Planning ahead

A thoughtful remodel creates a safe, stylish space that will allow a designer's parents to age in place comfortably

- KATELIN HILL

When choosing a designer for a remodel, its a good idea to hire someone who will conhen choosing a designer for a remodel, it's a good idea to sider your future needs as well as your present wants. Even better when that person is your daughter and knows your taste to a tee. While Catherine Williamson's parents wanted the 1950s Cape they bought near her family in Columbus, OH, to be their forever home, they could see that the second-floor primary bath (and the basement laundry) might not be doable for them down the road.

So they turned to Catherine and her designer-husband, Bryan, to improve the existing first-floor guest bath and find space for laundry nearby. Key to making the bath more accessible: ditching the tub for a curbless walk-in shower. Stealing a foot of space from the guest bedroom and sacrificing some of the bath's linen cupboard allowed the designers to achieve two goals: a larger, 4-by-5-foot shower with a bench seat in the bath, and a laundry closet that opens onto the hall. A second sink and a pair of medicine cabinets boost the bath's storage, while brushed-bronze faucets and brass hardware add a warm counterpoint to the new marble vanity top and floor tile. Now the space feels sophisticated, fresh, and most importantly-much safer for Catherine's parents when they need it.

BEFORE While the basic layout was a keeper, the bath's mottled-brown floor tile, laminate vanity, and acrylic sink top and tub walls were dated and dreary.