of Italian marble. Choosing a honed finish promotes a natural, spa-like vibe.
“Vertical surfaces don’t get as much wear and tear,” she explains, contrasting the wall to a vanity top. “Also, the marble makes a huge statement when you walk into the room. I knew it would bring the personality and warmth she was looking for.”
Complementing the marble with his-and-hers tall, yet simple, custom mirrors and a trio of Allied Maker’s slender T2 sconces speak to the height of the ceiling.
“I wanted to give credit to the tall ceiling, yet have the space still feel welcoming and warm,” commented Samuel. “The marble walls, mirrors and sconces all bring the eye up, yet give a grounded feeling.”
To add drama and interest to the focal-point wall, Samuel designed the custom concrete vanity, giving it a modern, industrial feeling for the husband.
“As you walk through the double doors into the bathroom, you see the vanity front and center,” she explains.
Its custom white color complements the marble’s ivory-hued base. The vanity top is smooth and sealed to promote cleanliness, while its face is lightly pitted for texture and interest. The concrete-faced drawers feature wood interiors and push-to-open latches for a sleek, handle-less aesthetic. A single, oversized, integrated sink is accented with two single-control, wall-mount Kallista One faucets in an Unlacquered Brass finish.
“The faucets give the space a modern look with a finish that will patina for a natural feel,” she explains. “Mounting them on the wall maintains the room’s clean lines, and actually makes the vanity top easier to wipe down.”
High Style, Without the Fuss
Since storage was a consideration, and since the vanity offers limited capacity, Jessica Fitnich, senior designer with TruKitchens, designed floor-to-ceiling custom storage via a wall of Grabill Cabinets walnut cabinetry in a Nut Brown finish.
The doors and drawers are back-beveled for easy opening for the handle-less cabinetry. Adjustable shelves behind the doors create flexible storage that can accommodate a plethora of basket organizations, while drawers provide easy access to smaller items that could potentially get lost at the back of a deep cabinet. To capture storage that was blocked by the vanity, Fitnich designed the otherwise unusable cabinetry with a blind application.
“To keep the look consistent, the false panels and functional doors were designed to look like drawers,” she explains.
The choice of walnut supports the modern, organic feel the clients desire.
“Walnut just shines,” says the cabinet designer. “It doesn’t need a lot of extras. It isn’t fussy, yet it looks high style, which is an overriding theme for this home that is family friendly. In this bathroom, it fits the bill perfectly.”
Directly across from the cabinetry, Samuel included a Clovis Goods solid surface freestanding tub, which features a matte finish and a hint of a pedestal.
“It feels modern, yet has a bit of a ‘foot’ for a traditional look,” says the designer.
The Kallista One Unlacquered Brass floor-mount tub filler matches the wall-mount faucets and coordinates with the gold-toned sconces without being identical.
“We created a mix of warm-toned metals that isn’t too matchy,” Samuel offers. “It gives the room a more storied feel…like everything wasn’t purchased at the same time.”
The tub is situated in front of a large window, accented with drapes that can be drawn along a custom ceiling track that wraps around the vanity wall, thus allowing natural light to flow into the room.
The curbless shower includes several repeated elements, such as the Kallista One plumbing fixtures and the Arabescato Corchia marble, which makes its appearance as the bench top and as accents in the toilet niches. The shower walls, sheathed in Wow tile, are grouted with thick vertical lines and thin horizontal lines in an offset brick layer pattern.
“My goal is to always do something unexpected,” commented Samuel. “This client was inspired by another design where I had done the opposite, with thick horizontal grout lines and thin vertical lines. She wanted me to, in her words, ‘do that special thing you do with tiles.’ The variation of the thickness of the grout lines adds a bit of movement.”
Wow tile is also used as the flooring material for the heated floor. This time, terracotta-colored ceramic tiles mimic actual terracotta clay and give the room a luxurious, yet warm and natural feel.
“This is my favorite room in the entire house,” notes Samuel, “and probably my favorite bathroom design yet.”
Capitalizing on Continuity
Several rooms in this new-construction home feature repeated elements for a cohesive design throughout.
For example, like in the primary bathroom, Sarah Sherman Samuel gave Arabescato Corchia marble focal-point status in the kitchen, where it serves as the backsplash behind the Lacanche range and as the 5′-wide ventilation hood surround. Custom concrete countertops, crafted in the same white hue as the bathroom, feature a waterfall edge on the island and coordinate with the White Dove appliance panels and perimeter and wall cabinetry custom designed by TruKitchens and built by Grabill Cabinets. Nut Brown walnut base and island cabinetry from Grabill Cabinets features a custom paneled door style and a less-is-more hardware selection. Two MushLume Lighting pendants, made from mushroom mycelium, hover above the island, providing the ultimate organic, natural touch.
In each of the two kids’ bathrooms, modern meets whimsy where rift-cut white oak floating vanities – built by Eclipse Cabinetry by Shiloh Cabinetry and supplied by TruKitchens – are elevated via unique, custom hardware designed by Samuel. In the girl’s bathroom, circular handles complement other circular and curved elements within the space, such as the mirror, sconces, Zia Tile shower tile and leathered Taj Mahal quartzite vanity backsplash. Terracotta-
colored floor tile is reminiscent of the tile used in the primary bathroom.
The vanity in the boy’s bathroom features slender pulls that are mounted vertically to match the grain pattern of the rift-cut oak. Handmade zellige tile from Zia Tile takes center stage with its bold green hue in the shower and on the floor. The latter is accented with an occasional terracotta-colored tile for a pop of personality.
