Bay Watch

Project Details

Project Description

Bay Watch
K + B Studio / Bath

Unlike the kitchen, the master bath upstairs is anything but subdued. Here, the clients wanted a luxurious retreat from which they could savor the spectacular views of Alcatraz, Angel Island, and other prime San Francisco Bay locales. The room's grand gesture is a marble-encased, nearly 2-foot-deep corner bathtub with sybaritic settings. “They see bathing as a heightened function,” English says of his clients, “so we raised the tub to give it sacred prominence.” A ceiling-mounted tub filler and a marble plinth enhance the tub's ceremonial feel.

The same marble tops the cantilevered double vanity on which twin glass vessel sinks perch. “I use a floating vanity pretty often, because I like seeing the floor continue,” he explains. White lacquered custom cabinets provide a simple foil to the heavily veined marble above and the pillowed-oak floors below. In the shower, a 2-inch step-down in the marble platform prevents water from spilling over.

Because the bathroom backs up to the garage, natural light is restricted on two sides. That limitation—plus the area's notoriously foggy mornings—made bright, reflective surfaces a must. A mirrored wall above the vanity helps reflect views and daylight into the space. And sandblasted glass enclosures for the shower and adjacent toilet give the owners privacy where they need it without cutting off light.