In mid-2015 an opportunity for a clever and space-conscious remodel on Richland Street in the Coronado Historic District of Phoenix, AZ presented itself. This residence, originally built in 1925, is approximately 790sf and posed an issue for the homeowner regarding the guest access to the bathroom. Previously, the second bedroom needed to go through the living, dining, and finally master bedroom in order to reach the singular bathroom in the house, posing an inconvenience/privacy concern for both occupants.
After discussing the needs and running through the most cost-effective yet most impactful design options, we settled on one final scheme with the homeowner. This required careful measurement of the existing space and an allocation of the correct layout of spaces, even splitting hairs down to the nearest inch to enlarge the useable restroom area. The final design option opted to employ the use of two matching pocket doors making the bathroom a Jack-and-Jill layout. This gave adjacent bedrooms equal use of the space while eliminating the costly amount of wall and floor area required for a traditional door swing.
Cifuentes Studio in consultation with the client employed the use of a more contemporary design language with accents of vintage touches to tie the bathroom back to other historic portions of the house. Subway tiles have recently been reincorporated as a mainstay of the remodel industry, as they tie back to their historic roots at the turn of the century not long before these bungalows were constructed.
Once design was finalized, careful demolition of the existing bathroom began with consideration that the exterior of the house could not be compromised. Throughout that process the existing plumbing was kept in relatively the same area and any new plumbing could more feasibly be relocated due to crawl space access that is common in 1920’s bungalows.
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