Bathroom makeover: asian influence

A tranquil new bathroom influenced by the Yin and Yang of Eastern philosophy provides the perfect space to unwind.

Before

The home’s existing bathroom consisted of an outside toilet and a room tacked on the back of the house with a bath and shower. The owners chose to remodel a room in the centre of the house to create a luxurious new space to pamper and relax in.

When Melissa and Larry Dixon bought their Victorian house, one of their first priorities was to build a comfortable bathroom indoors. They decided to remodel the home’s small office into a stylish new bathroom and called upon an architect to draw up the plans. The key changes included new flooring, bricking up a narrow window and installing a larger window further along the wall. The entrance door was relocated down the hallway to create space for a new internal laundry. “We wanted a separate bath and walk-in shower, good storage and an overall look that combined masculine and feminine energies,” says Melissa. The unisex feel has been created by contrasting the sharp masculine angles of the cabinetry and sleek tiling, with the feminine curves of the bath and above-counter basin. The dark colours and curves represent Yin, while the light colours and straight lines represent Yang.

Thoughtful design

• Initially, Melissa and Larry wanted to install an undermout sink on the sage green CaesarStone benchtop, but realised it would reduce storage space in the cabinet below. Instead, they chose a white circular above-counter basin from Reece’s Chipperfield range.
• Matching the colour of the tiles on the floors and walls above the bath helps with the overall flow of the room. The couple sought the advice of a colour consultant to select the tiles: an earthy rectangular porcelain mosaic tile for the floors and side wall, and a glossy nougat-coloured ceramic tile for the splashback and shower; both tiles from Domayne.

The light-coloured tiles reflect the light around the room, while the deeper-coloured tiles create tranquillity in the area of the bathroom earmarked for relaxing: the Caroma Starlett bath.

Making the right choice

Remarkably, all the attention to detail would seem a slow process, but with busy working lives and the anticipated arrival of their first baby, Melissa and Larry based their decisions on their “gut-feel”. “When you renovate, there are so many decisions to make and everything can get completely overwhelming. We tried hard not to spend too much time making a decision; we would just sleep on it and make a decision the next morning,” says Melissa.

“We also worked with a very approachable builder and often agreed with his ideas, which were always based on experience. Practicality also helped us make up our minds. Our architect initially suggested an overhead rain shower, which would look good aesthetically, but a hand-held shower is much better to wash both kids and pets.” The couple chose a Hansa three-way shower that can be used hand-held or moved along the rail to suit the height of the user.

 

The finer details

• Small glass shelves installed in the recess of the shower wall provide extra storage. 
• The chrome towel rail, next to the shower, serves as a handy place to hang handtowels and bathmats.
• The long mirror above the sink and the white polyurethane vanity were both custom-made to suit the new bathroom.

 

Words & styling: Alexia Biggs. Photography: Georgie Cole.