Pacific Heights Townhouse Bath, San Francisco

The Pacific Heights Townhouse master bath stakes out its own southern exposure one floor below the kitchen. Its symmetrical layout centers on a Carrara marble-topped sink counter, bookended by a shower to the east and a tub to the west. (A door opposite the counter conceals the toilet compartment.) The counter’s marble backsplash rises to the sill height of the three south-facing windows, establishing a water table that segues into a glass-tile surround at the tub. The same watery blue tile lines the walk-in shower, while variegated blue ceramic mosaic tile picks up the aquatic theme at the floor. The dark wood of the base cabinet and tub skirt—a sustainably harvested hardwood called Chechen—provides an earthy contrast. In the interest of simplicity, architect Jonathan Feldman designed cutouts instead of knobs for the cabinet’s drawer and door pulls. “Less is more,” he explains. “Less things to clean and stick out at you. It lets the material be the focus.” To avoid the focus of neighbors across the bamboo-planted side yard, Feldman specified etched glass for the windows. “You can see the bamboo silhouetted through them,” he explains, “but you can keep your privacy.”