Life Style: Spa Treatment

Sean Carter's assignment was clear: Turn the master bath of an Avon Lake Cape Cod into a retreat that combined the Zen-inspiring features and finishes of a five-star spa resort with the contemporary mountain-lodge style of the homeowner's native Denver. "They like a little bit of sparkle, that old Hollywood glam," says Carter, a kitchen and bath designer at Lake Erie Winnelson Co. He created the look by skillfully combining a number of seemingly disparate elements. A sleek white soaking tub sits on porcelain floor tile that resembles wood planks and a porcelain-tile shower — complete with a ceiling-mounted rain showerhead — hides behind sliding glass with barn-door-like hardware. Elegant white quartz tops the rustic java-stained alder wood cabinets. Compact white porcelain sinks allow for more drawer space in a counter restricted by windows on one side and a small room for a toilet on the other. Carter finished the job by hanging beveled mirrors on a wall covered to the ceiling in large-scale taupe-gray glass tile. The mirrors' emerald shape was repeated in the cabinetry hardware and flanges of the wall-mounted faucets. He injected that requested shot of glitz by adding a glass-and-chrome chandelier over the tub and wrapping the room housing the commode in orange wallpaper boasting a silvery geometric pattern. "They just wanted a little pop of color," he says. "They love orange."