The owners of this custom residence in Weston, Mass., aren’t exactly layabouts. They like to wake up early and exercise, and they count on their sunny master bath to help them do so. “They’re very active people, and they wanted a nice, bright morning space to kick-start their day,” says principal-in-charge Mark Hutker of Hutker Architects.
Hutker and project architect Matthew Schiffer popped part of the bath out past the home’s east wall, creating a bay window that brings in extra natural light. Privacy wasn’t an issue, thanks to the lush grove of evergreens on that edge of the yard. “When you’re standing there at the vanity, you have the experience of being more outside than inside,” Hutker says. He and Schiffer distilled the interior architecture to its essence so as not to distract from this feeling, using the simplest trim and detailing possible. A suite of Waterworks fixtures matches the room’s clean lines and allows light and air to flow under the sinks and tub surround. “We were trying to express everything as being furniture and movable,” Schiffer says. A built-in custom dressing table of stained, rift-sawn oak complements the fixtures while keeping to the minimal aesthetic.
Across from the vanities, a frameless glass-enclosed shower borrows light from the bay window. Hutker Architects is known for including outdoor showers in the beach houses it often designs, and this shower takes a cue from them. In fact, the entire space has the quality of an outdoor bath that is constantly influenced by weather and other changeable environmental factors. “A white like this moves seasonally with the light characteristics outside,” Hutker says. “Nature is constantly tuning this room.”
Project Credits: Builder: ECO Structures, Norfolk, Mass.; Architect: Hutker Architects, Vineyard Haven, Mass.; Living space (bath): 300 square feet; Construction cost: Withheld; Photographer: Eric Roth Photography. / Resources:Door hardware: Rocky Mountain Hardware; Doors: TruStile; Fittings: Dornbracht; Fixtures: Dornbracht, Waterworks; Lighting: Iris.
