Spa basement addition features Port Orford cedar ofuro tub and Finlandia sauna.
This quintessentially Pacific NW spa basement addition fuses clean Japanese and Finnish lines with a modernist design approach to create an oasis of warmth and calm in the basement of an old Portland home.
(Visit our basement remodeling page for more about our approach, blog posts, and videos.)
Photography by bright designlab
The spa, part of a larger multi-faceted remodel of an historic 1888 Southeast Portland home, blends old and new, mixes complementary aesthetics from diverse traditions, and creates a bathing retreat that responds to the damp and chilly winters of the Northwest.
The space, a basement remodel designed by bright designlab and built by Hammer & Hand, is also a natural expression of the client’s sensibilities and lifestyle. He’s an accomplished artist and design connoisseur, so the simplicity of the space offers a welcome visual respite from a busy day.
And as an avid runner, the client receives recuperating relaxation from the spa’s ofuro and sauna. After a long run through 40-degree drizzle in the winter months, the post-run soak offers a nice reward.
The ofuro is a classic Japanese tub handcrafted by Hammer & Hand with fragrant, Port Orford Cedar.
With this style of tub you shower clean twice before entering to soak. After just 5 or 10 minutes, you’re thoroughly cooked through and relaxed. The water, which is changed out once per month, is filtered with ionizing purification – no chemical treatment is used.
Heated tile graces the floor of the space, and the Finlandia sauna provides dry heat to complement the water of the ofuro.
This hidden basement retreat is just one story from a larger remodel full of cool design narratives, from the bold juxtaposition of modern conservatory tower with historic Portland home, to Alice In Wonderland-like doors to nowhere and a wall of mirrors, to the expression of the owner as artist, to the twenty-first century construction techniques applied to its construction. We’ll have more in Field Notes soon…
– Zack (Connect with me at +ZacharySemke)
P.S. Learn more about our residential remodeling services here.
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