bath

The deck connecting the two buildings has an outdoor rain shower and a soaking tub, both part of the property’s gray-water system.

In the bathroom, a custom ceramic backsplash designed by Meredith and Sample joins an iroko-wood tub created by their students a the University of Toronto. In spaces where the tiles don't need to be cut around corners, outlets, or other obstacles, it might even be possible to do the tile work yourself for a DIY project.

A split monolithic form gives this modern residence its name—Two Halves House. Distinguished by two pavilions that appear to stand apart at first sight—but are in fact connected—Two Halves House was designed with three requirements in mind. The homeowners wanted a high bush fire safety rating and a relaxed kitchen and living space for entertaining. Plus, they wanted to maximize the sloping site and the south-facing views.

Smooth, handleless joinery are a classical, but nonetheless creative way to make storage systems beautifully discreet with ample room for storage.

Milestones' cement plaster covers the walls of the minimalist bathroom. The Scola sink from Duravit is accompanied by a chrome Grohe Essence faucet and Hansgrohe's Croma Green Showerpipe.

The garden shower.

The minimalist bathroom design features an open shower and a freestanding tub.

When remodelling this five-bedroom family home in an Edwardian building in London, design firm AMA decked the three bathrooms in lime green, baby blue, and lemon yellow tiles

In the master bathroom, a BainUltra Essencia freestanding tub with an Axor Starck filler offers a perch for the couple’s granddaughter Arabella and her cousin Alexandra. The built-in vanity is made of the same ApplePly material as the kitchen cabinetry.

The wet bathroom, clad in Savoy penny tile by Ann Sacks, helped optimize the home’s petite footprint.

bathroom: slate and wood

A courtyard off the master bath acts as a solar chimney, drawing in cool air and bringing light and ventilation into the shower. The fixture is from Hansgrohe. - Rockport, Massachusetts Dwell Magazine : November / December 2017

A soaking tub satisfies both “bath people” and “shower people” as bathers wash outside the tub, then soak in clean, deep hot water. The owner of this penthouse asked Roberts Hot Tubs for a teak tub next to his shower. Soaking tubs can have straight or sloping sides and can be any shape. They use more water than regular tubs, but since bathers soak when clean, it’s common to add a re-circulating heater and filter. Tub makers offer wooden lids to keep the water hot - in Japan the same water is typically used by the whole family. Photo courtesy of: Roberts Hot Tubs

Tubs can be partly sunk for easier access, as in this tub from Zen BathWorks. The river rocks at the base hide a linear drain, but tubs can also have a regular overflow or drain onto a wet-proofed bathroom floor, says Bill Finlay, of Zen BathWorks. Jennifer Aniston bought a Port Orford Cedar tub from him when she turned the “his” part of the bathroom she shared with Brad Pitt into a spa after the couple split up. Bill says many customers site their tub, known as an ofuro in Japanese, to enjoy a view. Photo courtesy of: Zen BathWorks

Japanese showers are usually set low down so the bather can sit on a stool and scrub, then pour cedar buckets of hot water over their heads for a refreshing rinse. This homeowner in Venice, California mounted a handheld shower head on the wall for added flexibility. The drain is under the removable cedar floor slats, keeping the room design uncluttered. Wood tubs are cleaned with a simple rinse and last for decades, as the antiseptic properties of cedar guard against mold and rot. This ofuro was designed by Santiago Ortiz and fabricated by Bartok Design.