Pete Eckert
Architect Kelly Edwards had a dual motivation in creating this master bath. First, of course, the owners wanted a resort-like retreat in their new home, which stands on a ridge top on the Oregon coast, overlooking the Nestucca River to the east and the Pacific to the west. But these owners were also developers. “At the same time,” Edwards says, “we were planning a small boutique resort for them nearby. This was starting to test some ideas for that.”
Edwards’ U-shaped house plan, which wraps around a large patio, locates the bath at the end of the master bedroom wing, with access to an outdoor hot tub and fire pit. The tub-and-shower room occupies a glass-roofed volume that projects from a gable end. Slate tile walls and a granite tile floor make the area moisture-proof. “That entire room can be flooded with steam,” Edwards says. “The platform and the floor are heated, so they can do their morning stretches on that heated slab. It’s got a sound system piped into it. It’s got dimmable lighting controls to change the mood.” The shower fixtures include two hand wands and a rain head. A TV mounted in the dry area is visible through an interior window (not yet installed when the bath was photographed) and audible via the sound system. The view to the outdoors is even better. “They’ve got big spruce trees right above them,” Edwards says. “From the tub you can look through the forest to the river below. The windows open, so you can get that great salt smell coming in. The whole idea was to get the whole damp, forest feeling, but in a very warm way.”
Project Credits
Builder: Nestucca Ridge Development, Pacific City, Ore.
Architect: scott|edwards architecture, Portland, Ore.
Project size: 110 square feet
Construction cost: $280 a square foot
Photographer: Pete Eckert
Resources: Plumbing fittings: Moen; Plumbing fixtures: Mr. Steam and MTI; Tile: Ann Sacks.
