Warmly Modern Powder Room

Just off the main public area in this house for nine—six people plus three dogs—sits a “family-oriented but not too chaotic” powder room. Architects Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir and Tryggvi Thorsteinsson, of Santa Monica, Calif.–based Minarc, infused the space with contrapuntal elements that blend into a harmonic whole. A long vanity with a carved sink was fashioned out of wood scraps leftover from the even bigger scraps used to create the home’s 17-foot-tall front door. Supporting the sleek sink is a tile surround that “pops out a little,” explains Ingjaldsdóttir, “so we could insert this sliver of white glass that lets in light from the living room.” Reclaimed burnt oak planks cover the wall and segue into flooring, adding warmth and visual height. A gnarled piece of wood frames the bathroom mirror. This piece was found by the clients, who asked the architects what they thought before buying it. “It works because the back wall is this smooth concrete wall,” Thorsteinsson says, “and the mirror is like a piece of art that reflects the personality of the owner.”