Art Gray
A walnut-surfaced millwork element presents opposite sides to th…
Architects Tryggvi Thorsteinsson and Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir like to define rooms with simple blocklike elements rather than with traditional walls. “We never look at a surface as two-dimensional,” Ingjaldsdóttir says, “We look at everything as a three-dimensional form.”
In the master bath, a walnut-surfaced cube separates the space from the bedroom. Standing a couple of feet shy of the ceiling, the millwork box presents a flush surface to the bedroom, where it serves as a headboard. Its sides form twin passages to the bath and open to reveal storage. Etched glass doors topped by a room-width etched glass transom open into the bath, where a void in the cube supports twin sinks and a marble counter and backsplash. Set atop a high recessed kick panel, the cabinetry seems to levitate between the floor and ceiling.
A freestanding partition faced in ceramic tile and edged in spaced ipe boards backdrops a ceramic vessel tub while screening a generous walk-in shower and a separate toilet compartment. A section of ipe decking, flush with the limestone tile floor, drains the shower and any spillover from the tub. High windows brighten the room, which opens onto a screened courtyard.
Project: Appleton Living, Venice, Calif.; Builder: Core Construction, Apple Valley, Calif.; Architect: Minarc, Santa Monica, Calif.; Photographer: Art Gray. / Resources: Lighting fixtures: Alinea; Plumbing fittings: Duravit, Wetstyle; Plumbing fixtures: Duravit; Windows and patio door: Five Star.
