Together apart

A walk-in closet in opalescent green glass affords a layer of separation between the bedroom and bathroom in this open-plan suite

A view of the bedroom and bathroom areas, architecture, bed, bed frame, bedroom, ceiling, daylighting, floor, furniture, home, house, interior design, real estate, room, suite, wall, wood, gray, brown — A view of the bedroom and bathroom areas, wooden flooring, glass shower stall, tiled walls, lights, white linen, wooden shelving.

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A view of the bathrrom, tiled floor and bathroom, floor, interior design, room, tile, black, gray

A view of the bedroom and bathroom area, architecture, ceiling, daylighting, floor, glass, home, house, interior design, lighting, real estate, wall, gray, brown

A view of the bathroom area, tiled floors glass, interior design, wall, gray

A close up view of the wooden shelving. architecture, ceiling, daylighting, floor, flooring, glass, hardwood, house, interior design, room, shelf, stairs, wall, wood, wood flooring, gray

A view of the bathroom area, wooden flooring, architecture, ceiling, door, floor, furniture, glass, home, house, interior design, room, stairs, wall, wood, gray

A close up view of the vanity and architecture, door, glass, house, interior design, lighting, room, wall, window, gray

Opening up an entire floor of a building to maximise space and light can still leave issues of privacy, especially if one of the original rooms was a bathroom. One way to retain decorum, and keep a sense of increased volume and light flow, is to introduce floating, self-contained defining elements into the greater space.

The entire top floor of this turn-of-the-century terrace house was deconstructed to its bare walls and then reconstructed by Studio27 Architecture, with project architect Todd Ray at the helm.

"We pulled out three existing bedrooms and a cramped bathroom to make way for one elongated wall-to-wall sweep of space," says Ray. "At one end we created a generous bedroom area but wanted sight lines that could appreciate the space as a whole, even with a new bathroom introduced."

To achieve this, the architect used a central, opalescent glass walk-in closet as an intermediate privacy element. The closet sits away from both side walls of the long space, and the dropped ceiling.

"The result is that the closet has a sculptural, floating presence, heightened by the use of glass as the material of choice," he says. "This also means an occupant of the closet appears as a shadow play silhouetted on the translucent walls."

Being able to see over and around the closet allows someone in the bedroom area to appreciate the greater space without encroaching on bathroom privacy. The blue glass shower stall also affords privacy, while accentuating the size of the room. The shower stretches to the ceiling for added impact.

"Both the closet and shower stall encourage a volumetric reading of the open-plan room," says Ray. "This is heightened by a corridor threading through the distinct closet and shower stall areas."

The bathroom proper extends off from the shower stall, which acts as a cornerstone. The bathroom balances a feeling of enclosure and privacy with a sense of connection to the public areas.

"The sound of the infinity-edge bathtub is meant to be enjoyed from beyond the bathroom, for example," says Ray. "The toilet, on the other hand, is tucked privately away in near-complete isolation."

A mirror wraps around a corner angle in the bathroom and provides another distinctive space-enhancing feature. Cubby holes accentuate a slightly pulled-apart air in keeping with the bathtub.

"There is a primordial material rhythm to the room," says Ray. "The analogy is like moving from a softer, wooded living area the bedroom down to the pure river's edge, or tilework, to bathe."