Bathing beauty bathroom by Stuart Silk Architects

Aaron Mollick-designed Carrara stone bathroom

White walls and bed linen, and a white-stained architecture, ceiling, floor, flooring, hardwood, home, house, interior design, interior designer, living room, property, real estate, room, wall, wood flooring, gray — White walls and bed linen, and a white-stained oak floor give this renovated master bedroom a crisp, contemporary look. The renovation, by Stuart Silk Architects, included recladding the existing fireplace in slabs of Carrara stone. The cantilevered hearth and mantel are also new.

The bathroom is lined with Carrara stone used architecture, bathroom, estate, floor, home, interior design, property, real estate, room, tile, window, gray

It's not always easy to judge the age of a house, especially when it has undergone a succession of modernizing remodels over the years. The contemporary look of this house, both inside and out, is a far cry from its original 1920s Dutch Colonial architecture.

Architect Aaron Mollick, of Stuart Silk Architects, says the latest remodeling was focused mainly on the interior.

"The owners wanted a contemporary spirit, but it needed to be a look that wouldn't date," Mollick says. "White is a color that has been carried right through the house it offsets the frequently gray weather in Seattle."

The master bedroom consequently features white walls and white-stained riff-cut oak boards similar to the living areas. The existing fireplace was reclad in large slabs of Carrara stone, and a modern cantilevered hearth added.

In remodeling the house, the design team reorganized the layout of the master suite, rearranging and simplifying the order of the closets and the his-and-hers bathrooms. The wife's bathroom, shown on these pages, is now slightly larger than before.

Mollick says the owners requested natural stone, so the Carrara is carried through to the bathroom. Here it is used in various formats mosaics on the floor, larger subway-style tiles in the shower and slabs on the vanity.

"We allowed the materials to express the detailing, which has been stripped down to the barest minimum. This allows the fixtures to be sculptural elements in their own right. The large freestanding tub, for example, has a very organic form that contrasts with the more linear aspects of the bathroom."

Mollick says the tub is also deep enough to allow full immersion, and is positioned to maximise a spectacular view. The shower, which is essentially a wet area, is also placed so the view can be enjoyed by day and night.