North Park Onsen

3720 30th Street
San Diego, CA

Bathroom addition and laundry room renovation in a 1920’s craftsman home.  By reimagining the existing laundry room, we were able to create a laundry room, pantry, and second bathroom in the original space. 

Throughout the design process we focused on a style we called ‘modern craftsman’, which blends the traditional materials and artistic expressions of the craftsman era and combines them with the modern aesthetics of simplicity, the use of recycled materials, and creation of multi-functional space.  The project blends in with the existing home with a hexagonal tile floor, custom mahogany door frame, and a mahogany door salvaged from another craftsman home.  The ipe bathtub surround, zinc-clad accent walls, and modern plumbing fixtures, create the juxtaposition of old and new that makes the space work.
 
The client was inspired by the concept of a Japanese ‘onsen’, a spa-like ‘hot springs’, which was the point of departure for our design.  We created a wall that separated the space between the bathroom, pantry, and laundry spaces.  We made the bath the central focus of the design by eliminating a shower enclosure in the space, making the room feels much larger than its 6’ x 6’ footprint.  The pantry room became the antechamber for the bathroom from the kitchen.  We used custom mahogany boxes in both the bathroom and pantry for storage, tucked the laundry into an existing closet, and allowed for storage cabinets so we could maintain the function of the space without losing the connection to the craftsman home. In creating this sanctuary for the client, we managed to maintain the cozy warmth of a craftsman home and dramatically increase the amount of functional space.


Project Credits:

Architect  Point of Departure
Contractor  Point of Departure
Custom Millwork  Point of Departure