Light Fantastic

Hidden Cove Residence, Austin, Texas

Grand, best master bath in a remodeled home

The U.S. has a surfeit of old (and new) houses that fail to take advantage of their sites. In this Texas home, the master suite and closet had only a single, stained glass window that faced the view to the waters of Lake Austin. The homeowners called on architect Kevin Alter to intervene, and this floating, treehouse-style bathroom is the result.

“It was pretty much a mess,” says Alter. “[The house] is located on a stunning site at the end of a road, but no windows faced the water.” To start over with a clean slate, he gutted the two spaces and reorganized the rooms in a more efficient configuration that maximizes views and light. That meant pushing the bathroom toward the water and relocating the closet and laundry room toward the front of the home.

The bathroom is moderately sized, but it feels more spacious and ethereal thanks to a large floor-to-ceiling glass wall that affords views of the water below and a new glass-enclosed double shower that allows light to permeate the space.

Given all that it took to obtain that view, the last thing Alter wanted to do was obstruct it with traditional cabinetry. “We didn’t want [the cabinets] to go all the way to the floor,” he says. His solution was a floating cherry-veneered vanity that also adds warmth to the space. Custom designed ipe benches—for the sink and shower—and limestone walls and flooring (with radiant heating underfoot) complete the masterpiece.

Entrant/Architect: AlterStudio Architects, Austin, Texas; Builder: Joseph Zambarano, Austin