The design challenge was to make a ranch-style house handicap accessible, while creating a space that would feel like a home. The clients also wished to “incorporate a taste of the ocean…a place that makes them feel connected to their children, each other, and the elements around them.”
The new kitchen’s handcrafted ceiling resembles the inverted hull of a boat. The backsplash is sea glass, and the granite is reminiscent of rippled sand after the tide has receded. Two bedrooms and a bath were combined to create a master suite with a fully accessible bathroom, including a tub with a teak surround and deck. The elegant shower has no threshold, simply a properly angled floor drain. The selection and location of grabs bars transformed a necessary part of an accessible bath into a beautiful design element. An enclosed porch cantilevered outside the master suite appears to be magically suspended by two oars.
After moving back into their home, the clients reported, ” Incorporating these disparate elements in the context of a ranch style house was a tall order, but we are absolutely thrilled with the outcome….we hope you like it, too.”
