The Very Best Master Suite on the Ansley Tour of Homes

I have rules for master suites, absolutely nothing to do with decor or style. I'm pretty sure they don't teach these in architecture/designer/developer school. I'll mention three now and four more at the end of the post.

1. The sleeping chamber must be cozy and intimate.
2. The light from the bathroom must not fall on a pillow.
3. The dressing  / closet / bathroom must have a back door.

Did you do the 2016 Ansley Park Tour of  Homes last weekend? Big thanks to Laura Palickar for the opportunity. It's a privilege to see them and I saw every one.

I remember this master suite most of all. I'd seen it before when it was last for sale. The wise new owners didn't change the master suite. Maybe this house helped form my rules.

The master is in this house:


The glorious stair hall.

Here's the master suite.

 
The "U" shape wraps around the east and southern exposures. A ribbon of windows brings in stunning natural light. Going from bedchamber to office is like walking on a private sunlit balcony.

The sleeping chamber is just right, wish I'd measured it.

"...everyone forgets that everything important that happened to them probably happened in a small space or a small room..."  Bobby McAlpine interviewed by James Swan for Million Dollar Decorating

You are up early, you slip into the dressing room and exit via the office without disturbing the loved one.

Four rules for master showers, nearly always violated even in the most luxurious houses.

1. You must be able to see outdoors.
2. You must be able to turn on the shower without getting into the shower, without getting wet.
3. You must have some privacy in the shower. Modern all glass showers are nudie shows. You can have all the light you want AND have a view while preserving some modesty.
4. You shouldn't need a shower door.

More rules another time. Thanks.

Almost Perfect Master Suite - 2007 Renovation Designed by Robert B. Tippett

The Architecture Tourist seeks spaces that make people feel good. When optimistic the Architecture Tourist believes that comfortable spaces can be duplicated and should be.

This is what they teach in design and architecture schools, right?

Well this is a good one. It's for sale on 936 North Highland. It's not like the "others." Brand new at 100+ years old. Your results may vary but in my humble opinion it's extraordinary, perhaps may favorite house of the year: unique, fun, livable, and high style with windows overlooking life. It's doesn't come cheap but they just dropped the price.


They still have the renovation plans.

I'm extremely judgmental about master suites. It drives me nuts when ample space and money produce uncomfortable spaces and unhappy proportions.

I have a long list but here are three ideas for the master:

1. You should feel cozy in the bed chamber even without furniture.
2. You should be able do your toilet and dressing without disturbing the sleeping loved one. Sometimes achieved with a 2-door bathroom as in this house.
3. You shouldn't be able to see into the bathroom from the bed. The bathroom lights should never shine on the pillows. This is eminently possible but rare.

This one is darn good. Here is Terry's tiny 90 second tour.


Bravo Robert B. Tippett.

This is more typical: a 4,000+ square foot spec house. A 4-door 600+ square foot master with bodacious trey ceiling and all marble bathroom. Quit doing this:

No.

My Favorite Bathroom This Year is Lovable

It took my breath away and I'm still smiling about it. This is my favorite bathroom over the last 52 weeks, maybe longer. It is so un-vintage, so un-trendy, so corner-windowed. Is rustic the right word? Quirky? Unpredictable?

It's hard for Architecture Tourists to resist open houses and caravans. We exploit the real estate industry for our entertainment. Jim Getzinger knows this about me and I'm pretty sure he likes houses as much as we do.

It's a triplex close to Taco Mac's in Virginia Highland for sale by the Getzinger Group.

Here's the master bath of the whole-floor 2/2 apartment in a 1920 bungalow. Whoever renovated it, AGP Properties I think, deserves a gold medal. This isn't the 1920's bath. It might have been the porch, or the kitchen, or who knows.

 
This is my picture. I'm standing in the closet looking toward the southwest corner showing the amazing light. I'd move my office in here.

New bathrooms these days are spectacular and magazine-ready with acres of space. They are amazing but predicable. They tweak the finishes and details depending on whether the owner has "arrived" or "really arrived." I don't think you'd find one like this in a new house - but maybe.

This is an HDR picture from the real estate ad with your back to the corner windows. The closet is quirky but you'll need to see for yourself.

Would anyone design a new bathroom like this? I think Historical Concepts would, I think Frank Neely would.

Of course nobody put a window above at bathroom sink...


... nobody except McAlpine Tankersley.

More like these please.