Document View

Crowned by a soaring, 16-foot coffered barrel ceiling and framed by massive cast stone columns, the luxurious spa tub at the heart of the regal bath is designed to pamper master and mistress in majestic fashion. The home features a very formal, French Chateau design theme with a lot of honed marble and mosaic tile, says builder Bruce Bleiman, of the $3.6 million residence located in Weddington, NC. This same elegance was carried into the master retreat and bath.

Crowned by a soaring, 16-foot coffered barrel ceiling and framed by massive cast stone columns, the luxurious spa tub at the heart of the regal bath is designed to pamper master and mistress in majestic fashion.

"The home features a very formal, French Chateau design theme with a lot of honed marble and mosaic tile," says builder Bruce Bleiman, of the $3.6 million residence located in Weddington, N.C. "We carried this same elegance into the master retreat and bath."

The compartmentalized bathroom with separate, but equally well-appointed his-and-hers facilities includes two vanities and water closets and serves as an extension of the home's grand second-floor owner's suite. A pair of 10-foot-tall, custom-crafted walnut doors links the two spaces.

Accessed by a private entry vestibule, the master retreat features a larger version of the bath's coffered ceiling, a limestone fireplace and outdoor balcony. While the amenities and finishes are upscale, practicality has not been overlooked in the suite, which also has two dressing rooms and its own laundry room.

A dual-access shower is concealed behind the mosaic-tile accented wall that serves as the backdrop for the spa tub. The ceiling in the shower is also the full, 16-foot height of the room. Above the tub an elliptical window -- cleaved by an elegant cartouche -- permits the flow of natural light into the shower space. A second, similar window on the outer wall above the elliptical window floods the entire bathroom with the afternoon sun. "The effect is really spectacular," says Bleiman.

The builder also incorporated an electric heating system into the floor throughout the master suite, including in the bathroom. In fact, the treads in the oval staircase leading to the main floor are heated. "This was the first time we'd done this and we were really happy with the results," says Bleiman. "You can walk out of the bathroom, through the bedroom and down the stairs for a cup of coffee in the kitchen and never step off a heated floor surface."

The home, which was sold after framing was completed, was finished in February 2005.