The Spa Who Loved Me (in Medford)

Architect: Joe the Architect. Builder: Fresh Start Contracting. Stylist: Rhea Urbaniak / Photo by Tamara Flanagan

The Problem

Ben and Catherine O’Sullivan-Pierce’s grand 1900 Colonial in Medford had large, lovely living spaces. Yet the primary suite on the second floor lacked the scale of the lower-level rooms. “The bedroom was a decent size, but it had a mini en suite bathroom,” says Ben, the co-owner of Fresh Start Contracting.

The Solution

The couple decided to reconfigure the second floor to create a bathroom with the luxurious spa-like atmosphere they desired. Two large, adjacent guest bedrooms were combined to make space for a new primary bedroom and an 18-foot-long, 12-foot-wide bathroom where a spacious wet room with a built-in tub and multiple showerheads doubles as a steam shower. “The glass, which goes from floor to ceiling, was put in before the tile, so there is no hardware visible—it’s completely seamless,” Ben explains. The floor, walls, and shower-room ceiling are clad with porcelain tile that has the look of marble but is much more durable. Floating fluted white-oak vanities, meanwhile, are topped with mitered quartz, making the stone appear thicker than it is—a trick also used on the bench in the wet room. Light floods the airy space through the wet-room window, with tempered glass ensuring privacy. “It’s very soothing,” Ben says, noting that with three small children, the space provides him and his wife with a much-needed place of calm.

First published in the print edition of the September 2024 issue with the headline, “The Spa Who Loved Me.”