tranquil Archives

Eight inspirational bathrooms with tranquil sunken baths

For our latest lookbook, we’ve collected eight bathrooms with decorative sunken baths that create a relaxing atmosphere.

Sunken baths are bathtubs that have been sunk into the bathroom floor, decks or patios. They can help to save space in the bathroom and to create a luxurious spa-like feeling.

In this lookbook, we’ve gathered inspirational sunken bathtubs in homes from South Korea to Ukraine, including a peaceful sunken bath on a wood patio and a bath clad in green tiles.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring offbeat bakeries, minimalist Tokyo apartments and interiors with natural materials and timeless accents.

Bathroom with sunken bath, blue tiled walls and a window overlooking a garden — Photo by Rohan Venn

Sydney extension, Australia, by Emily Sandstrom

Architect Emily Sandstrom’s extension to a 1930s bungalow in Sydney includes a bathtub that was sunk below floor level.

Clad in small black and grey tiles, the bath was informed by Japanese bathing rituals and also has timber decking that covers the drainage points for an overhead shower. Glass sliding doors provide restful garden views.

Find out more about the Sydney extension ›

The Preston Hollow by Specht Architects — Photo by Casey Dunn

The Preston Hollow, US, by Specht Architects

The Preston Hollow was designed to reference brutalist architecture and its clean concrete lines are visible in the interior, too, including in the minimalist bathroom.

Here, a sunken bathtub blends into the wood floor. Marble details and a sculptural chair add decorative, organic touches to the spartan space.

Find out more about The Preston Hollow ›

Sunken bathtub in Australian house — Photo by Rob Maver

Bruny Island Cabin, Australia, by Maguire + Devin

This wood-lined off-grid cabin in Tasmania comes with two decks to let the owner enjoy both the sunset and the sunrise. The western deck, which provides views of the sunset, has a cosy, sunken outdoor bathtub.

The tub can be hidden under removable decking panels when it is not in use.

Find out more about Bruny Island Cabin ›

Nuwa guesthouse by Z_Lab — Photo by Texture on Texture

Nuwa guesthouse, South Korea, by Z_Lab

This tiny guesthouse (above and main image) in Seoul, South Korea, is located in a small alley in the city’s Seochon neighbourhood. Inside, the serene living spaces are finished in neutral colours.

The living space features a long walnut table with a rough stone base. Next to it sits a sunken bath in which guests can wash their feet.

Find out more about Nuwa guesthouse ›

Palma Hideaway by Mariana de Delás — Photo by José Hevia

Palma hideaway, Spain, by Mariana de Delás

In the all-white bathroom of this Spanish apartment, the floor has been raised in order to accommodate a sunken bath that was lined with green tiles also used elsewhere in the project.

A white marble sink and a couple of green plants add decorative details.

Find out more about Palma hideaway ›

Wabi sabi apartment by Sergey Makhno — Photo by Andrey Avdeenko

Family apartment, Ukraine, by Sergey Makhno

Japanese influences were blended with Ukrainian design in this family flat in Kyiv, Ukraine.

A bathroom with a sunken bath and garden views is divided from the main bedroom by a gridded Crittall-style glass wall. A small bonsai tree on the floor and a stone sink create a natural feel in the bathroom.

Find out more about the family apartment ›

Sydney cottage, Australia, by Panovscott

The bathroom inside this Australian cottage extension has four alcoves in different sizes and walls and floors made from compressed cement.

A sunken bath made from a single piece of concrete is merged into the floor.

Find out more about the Sydney cottage ›

Sunken Bath by Studio 304 — Photography by Radu Palicica

Sunken Bath, UK, by Studio 304

This glazed bathroom, called Sunken Bath, was added to a Victorian terraced house in east London by local designers Studio 304.

The bathing area is enclosed by glass walls and a glass roof and features a sunken bath designed to follow the Japanese ritual of bathing.

Find out more about the Sunken Bath ›

Reference

Interior Design

Tranquil bathrooms with dark and soothing interiors

By Zarkon Group,25/06/2021

A charred-wood washroom and a monolithic, concrete bathtub feature in our latest Dezeen Lookbook of 10 zen bathrooms that swap traditional white walls for dark, moody hues and tactile materials.

Untitled House, UK, by Szczepaniak Astridge

Smooth, dark, concrete characterises the walls and monolithic bathtub of this bathroom, which Szczepaniak Astridge designed as part of a house renovation in Camberwell, London.

