San Francisco Residence

Project Details

Project Description

2004 CHDA
Custom Bath / Merit Award

The program was a simple one—renovate the attic of this Victorian home into a master bath and dressing suite. But when architect Olle Lundberg peeked under the rafters and saw the “dramatic volume created by all of these colliding roof planes,” he knew the finished spaces had to be equally theatrical. “It was more like designing a stage set than a room,” he admits. The jury concurs, calling it a “fantasy bathroom.”

It was clear from the beginning that all walls were out. Nothing should interrupt the wild ceiling forms. However, something was needed to provide the requisite privacy of a bath and dressing area. After much bouncing around of ideas, Lundberg suggested letting the clothes themselves act as screens. Since no one wants soggy clothes, translucent glass acts as a physical barrier. The only things touching floor or ceiling are thin steel rods. Clothes racks cantilever out from the rods, which also support the glass screens, vanity cabinets, and two mirrors.

A tall windowed dormer offered a logical locale for the shower with its view over rooftops to the Golden Gate Bridge. A honed-granite backsplash behind the matching vanity countertop masks the bathtub, also encased in the same absolute black tiles. As with any good set design, great lighting brings it to life. Once again, Lundberg wanted to avoid marring the ceiling. “We set fixtures in the floor and cast light at striking angles up against the glass panels, so the panel itself becomes a light fixture.” No worries about changing a bulb in the floor though, the custom fiber-optic system has only one bulb that's hidden in a closet.