Building and design duo—and husband and wife—Jerry and Sandy Effren designed the Farmhouse for first-floor living, with convenience and accessibility in mind. They also carved out a few special personal spaces.
Masterful ease
What makes a first-floor master first-rate? Building in a buffer from the rest of the household. In our Farmhouse, that means two handsome character-oak pocket doors that slide back to reveal a sitting room separating the bedroom and bath from the busy hallway.
Beyond the pocket-door buffer, the suite layers in additional design moves that make the first-floor master feel like a true retreat. The same sliding patio door unit used in the great room gives the master bedroom a wide view of the shore as well as a shortcut to the plunge pool, while a heftier-than-usual windowsill in the master bath signals the double-thick exterior wall built to protect the plumbing.
Pocket doors, floors, trim: Baird Brothers Fine Hardwoods; Door hardware: Emtek; Lighting: House of Antique Hardware; Paint: Gravel by Curator*; Furnishings: Stowed; Room styling: Leia T. Ward, LTW Design; Artwork: Anouk Masson Krantz
*These products procured via Ring’s End
Room with a view
The same sliding door unit used in the great room gives the master bedroom a wide view of the shore, as well as a shortcut to the plunge pool and patio.
Privacy was a guiding principle in the master suite’s design. As described in This Old House Magazine, “What makes a first-floor master first-rate? Building in a buffer from the rest of the household: In our Farmhouse, that means two handsome character-oak pocket doors that slide back to reveal a sitting room separating the bedroom and bath from the busy hallway.”
Patio doors, windows: Marvin*; Window shades, privacy sheers: Hunter Douglas*; Lighting: Chloe Winston Lighting Design; Room styling: Leia T. Ward, LTW Design
*These products procured via Ring’s End
Soothing textures
Gray suede wallpaper in the master bedroom creates a focal point that’s touchable and soothing. Windows on the sidewall are lifted for privacy.
Windows: Marvin; Wallpaper: Innovations USA; Paint: Statement by Curator*; Window shades: Hunter Douglas*; Lighting: Chloe Winston Lighting Design; Room styling: Leia T. Ward, LTW Design
*These products procured via Ring’s End
Master bath
A free-standing tub, flanked by high-gloss floating vanities, is perfect for a relaxing soak. Large format tiles in Ocean Blue Limestone are earthy and elegant, and heated from below thanks to electric floor warming throughout. The heftier-than-usual windowsill is a clue to the double-thick exterior wall built to protect plumbing lines from freezing, but which also allows for built-in medicine cabinets and a niche over the tub without compromising insulation.
Vanities: Wood-Mode; Glass pulls: Häfele; Countertop: Caeserstone; Tub, sinks, faucets, lighted medicine cabinets: Kohler; Tile: Artistic Tile; Niche, profiles, floor warming: Schluter-Systems; Grout and caulk: Laticrete
Steam shower sanctuary
For a luxurious treat, a steam shower with aromatherapy and chromotherapy also has a deluge rainhead and a handshower. A toilet with a built-in bidet resides around the corner.
Pro Tip: When planning a steam shower, This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey cautions that the enclosure must be completely sealed so the steam can’t escape: “Otherwise it’ll peel the wallpaper off the entire top floor of your house.” That means a floor-to-ceiling glass door—shower curtains won’t do.
Steam shower: MrSteam; Shower Door: American Frameless; Tile: Artistic Tile; Plumbing fixtures: Kohler; Niche, profiles, floor warming: Schluter-Systems; Grout and caulk: Laticrete; Ceiling light: Kuzco, from Chloe Winston Lighting Design; Ventilation: Panasonic
A spa-worthy experience
A pre-formed bench provides a spot to rest and enjoy the benefits of steam. The curbless enclosure features a linear drain against the back wall, allowing for a sleek, uninterrupted look.
Sizing the steam generator is just as important as sealing the enclosure. “To determine size, we take the cubic footage of the shower and factor in what it is made of—ceramic tile, glass block, natural stone—and the distance the steam has to travel,” says John Duggan, a sales manager for Steamist, in This Old House Magazine. Generators can fill a shower with steam in less than 15 minutes and typically run on a dedicated 240-volt hookup.
Steam shower: Mr.Steam; Shower Glass: American Frameless; Tile: Artistic Tile; Pre-formed bench, niche, profiles, floor warming, linear drain, shower tray: Schluter-Systems; Grout and caulk: Laticrete
Gym and office combo
An extra room on the upper level provided a perfect place for Sandy’s home office and yoga studio.
Paint: Gallery Wall by Curator*; Windows: Marvin*; Window blinds: Hunter Douglas*; Room styling: Leia T. Ward, LTW Design
*These products procured via Ring’s End
Organized garage
Jerry outfitted the three-car garage with plenty of perks—a showroom-worthy floor, slatted wall organizers, and ample space to store his clubs. The translucent panels on the contemporary garage doors allow light to pass through, but they are still insulated against heat and cold to keep it comfortable all year round.
Doors: Ed’s Garage Doors; Epoxy: Laticrete; Garage wall products: Häfele
Reading nook
On either side of the fireplace, built-in benches provide a cozy place to curl up with a great book.
Window: Marvin; Bench slides: Häfele; Lighting by Chloe Winston Lighting Design; Styling by Leia T. Ward, LTW Design
Personal practice green
“Our whole family loves to golf,” says Effren. An indoor putting green in the basement ensures that the weather’s right for practice, regardless of the season.
Artificial turf: Intelliturf
