A smart update
An Arlington master bath offers sumptuous decor and hi-tech tools.
Cooley Custom Cabinetry created storage spaces in this bathroom.
Todd Yarrington
Each morning as Cindy Jopling slips out of bed in her Upper Arlington home, a sensor pad detects her presence and triggers her pre-programmed preferences for the master bathroom. Soft lights slowly brighten. Her favorite playlist tumbles quietly from the shower speakers. If it’s chilly, the limestone floor heats; flames leap and flicker in the wall-mounted gas fireplace. Towels get toasty. The water for Cindy’s shower automatically warms to a perfect 105 degrees.
Her husband, Mike, an anesthesiologist by day and high-tech wizard after hours, has masterminded smart technology—“my passion,” he calls it—for their 4,800-square-foot home, built in 1964. Four years ago, the Joplings began extensive improve-ments. Having lived there since 1990, and after raising two kids, “it was either move or make it nice,” says Cindy.
Architect Shawn Baird designed an 8-foot extension for the back of the house, running the entire length of the second floor. For the master bath, it creates a sumptuous space with a huge arched window and a soaring barrel ceiling decoratively painted by Michael Boudreault.
Jan Cahill of Classico Tile & Marble selected diamond-shaped beige tiles and Italianate moldings, pairing them with chocolate-brown granite. The dark-stained cabinets, crafted from environmentally-friendly lyptus wood by Cooley Custom Cabinetry, are repeated throughout the master suite. For a touch of sparkle, oval mirrors chosen by interior designer Peggy Smith of Howard Brooks include small crystals on the frames.
Replacing the 1960s fixtures was a particular joy. Cindy now has the deep tub she’s always wanted—“I can soak in it up to my neck!”—and Mike has his super-charged, push-button steam shower with the Kohler WaterTile fixture overhead. “It can mimic a sunny day with clouds or a thunderstorm,” he says, delightedly.
Rhonda Koulermos is a freelance writer.
