Our client (a well-traveled international couple with 3 young children) came to us with visions of a comfortable abode for the grandparents visiting from overseas, which in a few years would morph into a teenager hangout, and eventually a retirement retreat for themselves. Our goal is to fulfill these multi-generational functional requirements and support our client's wish to have an elevated experience.

An accordion roof gives shape to an otherwise squarish plan with cutouts. The resulting vaulted ceilings define the interior spaces in a great room setting and their asymmetry expresses the traditional shelter motif with a twist. The strategically placed skylights play a prominent role in creating a sense of well being: a series traversing the undulating roof accentuates the common areas; another one hovers above the Japanese style tub in the

family bath.

In organizing the interior, the most important consideration is how the family bath must occupy a central position on the floor plan. Instead of a popular concept where an ensuite master bath is considered desirable, we follow the Japanese tradition where everything, and bathing in particular, is communal. From initial sketches to finished details, we aim to evoke the Onsen ambience with a modern vocabulary: Cedar plank cladding on one wall that extends across the vaulted ceiling, warm neutral porcelain wall tiles to contrast with dark gray floor tiles, matte black fixtures, white Krion® integrated trough sink, and finally the star feature being the spacious soaking tub with a white Krion® deck and matte black waterfall tub filler. Wall-to-wall bifold glass doors add to the illusion of bathing in nature.