Not many people can claim to have a bathing cathedral in which to take their daily soak, but then not many people are as passionate about taking a bath as Richard Christiansen. The owner of Flamingo Estate, a verdant, seven-acre plot tucked in the heart of Los Angeles, worked with French architects Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty of Studio KO – who he first met while working with Andre Balazs at The Chiltern Firehouse – to realise his ultimate bath house dream.
‘When we began, they asked what was important to me, and I said the only thing is that I want an incredible bathtub,’ explains Christiansen. ‘After two decades living in New York, most of that time with a windowless, shared bathroom, I promised myself that when I grew up I would build myself something amazing. I take a bath religiously: it’s the place I think, and I spend at least an hour in there a day, so we decided to create the most glamorous outhouse ever. It’s a bit of a walk down the garden path, and it’s a place to really worship bathing – my secret little hideaway.’
The collaboration was, says Christiansen, the most joyful experience, and the resulting structure is a world away from the white painted or pale-wood building that one might expect. Instead, a monolithic, raw concrete structure houses a steam room, a hammam, a loo and a mini bar, as well as a huge concrete bathtub, custom-made to fit Christiansen’s 6-foot 3-inch frame.
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‘There were many hours where I just laid in various moulds to find a tub that was big enough for me and someone else my height, so we could sit at each end with a glass of wine,’ he says. ‘And we simplified, simplified, simplified, so it’s just the bath next to a fireplace, which is wonderful in winter, when you can light a fire and let the day melt away.’
‘There’s no colour, no fabric, no distractions and no decoration other than the stained glass windows that pivot open on to the garden so that you can hear the birds and smell the flowers. I love the idea of bathing next to nature, and it’s positioned in a spot where, when the sun comes up over the mountains, light shines directly in.’
Water used for bathing is recycled to irrigate the garden, a process which also led to the launch of the Flamingo Estate bathroom collection that sits alongside a full range of locally sourced organic fruits, vegetables, flowers and pantry products.
‘In the beginning, I noticed things at the end of the pipe were dying and, when I looked at the label of my fancy body wash, I realised it was killing my roses,’ he explains. ‘So we started making soap and shampoo long before it was part of the business.’
Indulgent it may seem, but for Christiansen, it takes the place of more conventional luxuries. ‘Someone said the other day, “Richard, it’s so outrageous that you have a bathing cathedral,”’ he laughs. ‘But I don’t own a car – I ride my bicycle everywhere – and I don’t own a television either. So, while everyone else obsesses over vehicles and TV, I obsess over taking a bath. This is my hobby, and I’m going to own it because it’s my favourite thing in the world.’ flamingoestate.com; studioko.fr
