Architectural Accuracy

A Joesler house is a gem in Tucson. There had been an update and addition done to the house before the current owner took possession and it definitely crossed a boundary of the classic Joesler style and cheesy southwest on a budget. The owner’s British roots are steeped in beautiful antiques but are paralleled by his very modern tastes and coupled with not wanting to stray too far away from architectural accuracy of the home; it’s a tall order to create a balance. Taking a page from an original bathroom in the house, we found many of our authentic characteristicswe wanted to repeat. First, we dissected the tile details. It was decided that if the floor tile and the shower tiles could be replicated, it would be ideal for the vibe of the house. The floor was an odd size hexagon and the shower was a plain 4x4 square and both in white and had a worn feel. A local tile store had a custom tile maker that was able to match the shapes and sizes and offered a weathered white that complimented the existing tile nearly perfect.

Click on thumbnail images below to see complete gallery of this project.

Other than white, blue was another common thread from the original house. This is where we took a cue from the owner’s modern tastes. After researching the availability of blue counters, we found a very unique and rare granite called Blue Bahia; blue is an unusual color to find naturally in nature. Our stone fabricator found a couple slabs available in state and after several viewings a masterpiece was selected. Being such a special stone, we decided that we would accent the stark white floors and walls with this blue when an opportunity presented itself. Other small considerations continued the balance. While plain maple cabinets leaned towards contemporary, we opted to repurpose a medicine cabinet that pointed back to the Joesler roots. To create an inviting space in an otherwise cold atmosphere we layered lights. Adding recessed cans in the ceiling, a backlight to the mirror and under cabinet lights to float the cabinets off the floor we achieved our goals.