Bathroom Design Tip 5: Create an Outdoor Bathing Experience—Without Going Outside

Built on a mossy, rocky, lichen-covered bluff on an off-grid island overlooking Desolation Sound along B.C.’s coast, this home features a primary ensuite that’s as rugged and serene as its setting. Vancouver-based Laura Killam of Laura Killam Architecture (LKA) aimed to make the design feel like an extension of the landscape—a space that invites the outdoors in. “The intent was to feel like you’re almost bathing outside but still be inside,” explains Killam. Full-height sliding doors, a skylight positioned directly above the freestanding Duravit Cape Cod bathtub in White Alpin, and minimal barriers—like a single glass partition from Shodor instead of a full shower enclosure—allow for an outdoor-feeling bathing experience without leaving the comfort of indoors.

That open design paired with a restrained, natural material palette results in a calming effect that highlights the setting rather than the details. “Using fewer materials and keeping them as natural as possible creates a calm interior where the landscape becomes the main focus,” she says.

Bathe Under the Stars

A skylight stretches across the ceiling above the Duravit Cape Cod freestanding tub, inviting in natural light during the day and allowing for stargazing at night—a quiet luxury that enhances the bathing ritual.

Framing the Outdoors, Naturally

The bathroom walls and ceiling are clad in clear vertical-grain hemlock with a soft, light-grey wash, sourced from Stone Tile. Matte grey floor and wall tiles, also from Stone Tile, add  subtle texture and ground the space in natural tones that blend harmoniously with the coastal landscape.