Like its kitchen, the Dutcher Creek Residence’s master bath and powder room carve out distinct spaces without isolating themselves, but here the balance of openness and privacy required even greater subtlety. In the master bath, vertical grain Douglas fir linen cabinets flank the access from the adjacent dressing area, linked by a fir lintel over the doorway. A triangle of glass above opens the room to the dressing area and the bedroom beyond, notes architect Richard Schuh, “so the ceiling can flow through.” Mirrored sink walls outboard of the cabinetry create the illusion of a freestanding gated entry. A walk-in shower anchors the symmetrically ordered plan, its glass-tiled side walls delineating twin, semi-private compartments for a toilet and urinal. The shower’s concrete pan and glass wings extend into the room, forming a transparent “front porch” for toweling off.
The powder room occupies what first appears to be a plain, windowless box floating in the glass-walled main wing. But this box holds a surprise: a glass ceiling that floods the small space with natural light. A wall of glass mosaic tile adds glitter, and compact circle-themed fixtures and fittings take care of business with minimum fuss.
project: Dutcher Creek Residence, Cloverdale, Calif.
architect: Nielsen:Schuh Architects, Sonoma, Calif.
builder: Adams & Co. Homebuilders, Sonoma
resources: bathroom fixtures: Toto USA; bathroom fittings: Hansgrohe, Kohler; lighting fixtures: Juno; paints/stains: Benjamin Moore; windows: Blomberg Window Systems
