Bathroom with Japanese accent, porcelain tiles, Corian surfaces and soaking tub

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Master suite with natural look by Leonie von Sturmer featuring a bathroom, meditation room and office

Tea cabinet seen from meditation room in Japanese architecture, ceiling, interior design, room, gray — Tea cabinet seen from meditation room in Japanese style master suite

This black lacquer tea cabinet features a mosaic cabinetry, countertop, interior design, kitchen, room, gray, black

Italian porcelain tiles resembling timber planks contribute to architecture, bathroom, floor, flooring, hardwood, interior design, laminate flooring, lighting, room, tile, wall, wood, wood flooring, wood stain, brown

This master bathroom by Leonie von Sturmer features architecture, bathroom, ceiling, countertop, floor, home, interior design, property, real estate, room, sink, gray, brown

At the request of the owners, this space bathroom, estate, interior design, property, real estate, room, sink, gray

With no sub-space available in the apartment, the floor, flooring, interior design, kitchen, real estate, room, gray

Shoji-style screens separate the meditation room from the architecture, ceiling, floor, home, house, interior design, living room, real estate, room, wall, wood, white

At the request of the owners, this space architecture, bathroom, ceiling, home, interior design, product design, real estate, room, sink, gray

At the request of the owners, this space architecture, bathroom, ceiling, countertop, floor, interior design, kitchen, room, sink, orange

Italian porcelain tiles resembling timber planks contribute to architecture, bathroom, floor, flooring, hardwood, home, interior design, laminate flooring, lighting, room, tile, wall, wood, wood flooring, gray, brown

Leonie Von Sturmer talks about achieving the tranquil aesthetic in this bathroom and meditation space.

The bathroom is often the only place in a home where peace and privacy are a given. Many suites are created to enhance this sense of escape and respite and none more so than this restful Japanese-influenced design.

Here, the owners bought the adjoining apartment and combined the two to create this luxury master suite. The brief to Leonie von Sturmer was to include a bedroom, ensuite bathroom, and office, along with a meditation room with a tea center and lounge area.

"The couple wanted the suite to have a serene mood and follow the seven aesthetic principles used in traditional Japanese garden design," says von Sturmer. "These include simplicity, asymmetry and understated beauty; together with a sense of nature, tranquility and freedom from habit. The spirit of these principles is carried through all spaces in this expansive, spa-like master suite."

In keeping with a resort-style sensibility, the bathroom includes a Japanese soaking tub and a luxurious steam shower. Von Sturmer set the tub in a raised plinth to accommodate the depth required. The plinth was necessary because the apartment tower is built entirely of concrete, which meant there was no space available under the floor to utilize.

The plinth, steps and shower cubicle are all in porcelain tile with a wood-inspired pattern, combining a natural aesthetic with a practical water-resistant surface. And while the bathroom follows age-old design concepts, it also achieves a modern air, evoked in its clean lines, off-center marble basins, sculptural tapware and curved stair handrail. The bathroom walls are finished in a hand-applied, textured plaster which has been highly polished. This creates a damp-resistant, almost luminous surface.

The bathroom is on one side of the suite, connecting through to the master bedroom with the meditation room, office and sitting room beyond. Sliding shoji screens were integral to the design, partitioning the areas to avoid a direct sightline from the bedroom to the office or meditation room.

"The black-lacquered tea area, at one end of the meditation room, has a Bisazza mosaic splashback depicting cranes in flight before the rising sun," says von Sturmer. "The Northern Star is set to the north within the tile square, which is inlaid in the pale wood floor."

Genuine tatami mats were imported for the meditation and tea room, and have been laid in a pattern said to bring good fortune. To enhance contemplation, a poem has been etched into the plaster wall above the black lacquer and marble prayer table.