The bath is screened by stainless steel Crittal windows that enclose a void through the home and is teamed with a bespoke, polished stone sink. According to the studio, the aim was to design a “place to retreat to, to guiltlessly linger and hang out”.

Find out more about Untitled House ›

Pioneer Square Loft, USA, by Plum Design and Corey Kingston

A washroom, shower, toilet and sauna are all enclosed in the dark, tactile boxes that wrap around the central open-plan living area of this apartment in Seattle, Washington.

Accessed through frosted glass doors, the bathroom facilities have walls and ceilings lined with blackened wood, charred using the traditional Japanese technique called Shou Sugi Ban, while the floors are covered with dark cement tiles.

Find out more about Pioneer Square Loft ›

Villa Molli, Italy, by Lorenzo Guzzini

A palette of serpentine stone, concrete and smokey, natural lime plaster gives rise to the atmospheric interiors of this bathroom in Villa Molli, a dwelling overlooking Lake Como in Sala Comacina.

It forms part of one of the house’s large bedrooms, in an effort to challenge the traditional boxed-off design of bathrooms, and features large windows that frame views out to the lake.

Find out more about Villa Molli ›

Belgian Apartment, Belgium, by Carmine Van Der Linden and Thomas Geldof

Deep seaweed-coloured walls enclose this apartment’s guest bathroom, which Carmine Van Der Linden and Thomas Geldof designed to emulate its calming, coastal setting.

It is accessed through a green, wood-lined door and is teamed with dark-grey terrazzo flooring and a statement Gris Violet marble basin that has polished metal pipes.

Find out more about Belgian Apartment ›

Cloister House, Australia, by MORQ

The shell of this Australian house is made from rammed-concrete, which has been left exposed in the bathroom and other interior spaces to create “a sense of refuge”.

Its textured, brutalist aesthetic is softly lit by a small window at one end, and warmed by a brushed nickel tapware and a rough-sawn red hardwood ceiling, vanity and joinery.

Find out more about Cloister House ›

House 23, USA, by Vondalwig Architecture

This bathroom takes its cues from Japanese interiors and was designed as part of Vondalwig Architecture’s overhaul of a 1960s house in Hudson Valley.

It is animated by the speckled grey, stone tiles that line its walls and floor, which has been complemented by portions of Port Orford Cedar and a steep-sided, ofuro soaking tub at one end.

Find out more about House 23 ›

Screen House, Australia, by Carter Williamson Architects

Carter Williamson Architects created the spa-like setting for the bathroom of Screen House by enveloping it from floor to ceiling with tactile black tiles.

Interest is added with an asymmetric pitched roof, a wooden basin and window frames, and a bubble-liked pendant light that is suspended above the freestanding bathtub.

Find out more about Screen House ›

Sunken Bath, UK, by Studio 304

This bathroom, added to a ground-floor flat in east London, features a large sunken bathtub that looks into a garden and invites residents to relax by engaging in Japanese ritual bathing.

The majority of the room’s surfaces are lined with a waterproof cement-based coating, chosen for a “Japanese-inspired concrete aesthetic”, and offset by golden fixtures and wooden boards.

Find out more about Sunken Bath ›

Western Studio, USA, by GoCstudio

The Western Studio apartment’s bathroom is contained within a stained plywood box that is intended to offer a snug counterpoint to the brighter, open-plan interiors of the dwelling.

Its moody aesthetic was created using inky venetian plaster on the walls, paired with black Dornbracht fixtures and a large bespoke sink carved from warm Jatoba wood.

Find out more about Western Studio ›

Dark bathroom inside Kyle House, Scotland, by GRAS

Kyle House, UK, by GRAS

Tactile plaster and large charcoal-coloured stone tiles line the surfaces of this generously-sized bathroom, which GRAS designed as part of a renovation of a derelict house in the Scottish Highlands.

It features a freestanding black bath, placed beside a window overlooking Ben Loyal mountain, and is brightened by Danish oak ceiling panels, window frames and cabinetry that conceals the toilet.

Find out more about Kyle House ›

Reference

Interior Design

Ten lush rooftop gardens that serve as tranquil oases above the city

By Zarkon Group,20/06/2021

In the third of a trio of spring lookbooks this Easter weekend, we’ve rounded up ten verdant rooftop gardens including a penthouse garden in Australia and a stepped vegetable garden in Vietnam.

