With their 1920's home located on Lake Michigan, Dorothy and Peter Marks decided that they wanted to take advantage of the view at every opportunity - even in their master bathroom. Architects Jennifer Knapp and Gary Beyerl replaced a tacked-on bathroom addition with a spa-like space that embraces the waterfront, as well as the heritage of the house, without being stuffy. "So we moved on to a modern look while staying in the right period of the house," Knapp says

A window in the large walk-in steam shower and a French door between vanities provide a visual connection to the lake and bring in abundant light reflected from the water's surface. On the wall opposite the French door, an antique soaking tub serves as the sanctuary's centerpiece. "It holds you beautifully, " Dorothy says. "The water is up to your chin, you stare out at the lake. It's perfect."

The tub, which is clad in nickel for vintage flavor, is set off by an elegant backdrop of floor-to-ceiling rosewood panels- another nod to the era of the house. The same wood serves as a well-dressed, clean-lined base for each of the two vanities. That was the important goal," Dorothy says, "creating casual, useful space in an elegant setting." An arc in the rosewood wall echoes the curve of the vanity faces, giving the room graceful, contemporary appeal.

More curves reappear in the spacious steam shower, where a mosaic-tile bench undulates like the lake surface and provides comfortable contours for reclining. "There are beautiful details, vaulted ceilings, beautiful archways, and the light on the lake," Dorothy says. "It's really about the light."

Architects: Gary Beyerl, AIA, and Jennifer Knapp, AIA, Burns + Beyerl, 1010 S. Wabash, Chicago, IL. 60605; 312.663.0222; bbaworld.com. Builder: Brad Osbourn, Berrien Custom Cabinets, Inc., 4231 E. Snow Rd., Berrien Springs, MI. 49103; 269.473.3404. Contractor: Kim Eriksen, Eriksen Armstrong Corp., 1045 n. Northwest Hwy., Park Ridge, IL. 60068; 847.692.6544; eacbuilders.com.