Carved in stone

A stone vessel basin sits on a custom-designed stone vanity in this intimate powder room

Brown bathroom with contemporary basin. architecture, bathroom, ceiling, home, interior design, room, wall, brown, black — Brown bathroom with contemporary basin.

Brown bathroom with contemporary basin. - Brown bathroom architecture, bathroom, ceiling, home, interior design, room, wall, brown, black

Brown bathroom with contemporary basin. - Brown bathroom bathroom, interior design, lighting, room, brown, black

Brown wall with inset shelf and vase of floristry, flower, light fixture, still life, still life photography, brown

Designers love to think outside the square when designing powder rooms. Because these spaces are small, there's an opportunity to be a little more adventurous in the choice of colours and materials.

This powder room is in an alpine-style house designed by architects Hamish Cameron of Archimedia and Preston Stevens of 2 Arc Studio. The house design was also influenced by the Central Otago architectural vernacular, and features the extensive use of natural schist and Tasmanian oak.

The owners and interior designer Jane Low chose to extend the use of natural materials to the powder room, which features a custom stone vanity unit. A vessel basin carved from stone sits on a granite top supported by a stone column that conceals the plumbing. Modern, wall-mounted taps add a sleek look.

The owners say the room originally had a small window, but the outlook was not particularly inspiring, so the window was removed and replaced with a decorative niche with a deep wood sill. To enhance the intimacy of the space, there are wall-mounted lights, and the walls feature a stone tile-patterned wallpaper.