Beautiful Baths
Whether you love the warmth of tradition, customized whimsy, or elegance on a dime, your bathroom is all about value added: style, charm, and selling points. Here are three we’d shower with praise.
Diane Haynes-Woodburn
Photography by Jason Moore | Styling by Michelle Linn
Room with a View
Architect
Clayton Nishikawa
ADC Design
Wailuku
Custom fabrication and installation
Maui Marble and Granite
Wailuku
“We picked this property two days into our first visit to Maui,” says Tom Fraser, at his homesite in Kahakuloa. “We were simply overwhelmed with the dramatic coastline, huge gulches and open expanse of the area. And then we saw the waterfall.” That was the clincher.
Tom and Janis Fraser interviewed many architects, but only one was as excited about the five-acre site as they were—Clayton Nishikawa of ADC Design.
“It’s an incredible view lot,” says Nishikawa. “We walked through the tall grasses, looking at all the possibilities, and immediately wanted to take full advantage of the spectacular land contours. The Frasers’ desire for classic lines and grand vistas inspired us to design a home reminiscent of a Mediterranean villa.” The bathroom was no exception.
“There are two waterfalls cascading to the property from the top of the gulch,” Nishikawa explains. “We placed the master suite as close to the edge of the gulch as possible, capturing expansive views of the West Maui Mountains and the waterfalls.” Expansive views, indeed! The master suite takes in the dramatic panorama of the ravine in its precipitous descent, then rises to the mountains beyond. To the right, through the bathroom, huge picture windows surrounding the tub look out on a private courtyard. The indoor-outdoor relationship recalls classic Mediterranean architecture. A double-fronted fireplace built into the wall between the bedroom and bathroom adds a warm glow when the weather is chilly.
In another classic touch, a stained-glass window over the vanity is backlit with natural light streaming in from the walk-in shower. Here, too, the design takes full advantage of the terrain with windows that seem to overlook the edge of the world. To the right, the shower opens seamlessly into the courtyard, which has its own outdoor shower. “The lot’s seclusion gave us latitude to do things we normally couldn’t,” Nishikawa explains. “Here it is possible to use huge expanses of glass that bring the outdoors in, and still maintain privacy.”
The focal point, however, is the oversized soaking tub (with Jacuzzi) that appears to be hollowed from a marble surround the color of morning clouds. The effect is accomplished by setting the tub undermount, meaning that the stone is fitted flush to the tub’s inner edge. To assure there would be no break in the subtle pattern, the marble (breccia oniciata from Lombardy, Italy) was cut in one continuous piece. The same attention to detail was given to the ogee edging (a classic Romanesque detail) on the vanity tops made of the same stone. Lee Gardner of Maui Marble and Granite explains that careful matchbook layering and mitered seams produce the illusion of a carved edge; the vein in the stone actually waterfalls over the edge without interruption. Floors are two-foot travertine blocks. “A good choice when there are strong design elements,” says Patti Gardner, “because it comes in soothing neutral tones, is soft on the feet, and the honed finish (as opposed to a polished finish) makes it easy to maintain.”
