Bathroom Skylights

A strategically placed skylight bathes the shower area in natural light.

"I never thought a house would teach me so much,' Luisa says.

Covered in slate squares from Cambridge Tile, the master bathroom includes a double shower with rain heads by M&Z Rubinetterie. A skylight lets in natural light while maintaining the residents’ privacy.

The handmade tiles used to clad the wet areas are by Heath Ceramics. “It was definitely a splurge,” says architect Peter Tolkin. “I thought that there would be something very powerful about having these colorful, enclosed volumes. It’s almost like being inside of a ceramic vessel.”

The sun cuts down into the upstairs bathroom through skylights, casting rhythmic shadows of roof beams onto the floor and walls. The bathroom includes a cantilevered toilet by Catalano.

Amending Meeuwissen’s early request for an open bathroom space, the architects devised a more private chamber with an overhead skylight and walls in stone tile from Intercodam Tegels.

A freestanding Antonio Lupi tub defines the updated master bath, which also features an open-plan layout and a skylight by Velux.

Natural light is an important factor in creating biophilic spaces. The primary bathroom of this house in Venice, California, sits deep in the plan but has three sources of natural light—a skylight, small window, and translucent glass wall shared with the kitchen.

The subway tile-lined bathroom was kept as simple as possible, with Hansgrohe fixtures and cabinets made of vertical-grain Douglas fir above a top-mounted Duravit sink. Since installing a window was unfeasible given the bathroom's proximity to other properties, Storey added a skylight over the shower.

“A critical aspect of the project was the incorporation of natural light and ventilation within a broad footprint,” Simpson says. Conventionally private areas, like bedrooms and bathrooms, are therefore reinterpreted with more openness in mind. For instance, this bathroom’s skylights mirror those found throughout the rest of the property. The bathtub, basins, and showerhead were all purchased at the Australian retailer Reece.

A large skylight looms above a Duravit tub and a Runtal Radia towel warmer in the en suite bathroom.

The maroon-tiled, walk-in shower has two showerheads and is well lit by a skylight from above.

The soaking tub overlooks an exterior rock garden that is illuminated by a light well.

The ceramic tiles were created with irregular glaze, which mimics the reflections of the harbor nearby.

"The fixed glass without a door really makes it feel like a room within the room, and the plastered walls allow a continuity of subtle texture from wet to dry areas," Lanigan says. The lightwell is connected to the roof deck above.

The selection of pale wood for the bathroom vanity helps to maintain a light and airy quality for the space.