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By the Soaking Tub

Running water is one of the most soothing sounds, and thankfully one that can be had with ease for many of us, whether you're in a tiny studio in the city or in a spacious ranch house in the 'burbs.

Here, a comfy slipcovered armchair by the tub offers a view, the sound of running water and the anticipation of a warm soak, even if it's just for 10 minutes.
by Kate Jackson Design  
This gorgeous master bath by Jessica Helgerson combines two of my favorite things: reading and bathing. I love how the vintage floor lamp lets someone read through the wee hours, preferably after an equally relaxing and lengthy soak in the tub.
by Jessica Helgerson Interior Design
Enclosed in Drawn Curtains

A luxurious four-poster bed becomes a room within a room when its curtains are drawn. The option of visually and physically separating the bed from the desk-turned-nightstand makes disconnecting from the world — and one's gadgets, often placed bedside — that much easier.
by AMW Design Studio
In this coastal weekend home, bunk beds visually delight with color punches and nautical stripes while giving each guest some privacy from both the outside world and others in the room. Because sometimes, even while on vacation with our loved ones, we need a little me time.
by Diane Bergeron Interiors
Perched on a Window Seat

The best seat in this master suite is the banquette, which overlooks this Bay Area penthouse's environs. The picture window and niche give the homeowner a chance to quiet his or her thoughts, and at the very least, the spectacular views can uplift the soul.
by Matarozzi Pelsinger Builders
Under the Stairs

Designer Steven Gambrel turned an unused closet into this serene, understairs retreat. The addition of a window and the comfy, upholstered built-in make it the perfect place for tea with a friend after a long work week.
by ABRAMS
I'm in love with this traditional home's understairs phone nook, if only for its nostalgia. It conjures up lazy and long afternoon calls to a faraway friend. A dedicated area for phone use is a rarity today, when many people lay their heads on fluffy pillows right next to smart phones that blink and vibrate throughout the night.
by Stephanie Wiley Photography
In the Laundry Room

The homeowners of this laundry area, which was once a basement, make one thing clear: They really know how to make a person happy. A cold and sometimes dark garage often houses washers and dryers, but I could easily find my moment of Zen and reach a very happy place with my feet kicked up on the coffee table, mid spin cycle, watching the latest shows on the Travel Channel.
by Case Design/Remodeling, Inc.  
On the Rocker-Glider

Anyone who has ever spent the night rocking a baby to sleep on a comfortable rocker-glider will tell you that they are well worth their exorbitant cost. Our rocker-glider works hard for the entire family, but most of all it supports my back, sitting bones and child on rough, sniffly nights. And a little-known secret I'll share with you is that I often use our rocker-glider for afternoon naps, weekend read-a-thons and me time.

Tell us: Where in the home is your sanctuary? Share your thoughts and photos below in the Comments section.
by Design By Lisa  

