Indian Village I-Kahn

Certain design challenges can stump even the most skilled DIYers. Visual Guidelines, a stellar partnership, floorplan manipulation, 3D renderings, and bespoke material sourcing were all our clients needed to bring their primary bathroom up to speed with the rest of their gorgeous, historic home.

Clients Alex and Kyle are a young couple who own an Indian Village home designed by American architect Albert Kahn, who is often referred to as the "architect of Detroit" and designed almost 900 buildings in the city. With great personal style and remodeling experience of their own, each space in the home was decked out to the nines and honored the home’s history…except for the primary bathroom. Despite their wealth of remodeling experience, the bathroom’s schematic challenges had them stumped and motivated them to engage our team.

Discover how Phases 1 and 2 of the Concetti Process helped Alex and Kyle transform their primary bathroom into a highly functional space that embraces their home’s two stunning yet contrasting aesthetics.

The bathroom started out as a Jack and Jill connecting the primary bedroom and their daughter’s nursery on the second level of their home. The cramped layout, lack of storage capabilities, and outdated plumbing failed to meet their growing family’s functional needs. They knew they wanted our help designing a new layout, but they also leaned on our expertise to help them decide whether to continue the main level’s moody, dark aesthetic that honored the home’s original history or go light and airy like the upstairs portion of their home…the result is a stunning blend of both!

Since their daughter doesn’t need access to the bathroom, the new layout eliminated the nursery door, making the bathroom a true primary ensuite. Both bedrooms had deep closets, so we recommended eliminating the nursery closet and some of the primary closet (because the primary had another separate closet) to add depth and create more bathroom space.

Following our recommendation, they placed a double vanity where the nursery door used to be and unlocked more shower room thanks to the space from both bedrooms’ closet space. The double vanity is more than a welcomed upgrade from their old pedestal sink – it’s also an innovative schematic solution to Alex and Kyle’s biggest design challenge. The shower entrance would have been too tight if the standard vanity depth had been carried all the way across. Instead, our proposed floor plan included a custom vanity with a clipped, curved countertop and color-matched open shelving underneath to provide additional towel storage and an electrical outlet to plug in their toothbrushes. This solution freed up counter space and provided room for a half wall/full entry shower.

In Phase 1 we created the vision for this solution. In Phase 2 we did the documentation through a full construction set and sourced the materials to truly transform the space. The selections made in Indian Village I-Kahn are highly reminiscent of the Visual Guidelines we provided in Phase 1 AND are brilliantly cost-effective.
The Albert Kahn home has a beautiful walnut molding detail throughout. We wanted to honor this through both material and application. The walnut vanity mimics the tones found throughout the rest of the home while the wainscoting in the space mimics the style.

The thick Victorian-inspired crown molding detail is one of the most prominent ways we helped Alex and Kyle achieve an authentically historic look. The addition of a soffit separated the shower and bathroom area so that the bathroom area could have perfectly square ceiling to apply the crown to. We recommended the whimsical Milton & King wallpaper and vintage-inspired light fixture to achieve their framed ceiling look and complement the darker hues throughout the bathroom.

The bathroom features a unique tile blend – including large scale hexagon, penny tile, and a statement blue/gray wall tile from Zia Tile. We chose a unique tile application inspired by the pattern over the pavers on the exterior of Alex and Kyle's home. The shape of the shower niche also mimics the shape of the Anthropologie mirrors above the vanity and the background uses the same material as the vanity’s countertop.

The all-gold plumbing fixtures add to the historic feeling while blending in effortlessly with the room’s details and providing a much needed upgrade. The hydro rail is reminiscent of historic plumbing and adds efficiency because both the shower head and handheld are connected to the same water source. Every detail – even the ornate toilet paper holder – was thoughtfully selected to embrace the home’s history.

When it was all said and done, the Visual Guidelines and upgraded floor plan from Phase 1 and thorough material sourcing and construction documentation in Phase 2 gave Alex and Kyle everything they needed to create a functional, beautiful primary ensuite bathroom. We're always thoroughly impressed with homeowners who are able to take the Plan we develop and implement it with their contractor in Phase 3. Alex and Kyle's attention to detail and commitment to the vision we created together transformed their ensuite space from a "blast from the past" to a new slice of i-KAHN-ic Detroit history.

Photography by: Brett Mountain