Project Description
2005 CHDA
Custom Bath / Merit Award
For clients who are amateur naturalists, architect Rebecca Swanston suggested a master bath addition filled with materials evoking the great outdoors. The homeowners immediately ran with the idea and even consulted with the reptile director from the Baltimore Zoo for a walk-in lizard terrarium.
Sunshine was key to the bath’s indoor/outdoor design, but even outdoor enthusiasts need privacy when bathing. So Swanston raised the roof and topped the bath pavilion with two sets of clerestory windows to bring in the light and close out curious neighbors. The soaking tub looks through glass doors to a walled garden accessible only from the master bath. The jurors commended Swanston for getting as close as possible to creating an outdoor experience inside.
The homeowners raided their fossil collection for pieces now embedded in the shower’s stone wall. Water spills over a ledge jutting from the top of that wall to produce a waterfall bathing experience. A translucent onyx vanity lit from behind adds glamour to the dressing area.
Swanston is thrilled that a jury of her peers saw the merits of this master bath, but she is most pleased by her clients’ reaction: “They like it so much, they actually entertain in it sometimes!”