The vanity that reaches into the open shower.
When the owners of a three-acre property in Great Falls, Virginia, approached architect Janet Bloomberg to design an “ultra-modern” addition to their home, she jumped at the chance. Her renovation created a four-story tower adjoined to the existing residence, containing a playroom, library, office and master suite. On every level of the tower, windows frame picture-perfect views of surrounding woodlands.
Essentially, Bloomberg designed the bathroom in the master suite “to feel like you’re taking a shower in the woods.” Despite its minimalistic vibe, the space was carefully planned to maximize efficiency and to take advantage of the property’s dynamic views. Bloomberg created two stainless-steel volumes: a floating vanity that projects into the open shower and a tub enclosure that juts out into a little alcove toward the woods.
Focusing on earthy, organic materials to offset the stainless steel, the architect selected ceramic tile floors from Porcelanosa, gray chiseled quartzite on the sink wall and glass tile near the window. “We thought glass tile was a nice balance to the heavier look of stone,” she says. A dark shade in the shower picks up the charcoal color of the stone, while light-blue glass tiles in the bath suggest “water, luminosity and gloss.”
Privacy was of little concern to the homeowners because of the size of their property and the scarcity of neighbors. “The fact that we could do big windows in the shower was great,” says Bloomberg. “You can’t do that in the suburbs.
“This is one of few bathrooms clients have allowed us to do in the most minimal way,” reflects the architect, “without adding a lot of extra pieces. It was a rare opportunity.”
ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN: JANET BLOOMBERG, AIA, KUBE Architecture PC, Washington, DC. CONTRACTOR: Michael T. Puskar Construction Services, Stafford, Virginia.
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