Mother, daughter duo set pace for bathroom design
by Perucci Ferraiuolo/The Seattle Times-Seattle Post Intelligencer

Known as the dynamic duo of design, the mother/daughter team of Susan Larsen and Cathy Larsen-Jepson, owners of Woodinville’s [Kitchen Design & Specialty Shoppe], have been quietly setting the pace for the bathroom- design industry nationwide.

Famous for their spacious, rolling bathrooms that spill out into luscious master bedroom suites, Larsen and Larsen-Jepson have garnered not only an enviable following, but also a few coveted awards from the prestigious National Kitchen and Bath Association.

Larsen-Jepson. who placed lirst in the 1993 bathroom-design competition, says the trends are clear.

"I think people want space and room," she said. "What I try to do is get away from that boxed-in bathroom feeling and let it all merge together. The only part kept separate is the water closet itself, because people want a lot of counter space."

Larson-Jepson’s award-winning design featured a jetted, angled, oversized tub in the master bedroom. The remainder of the bathroom gently flowed into the master suite with lots of angles, curves, mirrors and lighting, and featured a separate toilet area with large powder room, extra-large glass block shower and a huge walk-in closet.

Mother Sue Larsen joined her daughter in victory in 1994. They placed second in the large-bathroom category. Larsen says the trend in large lavish bathrooms will continue, but there will be some changes.

"l think there will he a trend toward the efficient use of space," she says, "and I think that will overshadow the goal of just having big for the sake of big.”

Larsen’s winning bathroom was also an integrated master suite/master bath combination, with discrete toilet and vanity area, but her oversized walk-in shower was punctuated with an extra-large picture window, with an unobstructed view of the owner’s swimming pool, river and mountains in a supremely private setting.

There will always be the need for bathing in the cradle of comfort. "We all want to be pampered," said Larsen-Jepson with a smile.

"There’s nowhere else in your entire house where you can spoil yourself as much as in the bathroom. It’s like taking a vacation right down the hall."

[click to see Larsen photos]   [click to see Larsen-Jepson photos]