Inside Out Bath
Kerhonkson, NY – 75 SF – 2023 – Complete
Reimagining a shared bathroom in a family house offered a challenge: how to make something functional, but safe (and fun) for family members of all ages. A small space gives way to open walls, and a desire to help daily for aging family members with a towel bar (doubling as a grab bar) that wraps the whole perimeter of the barrier-free space. No doors, curbs, or curtains get in the way of moving easily between activities.
Instead of lining the walls with plumbing fixtures, a sink, a shower, and a toilet cluster in the middle of the room: a totem to the rituals starting and ending each day. A vanity cantilevers off one side, while a toilet (and paper roll holder) extend from another. A shower (with a bench) hides around the corner.
Iridescent pool tiles wrap curves and corners to reflect changing daylight and play with water on surfaces. A clerestory window brings in changing light throughout the day, while hidden lights on top of the totem gently illuminate the shared bathroom during the night.
To keep the room easy to clean, everything is built in and tiled, from a storage cabinet for toiletries, to shower shelves, a trash can, and a magazine shelf for bathroom reading. The bar that wraps the room becomes an easy place to hold onto in the shower, but also ample room to hang towels or a shower brush.
Press
“Inside Out Bath in Upstate New York turns paradigm on its head”, Architectural Record, February 2024
“Making Space Where There Isn’t Any”, New York Magazine, April 2024
Project Credits
Construction: Feinberg Construction
Photos: Gabriel Zimmer Studio