The client’s house is a mid 1980s, single level contemporary home, which has been extensively renovated over the last five years. The large ensuite is the final room in the house to be renovated. The existing bathroom overlooked a walled courtyard with a curved wall up to a height of 18000mm. The client request was to enclose the garden courtyard into the new bathroom in order to to double the size of the ensuite. The rest of the house has been renovated, in a modern style, with a traditional twist. The client desired the ensuite to compliment the newly renovated style of the house and requested lots of colour and an injection of life into the feel of the bathroom.
Client Brief:
Must not look ordinary or generic
Incorporate large courtyard area into the bathroom
No white!
Filled with natural light
Beautiful lighting for night time use
Must be colourful
Variety of medias and textures
Luxurious
Ease of movement for busy couple to use at the same time
Must not have direct line of sight from master bedroom
Easy to clean
Ample storage
Design Challenges:
This was an on ground, concrete slab house, so moving waste plumbing would be difficult.
Existing wall demolished and outside courtyard incorporated into the space
Door entrance needed to be moved
Solutions for bringing natural light into the bathroom
Creating a large space that reflects the client’s brief without it looking cavernous
To create the large space the client’s were looking for the wall separating the ensuite from the courtyard was demolished and the curved wall of the courtyard become a feature wall in the new bathroom.
The toilet and shower waste was moved slightly. The bath waste and floor waste were in the new slab that covered the old garden area.
The door entrance was moved to give more room in the master bedroom and to allow more wall space for the vanity. This also fulfilled the client’s request of not having a direct line of sight into the ensuite from the master bedroom.
Two large, electric sky windows were installed into the roof extension to the ensure plenty of natural light into the back area of the now large ensuite, making sure there are no dark areas in the bathroom.
Windows placed above the old, outside garden wall ensure abundance of natural sunlight in this north facing room.
Both task and ambient lighting were used to create zones for dressing or relaxing.
Double basin, double shower heads and large double ended soaking bath meet the client’s brief of being able to use the bathroom at the same time when getting ready for work.
Personal and bulk storage needs are taken care of by the large storage capacities of the vanity and shaving cabinets, while the shower niche is both decorative and practical.
Originally a floor standing toilet roll holder was part of the design however, the client’s desire for clean lines between the toilet and the glass shower screen, meant the standing toilet roll holder was not used. An easy to reach drawer in the vanity houses the toilet paper.
Bold, large, format tiles were used on the walls, with hexagonal patterned tiles on the floor. A feature of multi coloured timber-effect tiles were used as a textured feature on the shower wall. The client wanted a colourful and non-generic bathroom and the large, patterned tiles chosen created a dramatic look; delighting the clients.
As a final touch to bring the colours and textures together, the curved wall surrounding the bath is V joint timber panelling, painted in the same Dialogue blue/grey as the vanity. The clients particularly love the V joint panelling detail over other alternatives for a curved wall.