This is the latest roundup in our Dezeen Lookbooks series providing visual inspiration for the home. Previous articles in the series feature terrazzo kitchens, stylish home offices, children’s bedrooms and inspiring outdoor living spaces.

Sydney penthouse garden, Australia, by CO-AP

The luxurious garden of this penthouse in Darlinghurst, Sydney, is made up of raised beds filled with indigenous plant, tree and shrub species.

Designed by landscape architect Matt Dillion, the plants were carefully selected to suit harsh rooftop conditions. The garden surrounds a pavilion-inspired penthouse with large windows.

Find out more about Sydney penthouse garden ›

Casa Verne, Mexico, by Zeller & Moye

This Mexico City rooftop garden was created as a getaway within a crowded neighbourhood in the bustling city.

Walkways made from white marble pebbles meander through different leisure areas, which feature plots of vegetation carefully planted to make the space seem bigger. Curved lines, artificial hills and dense planting add to the spacious feel.

Find out more about Casa Verne ›

San Francisco Residence, US, by Jamie Bush

A series of rooftop gardens were added to this stepped San Francisco building.

Los Angeles architect Jamie Bush used a landscape firm to choose plants to suit the California climate, which can quickly change from very hot to very cold. Among these are ornamental grasses, which are both attractive and hardy enough to thrive in windy conditions.

Find out more about San Francisco Residence ›

Veranda Roof Studio, India, by Studio Course

Studio Course revived this penthouse in Pune, west India, which opens up to a rooftop space. The local studio connected the apartment’s library with its courtyard garden where a raised patio makes for a perfect space for reading and relaxing.

Practical gravel lines the ground while shrubs and trees in wide terracotta pots add touches of green to the stone walls and floor.

Find out more about Veranda Roof Studio ›

The Red Roof, Vietnam, by TAA Design

This house in Vietnam is named after the large red bricks that make up its stepped roof, which is covered in an abundance of roof planters filled with vegetables for the local community.

The garden was designed to function as a closed cycle of growth, harvest and consumption, and grows a number of different vegetables in its raised plant beds and a number of terracotta pots.

Find out more about The Red Roof ›

Green roofs of the Forest House in Bangkok

Forest House, Thailand, by Shma Company

Bangkok’s Forest House has over 120 trees planted on its green roofs. As the roof terrace receives the most sunlight, it has also been planted with fruits, herbs and vegetables for the family who lives here.

Shma Company, which designed Forest House, believes that plant-covered buildings can help to mitigate many of the effects of climate change.

Find out more about Forest Roof ›

Maggie’s Centre Leeds, UK, by Heatherwick Studio

Heatherwick Studio’s design for Leeds’ Maggie’s Centre for cancer patients has a grassy rooftop garden as well as a plant-filled interior.

The studio wanted to immerse the building in “thousands of plants” to make it feel soulful and welcoming. The rooftop garden uses species native to Yorkshire’s woodlands, with evergreen shrubs and trees to provide colour throughout the year.

Find out more about Maggie’s Centre Leeds ›

Tokyo home, Japan, by Suzuko Yamada

Permanent scaffolding containing garden spaces encapsulates this Tokyo home.

Though it’s not a traditional rooftop garden, the different levels of the scaffolding allow the owners to experience a wide variety of plants, from a large tree on the ground to smaller potted plants higher up.

Find out more about Tokyo home ›

Rooftop garden, USA, by Piet Oudolf

Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf, the designer of the High Line in New York, used herbaceous perennials ranging from flowering plants to decorative grasses for this rooftop garden.

The plants are placed in fibreglass planters with built-in benches and were used to frame four different zones on the rooftop, including a piazza and a dining area.

Find out more about Rooftop garden ›

House in Nha Trang, Vietnam by Vo Trong Nghia

The roof of this house in Vietnam is formed by a large tiered garden that was created to offer the owners as much outdoor space as possible. Trees, plants and flowers have been planted in rows on the staggered roof.

“The client wanted a large house with a large garden,” architects Vo Trong Nghia and Masaaki Iwamoto said. “Answering this request, a single roof is designed as a hanging garden to plant numerous trees and plants on.”

Find out more about House in Nha Trang ›

This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing peaceful bedrooms, calm living rooms and colourful kitchens.

Reference

tranquil

Eight inspirational bathrooms with tranquil sunken baths

Tranquil bathrooms with dark and soothing interiors

Ten lush rooftop gardens that serve as tranquil oases above the city

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