A basement bathroom is transformed to meet the needs of a healthy, relaxed lifestyle, with modern elements to bring in light and warmth.

Custom-designed cabinets and chrome vanity stand by Kevin Fitzsimons; aquagrande sink and chrome mirrors available through the designer; vipp waste receptacle from quasi modo modern. Mike and Laura Bermon have always preferred the finer things. Mike spent years working as an executive in the energy field, so he and his wife now reward themselves with travel, jetting off a few times a year to places like New York, St. Moritz, and Paris. But it was a recent trip to Miami that changed their perspective on design forever.

“We ski a lot. But one winter, we got tired of it and decided we wanted to go somewhere warm. So we went to South Beach,” recalls Michael. It was there that they discovered the Delano Hotel, an icon of contemporary design. They were awestruck. It was, in short, an esthetic epiphany. “We were attracted to the look, and we changed our whole attitude,” says Mike.

“When you see beauty, you don’t know why you love it, but you do,” says Laura.Their longtime designer, Kevin Fitzsimons, couldn’t have been happier. For years, he had been gently trying to convert them to the simplicity of contemporary design. Now, with their eyes opened anew, he eagerly helped cultivate the couple’s new interest.

They first redid the more formal living room, filling it with the Deco-meets-contemporary lines of Barbara Barry furniture. They decided to continue the esthetic to the uninspired basement, a cold warren of tiny rooms. Fitzsimons conceived a new vision: a large spa, filled with light and warmth with a minimal palette and fresh, modern elements.

“This space represents everything that I believe in: It’s about people redefining themselves and simplifying, paring down to just beautiful things,” says Fitzsimons. As with any multifunctional space, there were competing interests. It had to be used for both work and play, serving as an office, a study for their son, and a theatre.