At Booher Building, one of the things we do best is understanding our customers’ needs. Whether you’re a single professional, you’re deep in the throes of raising a family, or it’s just the two of you, we’re good at listening to your ideas, assessing your needs and then designing a space that fits your situation. Recently I took a call from Carol Eisenhut. Carol and her husband, Tim, wanted
home improvement services for a complete renovation of their master bath. Now Carol was in the enviable position of having a large space to work with; the problem was that the space was configured all wrong. She explained it best in her own words. “It’s a 12’ x 12’ bathroom that felt like a 3’ x 3’” she said. The space was chopped up, with little flow to it. Carol needed the remodel to fit in with the colonial Williamsburg design of her home and with her more contemporary master bedroom. So, she asked for an open floor plan on “the modern side of traditional.” Finally, the Eisenhuts asked us to paint the master bedroom and rip out the bedroom carpet, installing an oak hardwood floor instead. On top of the hardwoods, Carol was laying an exquisite Turkish rug, and she decided to carry over some of the same rich colors from the rug into the bathroom. As we talked, it became obvious that Carol has a busy lifestyle. She needed a functional space that could hold up to a household that includes three come-and-go college-age kids along with an assortment of their friends, three cats and a large golden doodle dog, Clover. In the midst of all this, Carol was also hoping for a few luxurious touches to the
bathroom that would inject some peace into the hustle and bustle of her life. A final consideration was that Carol didn’t have time for fussing with high-maintenance materials and specialized cleaners, so we implemented easy-care materials into the design.
Color Scheme It can be difficult for customers to decide upon a color scheme, but Carol knew that she wanted a warm, bright space. She chose a creamy brown ceramic tile for the bathroom and shower floors that mimics the look of travertine, but doesn’t require the care of travertine. She combined this with a warm caramel-colored subway tile for the shower surround. For her accent color, she chose a rich blue, which is picked up in the Aegean blue quartz vanity countertop, a few accent tiles in the shower, and on the painted walls. The only two fixtures that we kept in the bathroom were a new commode Carol had recently purchased and a large built-in chest of drawers. Otherwise, we started from scratch. Carol laughed when she told me her inspiration for her shower. “I wanted a shower big enough and with an extra handheld showerhead to wash my big dog, … ” she said. Her other requirement for the shower, keeping in mind the open concept, was that it be “as much glass as I could get into it and as little frame as possible that I could get into it.” Carol wanted it to look great, but still be functional. We installed a large, glass walk-in shower with two showerheads; one is a stationary waterfall showerhead, and the other a handheld showerhead, mounted on a sliding rack, perfect for giving Clover a bath. We also installed a large bench for Clover to sit on for her showers. Carol chose her tub with relaxation in mind. We installed a large 6-foot bubble tub with a heated back and a tan ceramic tile surround. To tie everything together, Carol chose a creamy yellow paint with a mocha glaze for all the wood fixtures in the
bathroom. And as for the results? Carol loves the way the bathroom looks. “It’s wide open, I have light. I love the shower and the tub. The shower is everything I wanted it to be. It’s as functional as I had wanted it to be, but I also like the way it looks. There’s nothing I would do differently.” Here’s a shout out from Carol on our job:
Carol’s Two Cents 1. Everything Rob said would happen did happen in the time frame he said it would (about a total of 3 ½ weeks). 2. Rob was running the project, but I had control too. He was so easy to work with. They were tidy and neat, and weren’t disruptive to our household. 3. Rob was very accurate on pricing. It came in about where I thought it would on price. 4. I was very happy with all the workers, including the subcontractors that Rob used and his control over them. At
Booher Building, there’s nothing we like better than satisfied customers, and at the Eisenhut household everyone is happy with the results—even Clover; well, as happy as a dog can be when she’s getting a bath. The
Indianapolis bathroom remodel has also given Carol one unexpected benefit she hadn’t expected. She now has no shortage of volunteers to dog sit Clover. “My daughter invites her friends over for a spa night,” Carol laughed.