Luxurious nomadic tents inspired the details in this octagonal master bath. Oval posts sawn in half vertically ring the room like tent poles supporting a dropped cornice with cove lighting that illuminates the angled ceiling. The ambient uplighting coupled with the ceiling’s pale blue hue enhances the illusion that billowing fabric forms the 14-foot-tall peak. The wainscoting, tub and vanity surround, and steam shower corners also feature half-round “pegs,” continuing the motif. Architect Jan Gleysteen envisioned each item in the bathroom ensemble as a piece of free-standing furniture. Even the steam shower seems to float within the room, an impression that required a 650-pound slab of tempered glass to top off the shower and hold in the steam. Aquatically inclined colors were used to keep the 15-by-15-foot bathroom cool and bright. “Aquamarine glass mosaic tiles on the walls have an opalescent finish like the inside of an oyster shell,” says Gleysteen. The mosaics also accent the floor in a diamond pattern that Gleysteen designed to direct the eye toward the bathtub. Just as the color of the sea intensifies in deeper water, the room’s oceanic palette darkens from top to bottom. French lava stone in Mediterranean blue outlines all water features while ceramic floor tiles bring hints of purples and grays into the mix. Gleysteen felt this high-end “tent” should have tactile resonance to complement the tonal color choices. “I chose textural tiles and the crackled finish of the lava stone to bring richness to the room,” he says.

Builder: MF Reynolds, Medford, Mass.; Architect: Jan Gleysteen Architects, Wellesley, Mass.; Photographer: Sam Gray.

Resources: Fittings: Harrington; Fixtures: Waterworks.