Page 87 - Designing Ways 257

Staircase

Custom-made bathtub

the relaxation area at the heart of the house connects the dining
room, the kitchen, the living room, and the bedrooms through an oak
ribbon providing access to the different areas. The bedrooms, hidden
behind the ribbon, are removed from the ascendancy of the house.
The feeling projected is that it is a home that can be easily adapted to
any lifestyle.

Some passages and storage areas are concealed, forming an integral
part of the furnished units, including toilets that can be accessed from
the living room unit, or a laundry room hidden behind mirrored
doors at the back of the office.

In that same spirit, a staircase was conceived to provide access to an
extra bed in one of the bedrooms, thought out with a set of volumes
in mind, in Japanese steps to limit its scope, and creating storage
spaces below each stair. A second staircase was implemented with
a wooden lath railing, behind which additional storage is concealed.
Numerous details punctuate these clean spaces, comprised of lines
nuanced with white, at times matt, satiny, or even shiny. These details
are highlighted by such materials as granite and brass wire, and by
the careful use of oak, evidenced by the creation of sub-doors and
sliding doors, along with hollow joints that make the dialogue with
the original structure more subtle.

The master bedroom represents and sums up the conceptual
outcome adapted to the owners' use of a restricted space. This room
is a sequence of plans, views, and hidden spaces, starting with the
entrance, before the overall storage facilities and the toilets. At the
centre of the bedroom, the headboard sits enthroned like a sculpted
stele. Behind it, a large shower is accessible from both sides and leads
to an ocean view through a glass banner. A new layer encloses this
relaxation space. A wide, one-block glass wall separates the shower

dw • Issue 257 87