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When a young family came to M. Ferrari and Company to discuss a bathroom renovation for their home in Shadyside, they had specific wants and needs.

For starters, they wanted a space that they could share as a family. The busy couple has young children, and they wanted the bathroom to be functional and beautiful, as well as cohesive, space with an Asian sensibility that they could all use.

“There were a lot of components that they wanted,” says Sarah Drake, of Sarah Drake AIA in Regent Square, the project architect, who frequently collaborates with M. Ferrari. “It was really, ‘How do you get all these components together to make a space that’s nice to bathe?’”

It was also important to the owners, who wished to remain anonymous, to have a wet zone — an area where they could shower first and then get into the tub. “They came to us with that right off the bat,” says Melissa Ferrari, principal of M. Ferrari and Company in Oakland.

The bathroom, Pittsburgh Magazine HOME’s 2020 Best of Design Award winner for Best Renovated Bathroom, started as a large, yet outdated, master bathroom with heavy wooden cabinets, a built-in Jacuzzi tub and covered in marble.

The room’s footprint stayed the same, but that was it, as Drake and Ferrari transformed it. The only existing fixture kept was an original black iron fireplace that the wife loved. “We thought if that’s what she fell in love with we should incorporate it,” Ferrari says. “It was a nod to the history of the home.”

Today the bathroom features wood tile flooring. The lighting shows off the textured wall tile while also allowing the bathroom to be utilized for different means during different times of the day.

“The lighting is to help create a mood in the space,” says Drake, adding that it can be altered for getting ready in the mornings or taking a relaxing soak at the end of a long day.

A curbless wet area featuring the tub and shower is surrounded by glass walls, and a floating greyed oak vanity and suspended two-sided mirrors divide the dry and wet areas. The walls are stone and the countertop is quartz, while the new black fixtures and windows were chosen to match the color of the original fireplace.

The bathroom’s white-on-white color palette is one of Drake’s favorite design elements. Ferrari adds that the white, textured wall tiles were one of the first things they chose.

“It became impractical to use it on the shower wall, just from a cleaning standpoint, but we were able to match it with a flat tile in the shower,” she says. “In the rest of the room, it added a lovely textural element.”

And while the bathroom is full of quartz, white materials and glass, it still manages to be a comfortable place perfect for a family.

“It’s bright and clean without being cold,” Drake says.

Vendors

• Architectural Design: Sarah Drake, AIA
• Interior Design: Melissa Ferrari, Principal Designer
• Jennifer Panza, Assistant Designer, M. Ferrari and Company
• General Contractor: The Healey Company Inc.
• Cabinetry: Custom, Ida McConnell CKD,
  Cuvee Kitchen Design Inc.
• Hardware: Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting
• Fixtures: Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting
• Lighting: Horchow
• Flooring: Tile and Design
• Countertops: Primo Marble & Granite
• Windows: Marvin
• Tile: Tile and Design
• Glass: Rex Glass