28 Oct Spirits & Spaces: The Cliffside Primary Bath & The Black Walnut Old Fashioned
October has a particular kind of darkness to it — not threatening, but theatrical. The light changes. The evenings arrive earlier. Everything gets a little moodier, a little more intentional. The primary bathroom at Cliffside was built for exactly that energy.
Cliffside, Malibu, California
The Space
Perched at Point Dume in Malibu, Cliffside is a home deeply rooted in Balinese design — a residence where the architecture doesn’t compete with its natural surroundings but dissolves into them. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the primary bathroom.
Dark, veined stone surfaces wrap the space from floor to ceiling — dramatic and grounding, with a depth that shifts in different light. A sculptural black marble soaking tub sits low and wide beneath open windows, framed by lush tropical greenery just beyond the glass. The vanity cabinetry warms the space in natural wood tones, its linear hardware clean and considered against the richness of the stone. Above, exposed timber roof beams rise to a peak, anchoring a cloud-like cluster chandelier that catches the light like something ethereal drifting through the canopy.
A glass-enclosed shower opens toward an outdoor deck, blurring the line between inside and out — between the sanctuary of the bathroom and the jungle that surrounds it. A bonsai tree sits at the windowsill. A single candle on the tub ledge. Pink anthuriums at the vanity.
This is not just a bathroom. It is a ritual space — somewhere you don’t simply get ready, you transform.
🍹The Cocktail
Dark. Complex. Gorgeous in a glass.
The Black Walnut Old Fashioned takes a timeless cocktail and gives it a moody, unexpected depth. Black walnut bitters adds a nutty, toasted richness beneath the warmth of the bourbon, balanced by aromatic bitters, simple syrup and finished with a wide orange peel. It looks as dramatic as it tastes — deep, dark, and completely self-assured. The kind of drink you mix slowly, deliberately, before a night that deserves it.
Why it works:
The Cliffside primary bath is a space of considered drama — dark materials and lush greenery, raw texture and refined detail, a room that manages to feel both ancient and completely of the moment. The Black Walnut Old Fashioned operates on the same principle. It takes something classic and deepens it, adds a layer of unexpected richness without losing its composure. Both are beautiful in the dark, and both reward a little patience.
✨ The Black Walnut Old Fashioned
Ingredients:
- 2 oz bourbon
- ½ oz simple syrup
- 2 dashes black walnut bitters
- 1 dash orange bitters
- Ice — one large cube preferred
- Garnish: a wide orange peel, expressed and twisted
Instructions:
- In a mixing glass, combine the bourbon, simple syrup, and both bitters over ice.
- Stir slowly and deliberately for about 30 seconds until well chilled and slightly diluted.
- Strain over a single large ice cube in a rocks glass.
- Express the orange peel over the glass — run it along the rim, give it a twist — then drop it in.
Do not rush this drink. It was made for a slow October evening.
Final Sip
Some rooms earn their drama. The Cliffside primary bath is one of them — a space that makes getting ready feel like a ceremony. Pour yourself something dark and complex, light a candle, and let October be exactly as moody as it wants to be.
Next month, Spirits & Spaces gathers around the table. Something warm, something festive, and a very good reason to pull out the good glasses.
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