Free-flowing master bathroom open to outdoor courtyard with pivot wall screen

Not so long ago, bathrooms were always designed as private spaces tucked away from sight. Today, there's a growing recognition that a master suite can be an open, free-flowing retreat that maximizes a great outlook.

This suite is in a contemporary beachfront house designed by architect Dan Brunn of Dan Brunn Architecture. Not surprisingly, the views were a key consideration. So, too, was natural light the interior needed to be light and airy, yet screened from neighboring properties. Protecting the owners' photograph collection from direct sunlight was also a priority.

Taking an unexpected approach to the design, the architect opened up the bathroom with large sliding doors on two sides. One side, featuring a freestanding Agape Spoon tub, opens to a grassed inner courtyard that's open to the sky. This is screened by a bank of pivot walls on the edge of the balcony beyond.

"The pivot walls are the signature gesture of the architecture," says Brunn. "They can be rotated to adjust the amount of sunlight coming into the house, and to display or conceal artwork. They also frame slices of the sea view and animate the exterior of the house."

The sliding doors on the other side of the bathroom open to a small balcony right on the boundary with the neighboring house. Privacy is not a great concern, however, as Brunn has introduced a freestanding wall in the bathroom, which separates the vanity area from the bathing space.

"The bathroom is essentially suspended between two atriums, which reinforces the sense of a mini oasis," says the architect. "It is like a secret inner garden a place where the owners can escape yet still feel connected to the wider view. We even chose Swiss-manufactured sliding glass doors with very thin frames. Some of the doors disappear into the walls to enhance the sense of bathing outdoors."

Brunn says the owners also wanted to be able to glimpse the sea while showering. A square window in the shower provides a multi-layered view across the central stairwell atrium and right through the master bedroom to the ocean beyond.

Story by: Colleen Hawkes

Photography by: Jamie Cobel