Architect Steve Schappacher and his wife and partner, designer Rhea White, took designing their dated and constricted bathroom as a challenge in dimensions, and used their unique styles to give their tiny bathroom endless space.

Tight dimensions left Steve and Rhea jockeying for position in front of the sink and fighting for leg-room in their almost comically short tub. A sink solution came in 7 feet of custom Corian. Only 9 inches wide, the sink gives the two plenty of room without encroaching on the narrow space. A gradual slope adds more interest to the shape but also serves a practical purpose, water drains through a concealed slot at the lower end.

Having even a normal size tub seems impossible in a space so narrow, but Steve and Rhea have that and more. Their small space boasts a tub large enough to float in. "We couldn't go any wider in that room, so we decided to go deeper," Steve said. They found Artisan Plaster Finish, Art in Construction to pour and hand finish a custom concrete Japanese soaking tub. Too big to be brought through the hallway leading to the bathroom, this giant tub was created where it sits, an in situ art exhibit in itself.

With the custom sink and bathtub, the space comes together in dramatic modern fashion, but there seems to be much missing, like faucets and counter space. But notice the long stainless steel tubes floating on mirrors above the sink? Foot pedals hidden beneath the sink control water flow from the tubes. It's an ingenious system that avoids fingerprints and recreates the sound and magic of a personal waterfall.

As for counters, Steve and Rhea don't need them, they have something better. Wooden trays slide anywhere along the sink and have drain holes for soap. These more than make up for the lack of counter space and solve every bathroom's clutter problem.

"We just take what we need from the medicine cabinet, set it on the trays then put it back when we are done," Steve says.

And the medicine cabinet is a feat in itself. "We call it the biggest medicine cabinet in the world," Steve said. "It's deep enough to hold a dinner plate." Hidden behind mirrors spanning the length of the sink, the cabinet holds everything from toothbrushes to towels and reflects the light that helps make this small space seem much larger than it actually is.

Lighting is important for any room but especially so in a bathroom. Steve and Rhea wanted to avoid the deep shadows on the face that overhead lighting can create, so they placed long Alkco tubes on the walls. The tubes are incandescent and give a warm, even glow to both sides of the face. (They chose these instead of halogen which they find is harsh and too bright white.) Steve and Rhea decided to go ahead and add overhead lights just -- for filler -- and found a design made especially for wet locations.

Using the overhead lights is another extra detail in a room that comes together because of them. The solid walnut step on the outside of the tub plays off the sink's wooden trays but also recalls a custom Nakashima dining table found in the open loft.

It takes careful planning and forethought to make such details seem simple and obvious. And Steve and Rhea's project is a great example of the many payoffs of complicated thinking. Instead of fighting with the size of their room, Steve and Rhea used creative scales to yield dramatic results that seem simple and welcoming. Theirs is a warm touch on modern design that is as inviting as a long soak in a hot tub.