Friends and family found their bathing-in-the-bedroom setup unconventional, but Wanda wanted the Kohler tub ($2,600 through their contractor) to be open to the rest of the room. The tub surround and vanity include towel niches and even shoe storage.

Friend and artist Stephen Chung took this photograph of the couple during their 2001 wedding reception at the Steam Whistle Brewery.

Wanda filched this 1950s Osvaldo Borsani reclining lounger, a collector’s piece for fans of mid-century modern, from her parents’ Burling­ton living room.

Wanda and John designed the laptop table together using a piece of travertine tile left over from the flooring for the tub area and washroom. They turned to Rodrigues Art Steel Works, a wrought iron fence maker down the street from them, to fabricate the painted steel frame ($200).

The built-in medicine cabinets, which are flush with the wall and lacquered in the same colour, open with a gentle push—no knobs or pulls required.

An enclosed toilet room provides privacy.

This memorabilia wall displays their kids’ artwork, an oil painting by John’s great-grandmother and a backlit photo poem.

The heated travertine floors ($21 per square foot at Stone Tile International) separate the bath area from the sleeping quarters.

The couple upgraded a pair of IKEA wardrobes ($170 each) by encasing them with custom mahogany doors and a surround, both by GibsonGreenwood.

The Elys received the cast aluminum cabinet pulls (on the wardrobe and on the tub drawers) as a wedding gift from their neighbour, who owns Du Verre The Hardware Co. (tub pulls $17 each, wardrobe pulls $37 each).

Concealed shelving built into the headboard hides electrical outlets for plugging in bedside lamps and laptops; large, custom-stained drawers inside the bed platform ($2,400 at Posi­tive Space Interiors) are used for additional storage.

The lush grey wool rug by Lanart Rugs ($13 per square foot at Home Depot) was custom-cut into a U shape so it would tuck around the bed.

High-tech hardware makes this 400-pound Spanish cedar sliding door easy to open ($16,000 at Bauhaus Fine Windows and Doors).

Weather-resistant Sunbrella fabric on the outdoor sectional from Andrew Richard Designs ($7,475 for this configuration) means the cushions can stay out until the snow starts to fall.

John made this coffee table for Wanda as an anniversary gift, building it from layers of plywood with threaded rods and casters.

The 21-by-21-foot addition, with rough-sawn cedar siding, was constructed by Prumo Building and Design.