Comments

docilana Please explain the lounging chair in the bathroom. Is it meant for friends to sit and watch me bath. Why would I want to read in my bathroom. Just don't get it .
7 months ago · ·
midmodfan I love the window seat.
7 months ago · ·
winstondog A bathroom is the last place I would want to read or hang out in. Give me a cozy windowseat or corner with a nice window to look out. I agree, I don't understand it either...
7 months ago · ·
sngglebnny Maybe the chair in the bathroom is for reading and enjoying a glass of wine while the tub fills up. Other than that...idk.
7 months ago · ·
j I have a similar chair in my bathroom. I use it to relax with a magazine while the tub fills, and as a comfy place to sit to put on lotion. I think it's a lovely touch. You can tell by the photo what this is used for. There is a lamp and a side table with a glass on it!
7 months ago · ·
sherry403 Interesting but let's rethink. The floor lamp next to the bath tub. Shocking!!!
7 months ago · ·
lisayvette The comfy chair next to the bath is great when one has a child bathing!
7 months ago · ·
jodes76 My husband often sits in the bathroom with a glass of wine to chat over the day's events while I have a nice hot bath. It's one of my favorite parts of the day. We're planning our new bathroom now and I think I might just include a nice armchair for him.
7 months ago · ·
compact I love the bunkbeds, very 2001 and completely practical for kids :)
7 months ago · ·
JAN MOYER If I had a big tub, which I don't and a hubby to sit and talk while I soaked, which I don't, I would kick his arse right out of there, as it seems to me to ruin the entire purpose of the soak in the tub. This of course, could just be me : ) and explain the second point as well.
7 months ago · ·
Liza Purdy docilana- i never got it either until i was at my cousins. It's GREAT for people with young kids. They can splash around in the bath, and the adult doesn't have to opt for the floor or the toilet for seating!
7 months ago · ·
charpell I like the idea of the comfortable chair in the bath. It would be great to have somewhere comfortable to sit while my kids are in the bath, and my husband loves to soak and we have limited time during the day to talk without kids around. So sitting with a glass of wine chatting while he soaked sounds great. But the thought of an upholstered piece of furniture in the warm humid environment of a bathroom is not sitting well with me. Especially since my kids don't tend to manage to keep the water IN the bathtub all the time.
7 months ago · ·
Lanie Brown I'm in the brain stage of re-organizing my utility room. I would love to make it a comfy place to browse cookbooks or fold laundry if I could get rid of the extra freezer which takes so much space. It would also make it a more welcoming room to enter the home through the back door. Hmmm, do we really need that extra freeezer?...
7 months ago · ·
sngglebnny @Lanie Brown - put the freezer on Craigslist and make a little money to go towards fixing up the utility room.
7 months ago · ·
Pine Street Carpenters & The Kitchen Studio Great sanctuaries here, Cathy - thanks for sharing! Here are some of our own to share - perfect retreats for a cold, November day.
7 months ago · ·
riley53 what color are the walls in the bathroom with the chair?
7 months ago · ·
mleason Perhaps you could use the lounging chair in the bathroom for story time, while the kids take a bath! Sure beats sitting on a toilet seat!
7 months ago ·
patricia beharry I have a full sofa in my shower/dressing room; either one of us taking a shower, we sometimes sit and talk. and I am 66 years old, my husband 71, married 42 years. something is working. Maybe a sofa in a bathroom????. By the way, in case you guys are thinking we are old farts, I am a size 6, hussie with a 34 inch waist.
7 months ago · ·
rgillenwater @patricia beharry - Your post cracked me up!!!! Love it!!! My hubby and I are both 52 and have been married 34 years, and we both work full time. We take advantage of any opportunity to visit that presents itself. If that opportunity is while one of us is soaking in the bathtub, so be it. If we had room in our bathroom for seating more comfortable than the toilet, I would certainly have it in there.
7 months ago · ·
erplaut I cared for my husband while he was dying. I designed and created-with-help my sanctuary garden to both relax and host parties, which we both needed. It is xeriscaped with no watering needed once the plants have been established. The lighting is low voltage. It has a Japanese esthetic. My study overlooks the garden with a large bay window, so I can enjoy it in all seasons.
7 months ago · ·
richbusywoman Yes, that laundry room!!! Don't you just KNOW they fold on the glass table while watching the tube. Love it!
7 months ago · ·
alibonelli When my husband and I were building, our contractor looked at me like I was crazy when I told him there would be no door on our ensuite bathroom. We talk all the time in our shared space. He sits on a bench and has my towel waiting when I'm done with my shower. It fosters closeness and its a bit sexy too. One note- we do have another bathroom if someone wants or needs privacy!
7 months ago · ·
Adelene Keeler Smith Interior Design Erplaut - many thanks for sharing your amazing and inspiring garden. The winter-scape is absolutely dreamy... Especially, for this south Florida gal! :]
7 months ago · ·
melissahinchman First of all, I don't share my bathroom with my children - so no need for a chair. Secondly, the idea of a bath is to relax, not to have my husband recant his day while I'm soaking away mine. Lastly, with all the lovely places to sit and read, why would I choose my bathroom?
7 months ago · ·
patricia beharry some peoples bathroom you dont even want to sit where you are suppose to sit--- and then again, some peoples bathroom is a work of art, done to perfection, including artwork and draperies, and all the bells and whistles, including a place to be massaged, rubbed down, now----------OMG-- lets not get carried away.
7 months ago · ·
Cathy Lara erplaut, Thank you for sharing your photos with us. I'm glad to hear that you can enjoy your garden winter, spring, summer or fall. I hope you're out of harm's way as the east coast gets battered by the nor'easter.
7 months ago · ·
erplaut Thank you Cathy. What a wonderful job you have. Based on your design preferences, you might like these, too. They are photos of my study from which I view the sanctuary garden.
7 months ago · ·
efpico I absolutely love the idea of a window seat and the understairs nooks draw me right in.

I am not a fan of the chairs in the bathroom. It is the last place I would choose to sit and read. I do, however, have a lovely teak stool in my bathroom to be used as seating if needed.
6 months ago · ·
beechhouse I love these ideas, but I would like to know, who has little kids that take baths and can afford to remodel their bathroom to look like that? And charpell, you have little kids and yet you have time to sit in the bathroom while your husband soaks in the tub, chatting and sipping wine? What? Can someone tell me the secret here cause I seem to be missing something!! :)
6 months ago · ·
aartip Would love to know which rocker-glider you use!
6 months ago · ·
charpell I wouldn't normally want to sit and talk to my husband while he soaks ... but since we have small kids (4 and 6 year old very active boys), the ONLY time we have to talk in peace is after the kids are asleep ... which is also the only sliver of time that my husband has to soak in the tub.
6 months ago ·
beechhouse Ha, I can relate to that. Although my husband doesn't soak in the tub, but if he did I would totally sit and talk to him while he did. Except I would be sitting on the toilet seat!! ;)
6 months ago · ·
pickyvicky The chair with the ottoman in the bathroom is the perfect place to paint or trim your toenails, too. After we remodeled our bathroom six years ago I placed a clock on the wall...some people find it odd...but I will forever have one in there now.
2 months ago ·
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