Sleek Style for a Master Suite
Commercial components and a convenient floor plan integrate a bath and a walk-through closet.
Synopsis: The spare, ultramodern style of this bedroom/bath combo is created with a combination of mill-finish aluminum, glass, and stainless steel. Photos focus on the bathroom and walk-in closet. The highlight of this project is the circular floor plan that connects the bedroom, bathroom, and closet in a very practical way.
Most of us have been to a shopping mall. But as we’ve strolled past stores with their large, polished display windows, who among us has said, “Hey, those would look cool in my house.”
The use of slick industrial materials is one trademark of my design firm, which splits its efforts between residential and high-end commercial work. It was that look that drew my client to our firm. He wanted a large bedroom addition with a spacious bath and a healthy-size dressing area. In particular, he liked the look of spare, ultra-modern design, but this house is set in a woodsy, natural location. So I decided to use mill-finish aluminum, glass, and stainless steel, with a gentle portion of natural wood.
Glass and aluminum instead of 2xs and drywall
We installed expansive industrial glazing in the bedroom for views of the private North Carolina woods nearby. For the bathroom and dressing room, though, we moved the store front indoors. Instead of wood-frame walls covered in wallboard and plaster, large panes of glass in aluminum frames separate the bedroom from the side rooms. This type of wall takes up less space than a framed wall; it’s also quicker and easier to build. The glass allows the bathroom to share light with the bedroom while making the bathroom feel open and less confining.
Inside the bathroom, aluminum and glass walls create a shower area and form a corner for the commode cubicle. The door to the shower is made of the same industrial materials, but one exterior wall of the shower is an aluminum sliding-glass door that opens to a private deck. This effectively turns the shower into an indoor/outdoor facility.
We used insulated, argon-filled, low-e clear glass for the exterior glazing, but 1⁄4-in. single-pane tempered glass was fine for the interior glass walls. The profile of the aluminum track in the bathroom matches that of the exterior windows, although it’s slightly shallower for the single glazing. Fluted glass placed at a strategic height offers just the right level of privacy from the bedroom.
Towels instead of salad dressing
A fabricator in South Carolina made the stainless-steel sinks in the bathroom to complement my custom bedside tables and wet bar in the bedroom. Simple tapered cherry legs support the sinks. In a nod (and a wink) to my high-school cafeteria days, I had standard commercial salad-dressing containers fit into the sinks, only this time they are being used to hold hand towels instead of creamy Italian.
The sink drains and shut-off valves are made of stainless steel and left exposed. For the mirrors, I cobbled together a wood frame (the worst miter joints in the whole place).
The linen closet sports a door of fluted glass, and a rolling stainless-steel shelf system holds the sheets and towels.
For more photos, drawings, and details, click the View PDF button below:
