Materials in this Houston master bath are not unusual: marble for wet areas, slate floors for slip resistance, and warm walnut cabinetry protected by marine-grade polyurethane. The galley layout is straightforward as well. It’s the finish details, such as the way materials intersect and their alignment, that grab the eye. “It takes a lot of patience to make something this complicated look so simple,” says architect Shane Cook. One example is the quirk miter joint used to connect horizontal marble slabs to vertical pieces. The joint’s telltale groove highlights the stone’s 4-centimeter thickness. It also eases alignment for the front panel on the bathtub, which attaches via industrial Velcro for easy pipe access. Another unseen detail hides above the steam shower: A stainless steel ceiling that continues down two walls is painted to look like the drywall, so the only hint of its true identity is a thin cap where it meets tile. Part of creating serenity, Cook postulates, is ensuring that nothing jars the eye, like a shower door handle that doesn’t line up with the top of the bathtub. Tops of windows match mirror edges, which extend seamlessly into partial walls around shower, closets, and toilet. The cabinetmaker caught the symmetry bug and visited at least four different suppliers to find pieces of walnut with matching grain, adds Cook. Framing was also replaced. “The new design required everything to be clean and crisp,” says Cook, “and even the bones had to be plumb and nearly perfect.”
Builder: Robertson Construction, Houston; Architect: Shane Cook Designs, Houston; Cabinetmaker: Southwest Millworks, Houston; Photographer: Aker/Zvonkovic
Resources: Hardware: Forms & Surfaces and Rockwood; Lighting fixtures: Cooper Lighting and Lucier Lighting; Plumbing fittings: Brasstech, Hansgrohe, and Vola; Plumbing fixtures: Aquaware and Duravit.
