For four years, Ellen Lema had to duck every time she washed her hair.
It was time for a change.
The challenge: renovating her South Buffalo home’s only bathroom, which has sloped ceilings and an unconventional footprint.
Ellen had a vision for her perfect bathroom. Must-haves included the color green; a classic black-and-white floor tile that she’s always loved; and a replacement for the bathtub—an old cast-iron claw foot tub that she also loved, but that was rusting and developing holes. She called interior designer Kendal Cavalieri for support.
“I knew exactly what I wanted but needed direction on flow—and how to get there,” says Ellen.
Ellen said Kendal suggested an idea she wouldn’t have come up with: moving the bathtub and shower unit to the opposite wall. Not only would that give Ellen the space to stand up straight while showering, it also moved the plumbing to an interior wall, helping to prevent the risk of frozen pipes in the 100+-year-old home.
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Kendal used that initial decision as a basis for the full design, and it helped guide choices ranging from tile to fixtures and cabinets.
Ellen says choosing green was very intentional. “It’s always been calming to me, and makes me feel connected to nature,” she says. As a mental health therapist, she recognizes that she wants a home that’s a comfortable haven to help her decompress from a busy life.
Now, says Ellen, her new bathroom is “giving me the dopamine I need.”
The birch cabinets are ceiling-height, maximizing storage space in the small room, and shelves were added to maximize dead space over the toilet. Ellen’s hand-picked black-and-white tile replaced dull gray laminate floors, and champagne bronze fixtures complement the other design choices.
The coolest part? Ellen could see exactly what the room would look like before a hammer was ever thrown. By standing and doing a 360-degree turn while wearing a virtual reality headset—part of Kendal’s design services—Ellen was able to “see” the renovated bathroom as if she was actually standing in it.
With that, Ellen said any doubts about the decisions they’d made went away. “My anxiety was totally gone.”
And being able to stand up fully straight when she washes her hair? It totally dulls the loss of that old claw foot tub.
