Synopsis: Transformed from a dark attic space, this sunny bathroom addition benefits from lots of light and tasteful materials that include a chalkboard slate floor, recycled glass wall tiles, and a beadboard ceiling of sustainably harvested cedar.

Leslie and Heather were tired of hiking downstairs in the middle of the night to get to the bathroom. Owners of a 100-year-old 1 1⁄2-story house in Seattle’s Capitol Hill district, they had their bedroom in the attic and the bathroom on the first floor. To make matters even more inconvenient, the laundry was farther below in the basement. Leslie and Heather wanted to simplify their lives and their floor plan by putting all three spaces on one level. And because their poorly insulated bedroom needed revamping anyway, it made sense to add a dormer next to the bedroom, gaining space for a bath, a laundry, and a dressing room. They hired my firm to design a renovation, and general contractors Jan Henderson and Joyce Hurford of Blue Marlin Construction to build it.

And there’s a laundry room behind the double doors

Leslie and Heather wanted the new construction to harmonize with the time-honored style of their old house, but they also wanted unmistakably modern features such as a large tub, a curbless shower, and sleek sinks. They also challenged us to make the project environmentally responsible. The resulting design is a mixture of salvaged schoolhouse blackboards, antique light fixtures, and a beadboard ceiling that contrasts with the sleek lines of the plumbing fixtures.

Despite the number of features that are in the bathroom, it feels open and spacious. Skylights and a row of windows that run above the bathtub fill the room with daylight. The sills, however, are high enough to provide privacy.

We moved the clothes washer and dryer into…