6 Dream Bathrooms with Spa-Style Luxury
Luxury Defined spotlights a collection of international homes with spa-worthy bathrooms
Luxury Defined spotlights a collection of international homes with spa-worthy bathrooms
More than any other room in the house, it is the bathroom that lends itself to lavish displays of luxury. Today’s homeowners demand premium bathroom amenities that don’t just rival those of the finest hotels, but are worthy of the world’s top spas. In the 20th century, master architect Frank Lloyd Wright re-introduced the idea of transforming the bathroom from a utilitarian mainstay into a tranquil haven devoted to creature comforts (the ancient Romans had done it for centuries). In the September 1956 issue of House and Home, Wright outlined the home-design techniques that he used in the construction of his Usonian houses: “Punch a hole in the roof of an inside bath; light it from above. … Give the owner a huge bathroom mirror, and light it evenly all around the border.” We’ve come a long way since 1956, as this collection of pleasure palaces suggests. Wright would be pleased.
Angophora Lodge in Terrey Hills, New South Wales, Australia
Angophora Lodge is a private, gated four-acre estate backing onto Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park in northern Sydney. The property has been extensively restored for the 21st century, with award-winning interior and landscape design, and smart-home technology. The main house features three levels of open-concept living spaces. There’s a lounge with a fireplace, a stone kitchen with Miele appliances, an office, and a game room with billiards table, cinema, deluxe bar, and aquarium. The master bedroom has a stunning en suite bathroom in white marble, and dressing room. A second spa bathroom opens to the upper level deck. The two-bedroom guest house has an enormous, professionally soundproofed garage with storage for 10 cars, or a helicopter, and a drive-in outdoor movie theater. Surrounding the dwellings are spectacular formal gardens with a sublime lagoon pool with waterfall, cabana and infrared sauna, and a floodlit championship tennis court. Further highlights include an outdoor kitchen, Jacuzzi deck with firepit and outdoor shower, barbecue area, koi pond, herb and vegetable gardens, a chicken coop, and paddocks leading out to riding trails.
Villa Libeccio in Sardinia, Italy
Villa Libeccio is a sophisticated villa built to be at one with its natural environment. This unique villa on Italy’s aptly named Emerald Coast was designed around an expansive courtyard with a beautiful heated pool bordered by sun terraces. The airy interiors include a sumptuous living room, dining area, kitchen, and eight elegant bedrooms, all with sea views, and en suite bathrooms that open onto the lush grounds. A sweeping terrace offers extraordinary panoramic views, ranging from the Gulf of Cugnana up to the Nibani Islands, and the garden leads down to a private, white-sand beach. This secluded villa guarantees privacy, yet is merely minutes away from Porto Rotondo’s upscale attractions, including one of most prestigious marinas in the Mediterranean.
Sea Grace on the Atlantic Coast in Narragansett, Rhode Island
Sea Grace is a spectacular oceanfront estate in Narragansett, Rhode Island. The stately French Normandy-style manor offers uninterrupted 180-degree views of the Atlantic Ocean and coastline from nearly every room. The limestone and stucco façade encloses a bright, contemporary interior with high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows to capture the ocean vistas. The ground-floor rooms, including the dining and living rooms, state-of-the-art kitchen, media room, and office, all have a sea view. Upstairs are five bedrooms, each with an en suite bathroom. The master suite offers 1,400 square feet of luxurious living space, including a sitting room, two walk-in closets and dressing rooms, a sumptuous bathroom, and a walk-out terrace, ideal for watching the sunrise over the ocean. Residents can view the regattas sailing out from Newport Harbor from the grand terrace, infinity pool and soaking spa, outdoor kitchen, and landscaped lawn. The property sits on a two-acre peninsula on Narragansett’s famed Ocean Road, between Boston and New York City.
Oak Bay Waterfront Estate in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
This private 1.27-acre estate has a rare south-facing waterfront setting on Oak Bay in Victoria, British Columbia. The property comprises a 6,600-square-foot main house and a beach house at the water’s edge, which captures the ocean breezes of the Salish Sea. Originally built in 1934, the four-bedroom, five-bathroom main home has been renovated over the years, but still pays homage to the elegance of a bygone era. Nearly every room has a breathtaking view across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Olympic Mountains. The gated property slopes gently down to the sea. The gardens are graced with mature plantings, including azaleas, camellias, and rhododendrons; meandering pathways; and numerous patios and stone terraces. RS-3 zoning offers development potential. The estate is perfectly situated in Victoria’s premier neighborhood, a short distance to the Inner Harbour and the charming village of Oak Bay.
Minor Cay at Lyford Cay in Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas
Minor Cay overlooks the 12th fairway of the Lyford Cay golf course in New Providence, Bahamas. The dreamy modernist villa was built by scions of the Heinz food empire in the early 1960s. The Heinzes wintered at Minor Cay and entertained a glittering roster of friends, including Jackie Kennedy and her sister Lee Radziwill. The property was sold to American sculptor John Safer in the ‘80s. It was refurbished in 2017, with interiors by famed designer Amanda Lindroth. The three-level villa is surrounded on three sides by an enormous swimming pool, wraparound verandas, and patios with sea views. There are five en suite bedrooms, including a second-floor master suite with a luxurious spa-like bathroom with a freestanding tub. Two guest bedrooms on the ground level each open to the pool. The living and dining rooms and the main kitchen are on the second floor. At the heart of the home is an entertainer’s kitchen, on the ground level, with a serving hatch for poolside dining. The wraparound pool features a concrete bridge to access the tropical gardens and golf course beyond.
Darlington in Mahwah, New Jersey
Darlington is a magnificent Jacobean-inspired manor on 12 resplendent acres overlooking the Ramapo Mountains. This historic treasure was conceived over a century ago by railroad scion George Crocker, who commissioned architects James Brite and Henry Bacon (whose work includes the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.) to build his dream estate away from the bustle of New York City, 25 miles away. The 50,000-square-foot, three-story, 58-room mansion that today is listed on the National Register of Historic Places has been meticulously restored over a period of seven years by a team of internationally renowned artisans. Among the lavish contemporary upgrades is a master bedroom wing with his-and-her spa bathroom as well as a dedicated luxury spa with lap pool, wet and dry saunas, massage room, and beauty salon.