Bathroom

The bathroom is where the day begins and ends, and where care of the body actually happens. It is also the one room in most homes with the potential to feel genuinely restorative, a small sanctuary rather than a utility.

And it is where the three kinds of relationship show up in miniature: space shared as equals, space that gives, space that receives.

Bathrooms are laid out to code and to fixture count, then finished to taste. Efficient, and rarely more than that. Light is usually functional, storage is usually short, and the experience of the room is left to the tile.

Natural light where it is possible, which changes the room more than any fixture. Ventilation that actually clears the air. Storage that keeps surfaces clear.

Space enough for two people at once where two people need it, and a door and layout that give real privacy where they do not. And, where there is room for it, one element that makes the space restorative rather than merely functional, a window at the tub, a bench, a place for light to fall.