Among the trees

Designed by Kate Gardham, Suede + Stone

From the designer:

Setting

The lifestyle home that this ensuite forms part of was originally designed and built around mature existing trees on the property

The house has four pavilions joined by glass bridge/breezeways which enjoy extended rural outlooks. 

The architects were Fairhead, Sang & Carnachan, a practice known for its Modernist architectural style and had been highly influential in New Zealand's early Modernist movement – designing inspiring architecture that felt good to live in, with lots of natural light, fresh air and access to green spaces.

It is not often that we get to work with such an expanse of glass in a bathroom. 

Typically, when designing bathrooms for urban homes the concern is always with privacy and so they often end up with small opaqued glass windows.

However, that was not a requirement here, as the home is set on a lifestyle block with native bush and the established gardens screening views and creating privacy between the pavilions. 

Nature-infused ensuite

To honour the original architect’s vision, we chose to see the trees and surrounding gardens as the hero and focal point for the ensuite renovation.

This involved retaining the beautiful glass walls while modernising the ensuite interior into a luxurious retreat.

The from-the-outdoors-in soaring roof lines and abundance of the glazed windows were key to bringing the sense of nature indoors – accentuating the stunning bush surrounds and exceptional views.

Soaking in the scenery

Addressing this indoor-outdoor environment, I introduced a tiled walk-in Jack and Jill shower where the occupant is at one with the bush surroundings and a freestanding bath as a place to relax and soak in the verdant outlooks. 

A linen curtain was added to soften the space and bring additional privacy.

This ensuite is the closest experience you can get to bathing in vegetation and nature without all the bugs and insects.

It also offers the comfort of being warm all year round thanks to the double-glazed windows and under floor heating Suede + Stone introduced. 

Bathroom garden

Large, tall side windows can be opened for extra ventilation or simply to allow the owners to step out into the private internal bathroom garden to hear the bird song and sounds of nature.

This garden really heightens the homeowners' bathing experience, creating a space that enriches their lives by offering a heightened sensory bathing experience that addresses sight, sound, touch and the smell.

Materiality

Walnut timber was selected for the vanity and timber reeded wall paneling for connectivity to the surrounding tree scape and its richness in colour.  

The reeded wall paneling was installed for its noise-reducing acoustic properties, as there are open ceilings in the ensuite that connect into the master bedroom and walk-in wardrobe.

Marble tiles in large and mosaic format were paired with the venetian plaster. 

The owners wanted a masculine colour for the tapware, and in response we selected Aged Iron tapware from the Progetto Buddy range.

Lighting & accessories

Lighting was a challenge, what with the high ceilings and a lack of ceiling cavity to utilise within the 45-degree pitched gabled ceilings. 

To address this, we opted for custom made wall lights for task lighting and halo lighting around the mirror to soften and throw shadows down the beautiful venetian plaster, reeded timber panels and the marble mosaics. 

These lights also added to the ensuite's luxurious vibe, something that the owners had requested. 

Sensor lights were installed underside of vanity.

The mirror was chosen for its generous size and shape – it reflects and makes the most of the outdoors while the round shape of the mirror helps soften the high and hard angles in the bathroom.

A place for everything

The bathroom is deconstructed into defined areas for the various daily bathing rituals. 

There are separated areas for the toilet, the vanity and for showering and bathing. 

The owners had requested a closed-off toilet area within the bathroom and we added a ceiling, door and ventilation system to accommodate this.

Twin basins were an essential inclusion for this master ensuite – we chose solid surface basins for their large size, sculptural shape and matt surface.

Centred on the wall, the long 180cm wall-hung vanity also maximises storage. 

With so much natural light in this bathroom, we didn’t want anything glossy in this bathroom. 

Challenge addressed

The owners had ripped out the old bathroom and pre-purchased all the bathroomware before I was engaged on the project, including items that had not been suitable in terms of size and colour.  

We provided a guide on what should be let go of what he had and start over.  

With trust built, we came up with a design layout and material selections that ideally suited their needs – essentially, the space, architecture and sense of a luxurious retreat that they wanted.

Story by: Trendsideas