Style : HOME DESIGN : Suprise Packages : SHOWER OF LIGHT

Ron Braun, owner of Muse restaurant, had always wanted his ‘20s Spanish bungalow to be a quiet refuge. Now, 14 months after he began renovating, his inner sanctum features a master bathroom with a Zen-like tranquillity uncharacteristic of the nearby Melrose Avenue scene.

White oak floors and a wall of glass blocks make the master bathroom seem more spacious than it really is. Set in the middle of the blocks is a transom window--a simple yet unexpected way to ventilate this tiny room. The tub and sink are fashioned from Syndecrete (a lightweight concrete developed by designer David Hertz) and, unlike porcelain fixtures, they aren’t icy to the touch. Both wall and window offer a warm, peaceful view of the bamboo planted outside.

Elsewhere, Braun oversaw the addition of 500 square feet, including a new entry patio and expanded kitchen. Ceilings now soar to 10 1/2 feet in the master bedroom, 12 1/2 feet in the widened hallway. A huge custom-made door glides open on a barn-door track. The only room left relatively intact was the living room, where raw-steel doors replaced jalousie windows. The original painted and papered wood fireplace was framed out and finished gracefully in plaster . Throughout the house, walls sans baseboards appear to float above the floor.

Is there more? Yes, Braun plans a second story next year. The power of Zen.