“The central element in this room is the view,” says project architect Amena Hajjar. That's why she and principal architect Steven House devised the master bath's unusual corner configuration and separated the tandem lavs. “To put the vanities side by side, we would have had to eliminate one of the windows, and we couldn't do it.”
Custom medicine cabinets match the width of the windows and reflect their panorama. (The arrangement adds romantic appeal, because to see Mount Tam the owners must also look toward each other.) Floating beech vanities leave floor space open, making the 7½-foot-by-12½-foot room seem larger. Mahogany counters connect the vanities and reinforce the corner focal point. Pale limestone tiles on the floor, vanities, and shower walls complete the subdued materials palette. The materials are, says House, “soft and calming—with nothing decorative—because the view is everything.”
Hajjar adds that the clients “are very honest about how they lived and weren't interested in amenities just for show.” So they eliminated the ubiquitous tub in favor of a roomier walk-in shower. Two showerheads mirror the divided vanities, and overlapping partitions, staggered in height, preserve bathing privacy while offering tantalizing glimpses of Tam.
architect: House + House Architects, San Francisco
general contractor: Innovation Builders, Emeryville, Calif.
resources: appliances: Miele, Wolf, GE; cabinet hardware: Bauerware; flooring: Plyboo; light fixtures: Sonoma Translite, LBL, Zaneen; paint: Benjamin Moore; plumbing fittings and fixtures: Kallista, Kohler, Pohl; windows: Blomberg.
