In luxury hotels, the fall of the bathroom wall
1PARIS — The joys of washing up in the same room where one sleeps used to be found only in urban garrets and budget hotel rooms, a solution born of limited real estate or means.
But in the last decade the open-plan bedroom/bathroom suite has become a signature feature in luxury hotels around the world. Knocking down bathroom walls completely, erecting glass-walled bathrooms (with or without modesty curtains or blinds) and installing peekaboo showers allows natural light to penetrate through the space, air to flow and guests to let it all hang out, suggesting design-forward spa-like sex appeal (and logistical awkwardness when sharing a room with people who were never meant to see you naked).
New York City’s Standard Hotels are known for their exhibitionist-friendly all-glass exterior walls, but the in-room tubs and glass showers add another dimension to the show. The Standard’s High Line and East Village locations offer the kind of sexy special occasion suites you might rent for a casual romp a la Michael Fassbender in the 2011 film “Shame.”
Located in a former World War II prison, the Lloyd Hotel and Cultural Embassy in Amsterdam offers one- to five-star rooms. Its two-star rooms include an open-plan bathroom designed to maximize space and light. Another room type features a cleverly designed fold-out bathroom that acts as a room divider and stows away to increase floor space when not in use.
The Hotel Particulier Montmartre in Paris is a romantic hideaway for a weekend affair or a honeymoon. Smack in the middle of its top-floor suite you’ll find a floating painted claw-footed bathtub that looks like part of the furniture.
Like many hotel trends, the open-plan bathroom layout has spread to the home. These new master bedroom/bathroom/lounge suites challenge the conventional notions that his and hers lavatories are the key to marital happiness and that preserving mystery helps keep a couple together.
Isn’t the bathroom a last refuge in a shared living space? A place to collect yourself before ending up in a fight? A communal space that requires tactful negotiations when doubly occupied and guarantees implicit privacy with the lock of a door? And what about those night owl/early bird couples who don’t want to wake partners still sleeping?
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Source Anchorage Daily News, http://www.adn.com/2013/10/02/3105899/in-luxury-hotels-the-fall-of-the.html