Baths have become sculptural centrepieces, sinks are now placed on pedestals and showerheads incorporate all the latest and greatest technological advances. But in the evolution of the home bathroom, it’s the language we use to describe our most private
spaces that’s seen the most transformative change. A sanctuary. A retreat. A spiritual refuge. We escape to our bathrooms as one might have once retreated to a church or temple. And in the Asian-influenced world of West Coast design, it is a Zen-like experience that everybody’s seeking—a space that allows us to meditate, to reflect and to connect with the natural world. Tony and Karen Knott’s spa retreat is the place where they find that balance. The professional couple from Saanich, B.C., work hard—Tony owns a successful business; Karen is a busy arbitrator—and they play hard: she runs marathons, and he’s a world-
ranked badminton player. In short: they need some room to breathe, and in the low-tech, back-to-nature master bathroom designed by Bill Weber of Artwood Design they have just such a space. “It’s not opulent,” says Weber. “There’s no gear in here that’s really going to impress anybody.” And that, of course, is the point.

By Matt O’Grady | Photos by Robert Lemermeyer | Styling by Pam Dolsen

Weight Loss
Borrowing from the Frank Lloyd Wright vernacular, designer Bill Weber tried to “disattach” horizontal planes and create shadows wherever possible, creating a sense of weightlessness. You can see it in the millwork, with the reveals between tabletops and drawers, and between the drywall ceiling and wood roof plane. And you can see it in the marble slab that holds the bathtub, which appears to float above the floor. “If the slab went straight down and touched the floor, it would be nowhere near as effective,” says Weber. “There’d be no drama.”

Inside Out
One of the key directives, says Weber, was to bring the exterior of the site into the space as much as possible. Using clerestory windows (the horizontal windows directly below the ceiling plane)
that are mitered in the corners, the roof appears to float above the wall and carry from the outside of the building, uninterrupted, through to the inside. Made of clear, vertical- grain Douglas fir, the roof/ceiling also pays homage to the grove of fir trees outside.

Shining Example
As much as the Knotts wanted
functional interior lighting—
particularly over the vanities—their primary interest was in keeping the
focus outdoors. In addition to
programmed lighting, which
adjusts to time of day and season, soffi t lighting brings the roof garden into relief after dark, when the arbutus trees below are also dramatically up-lit. Soaking in the tub at night, the outside becomes the bathroom’s decor, says Weber. “This is just a tree house that gets to look out on all that."

Natural Bent
Tony Knott wanted the interior layout to meander like the coastline of nearby Brentwood Bay. The demising wall—which separates
the bathroom and dressing room from the master bedroom and sitting room—has an S-shaped curve, and the clerestory windows have bent glass. "The vanity mirrors are not curved, for obvious
reasons," laughs Weber. "Karen and Tony would look like they weighed 700 pounds, which would not have gone over well."

Functional Facelift
Turning a functional space into a meditative one means a few
disguises are in order. The toilet and bidet are concealed behind a closed door, as is a dedicated hot water tank. The medicine cabinet, separating his-and-her sinks, is integrated into the demising wall and looks like a panel. And, for a Zen injection, cantilevered wood shelves were built over the end of the tub deck, creating space for candles and plants.

Products
Saltspring Soapworks, handcrafted on nearby Salt Spring Island, stocks the cupboards.