It’s hard not to fixate on the polished-concrete tub in the primary bathroom of this Manhattan penthouse. Measuring just over six feet across, with a capacity for nearly 300 gallons of water, the tub is closer to an extraordinarily hot tub than a typical household bath. “We really like living in our bathroom so we made it a focal point instead of something usually hidden from the public eye,” James Fifield, who owns the penthouse with his wife, Betsy, told AD in the April 2002 feature. The 300-square-foot space that became the bathroom was originally assigned to the primary bedroom, but AD100 designer Stephen Sills and James Huniford decided to swap the two, allowing for a tub of this scale. The swap also lent better views of the Manhattan skyline to the bathroom. “Betsy and Jim spend so much time here in the morning, we thought, Why not have this incredible view available?” Huniford said.
An citrus-tone tub
Designed by AD100 architects Lake/Flato and interior design firm Stonefox, the design of this Austin lakeside compound focuses on harmonizing with nature. The primary bathroom’s citrus-toned tub is a break from that, contrasting the backdrop of ipe flooring, clean white walls, and the adjacent Japanese-style garden courtyard. As seen in the October 2006 issue of AD, the orange resin tub is illuminated by fiber-optic lighting installed underneath. A series of Ed Ruscha photographs hangs above the bathtub.
Clever built-in camouflage
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As proud midcentury bathroom obsessives, we would have been sold on AD100 design Oliver M. Furth and Sean Yashar’s guest bathroom based on the colorful ’40s fixtures alone. Furth had to go one step further, though. Made from leather and walnut that matches the room’s wood paneling, the designer created a custom cover for the tub. When laid flat, it instantly converts the space into a spot for intimate chatter, ideal for party guests looking for a quiet spot to convene. “The focus is always on livability—creating rooms where we can live comfortably and graciously with great things,” Furth said, explaining his vision for the house to AD in the October 2023 feature.
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