Architects Tryggvi Thorsteinsson and Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir like to define rooms with simple blocklike elements rather than with traditional walls. “We never look at a surface as two-dimensional,” Ingjaldsdóttir says, “We look at everything as a three-dimensional form.”
In the master bath, a walnut-surfaced cube separates the space from the bedroom. Standing a couple of feet shy of the ceiling, the millwork box presents a flush surface to the bedroom, where it serves as a headboard. Its sides form twin passages to the bath and open to reveal storage. Etched glass doors topped by a room-width etched glass transom open into the bath, where a void in the cube supports twin sinks and a marble counter and backsplash. Set atop a high recessed kick panel, the cabinetry seems to levitate between the floor and ceiling.
A freestanding partition faced in ceramic tile and edged in spaced ipe boards backdrops a ceramic vessel tub while screening a generous walk-in shower and a separate toilet compartment. A section of ipe decking, flush with the limestone tile floor, drains the shower and any spillover from the tub. High windows brighten the room, which opens onto a screened courtyard.
Project: Appleton Living, Venice, Calif.; Builder: Core Construction, Apple Valley, Calif.; Architect: Minarc, Santa Monica, Calif.; Photographer: Art Gray. / Resources: Lighting fixtures: Alinea; Plumbing fittings: Duravit, Wetstyle; Plumbing fixtures: Duravit; Windows and patio door: Five Star.
