Call of nature

With a bedroom amid a tree canopy and a bathroom beside a moss garden, this master suite is open to nature at every turn

View of the master bedroom featuring, quartersawn whiteoak architecture, bedroom, ceiling, daylighting, estate, home, house, interior design, property, real estate, room, window, wood, gray — View of the master bedroom featuring, quartersawn whiteoak flooring, floor to ceiling windows, bed, furniture

View of the bathrom featuring recessed bath, floor architecture, ceiling, daylighting, estate, floor, flooring, home, house, interior design, real estate, wall, window, wood flooring, gray

Twin Basins are provided in a single, long, architecture, bathroom, ceiling, glass, house, interior design, room, window, gray, brown

An extensive remodeling project has transformed this 1970s architecture, bathroom, ceiling, floor, glass, home, interior design, real estate, room, tile, window, gray, brown

The Square-edged tub continues the contemporary design aesthetic architecture, bathroom, ceiling, daylighting, estate, floor, home, house, interior design, real estate, room, tile, gray, white

The Dornbracht Tara Faucets are another modern touch angle, bathroom, floor, flooring, plumbing fixture, product design, tap, tile, wall, green

For most homeowners, privacy is a serious issue, especially when it comes to the design of master suites. So its all the more refreshing to see a home that does away with blinds and curtains, even in the bathroom.

Of course, to be able to indulge the senses at this level, you do need a private setting, which is precisely what this house offers.

Originally built in the 1970s, the house was extensively remodeled by architects Gilles Depardon and Kathy Ogawa. The remodeling project was designed to maximize the picturesque setting a wooded hillside above a small lake. And with no near neighbors, the house has the added advantage of being totally private.

In the master bedroom, a new fireplace and new floor-to-ceiling windows were introduced, and a narrow window overlooking a gutter was removed and replaced with in-built shelving.

But it was the bathroom that underwent the most significant transformation. Formerly a collection of small rooms namely a separate vanity and sink area, shower stall and toilet room the space was dark and enclosed.

"We removed all the walls to create one large room," says Depardon. "And we opened up the entire space to the outdoors, installing a large, full-height window that looks straight onto a lush, green bed of moss, with trees beyond."

To heighten the sense of an outdoor bathroom, a shower with twin rain showerheads was positioned beside this window. Moss-green glass tiles lining the wall of the shower were another way the architect was able to bring the outside in.

A simple, square-edged tub is also positioned so the owners can enjoy the green outlook. This features a white Carrara marble tub surround. A large, sliding glass door can enclose either the tub or the shower. Depardon says this was custom designed, with a complex solution needed to provide a simple, seamless finish.

A cantilevered vanity, which has a figured oak veneer and white Carrara top, further enhances the sleek look.

"We like to reinforce the horizontal and vertical planes with a continuity of materials," says Depardon.

The walls around the vanity and toilet feature similar glass tiles to the shower, but in a lighter, more subtle shade of green.

Depardon says removing the walls within the bathroom made it considerably more spacious an effect that is further heightened by the large mirror. Large, light-colored limestone floor tiles and the cantilevered vanity also enhance the sense of space.