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REFRESH & RENEW

The remodeled bathrooms in this antique sea captain’s home hint at the past but harbor
all the amenities of the present.

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN BY D. NEIL PARENT

CONSTRUCTION BY WILKINSON DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

TEXT BY LAURIE KAISER

COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVE VIERRA

"Antique bathroom” is something of an oxymoron. By the mid-19th century, when this Harwichport house was built, most people bathed in portable tubs in their bedchambers, although some households designated a small room as a “bathing room,” according to historians. And, of course, outhouses served the function of the modern toilet.

Well beyond the time when it served a purely utilitarian purpose, the bathroom now functions as a personal spa-like retreat. The bathrooms designed for this antique sea captain’s home have all the modern conveniences, yet through their design elements, they recall an earlier time.

When the homeowners – an environmental lawyer and a modern dancer from New York City – purchased the 150-year-old house last year, they inherited a host of challenges, from structural to cosmetic. The bathrooms are just part of a whole-house remodel that is scheduled to be completed in two phases over the course of two years.

Last remodeled in the 1970s, the home’s two bathrooms needed updating. The new owners envisioned “comfortable, private and gracious environments” for both themselves and their guests, yet they wanted the rooms to remain architecturally compatible with the circa 1850 house. With the help of architectural designer D. Neil Parent of Harwichport and Wilkinson Design and Construction of Harwich, the homeowners achieved their goal.

A luxurious master bathroom is one of the most highly regarded amenities in today’s home. The master bath in this home successfully combines modern conveniences with vintage good looks. The clawfoot tub, custom beadboard cabinetry and wainscoting, and brushed-nickel accessories – although all new – have timeless appeal. Formerly reached by a door off the hallway, the second-floor bathroom is now part of the master suite, which includes a cozy, light-filled bedroom offering glimpses of Nantucket Sound. The 8-by-14-foot bath was once a cobbled space containing a fiberglass tub/shower combination, toilet, lavatory and a small laundry area. Removing the washer and dryer created space for the porcelain-over-cast-iron tub, a separate custom tiled shower and a dual-basin lavatory.

On the first floor, the homeowners envisioned a full guest bathroom with a separate powder room. The aim was for the single space to function as facilities for visitors, as well as for overnight guests. But the original space measured only about 7 by 8 feet. The homeowners wanted to be sure their overnight guests would have access to private toilet facilities at all times. Some consideration was given to transforming the library off the dining room into a powder room, but, in the end, the homeowners didn’t want to give up the library. So Parent carved a “lavette,” including a toilet and lavatory, out of an existing closet in the guest bedroom. A new closet was built in the northwest corner of the guest room with no sense of lost space. The new guest bathroom has two toilets, two lavatories and a shower, all in about 80 square feet.

“These are small spaces we’re dealing with, and people want to put a lot of stuff in them,” says Lyn Wilkinson, who, with her husband, Pav, operates Wilkinson Design and Construction. “The challenge is to do that tastefully and to scale.”

The materials used in both bathrooms are decidedly upscale: tumbled marble floors, marble countertops, frameless shower doors, Kohler sinks, Grohe faucets and Toto toilets. Radiant heat beneath the stone floors keeps the tiles (and feet) warm. Recessed lighting offers plenty of illumination without cluttering the ceiling.

Parent, who enjoys the challenges of working on older homes, believes contemporary bathrooms are not incompatible with antique homes. “If it’s going to be somebody’s house, it’s got to be comfortable to live in,” he says. “A house you live in cannot be a museum.”

The homeowners, who summered on the Cape for 20 years before purchasing a home here, are delighted with the outcome of their first renovation project. Not only was the project completed on time and to specifications, but also when they arrived to see the finished bathrooms, the homeowners found a bottle of chilled champagne and a basket of bread and cheese awaiting them.

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