Creative composition

There's no need to step outside your comfort zone to create a bathroom that's out of the ordinary. This design puts the focus firmly on the feel-good factor

A view of some artwork in the bathroom. furniture, interior design, shelf, shelving, brown, gray — A view of some artwork in the bathroom.

A view of the glass block wall. - architecture, daylighting, door, floor, flooring, glass, home, house, interior design, room, tile, wall, window, wood, gray, brown

A view of the bathroom, tiled floor, brown cabinetry, furniture, interior design, kitchen, room, black

A close up view of the concrete sink, bathroom, interior design, room, black

A view of the plan of the bathroom. area, design, diagram, drawing, floor plan, line, product, product design, structure, white

A view of a bathroom, tiled floor, white bathroom, floor, home, interior design, plumbing fixture, room, tile, wall, brown

Bathrooms are, by nature,meditational spaces. Along with the cleansingrituals, there are relaxation benefits taking time out in a private space that's fully equipped to indulge the senses is an easy way to unwind.

This bathroom was designed to provide such an experience. Designer Burns Century says the owner, who is passionate about art, also wanted a room that would include inspirational artistic details.

"We needed to transform a very basic bathroom into an exotic, modern space while maintaining the existing footprint and the original plumbing and electrical locations," she says. "This involved rethinking the design to reflect how the space should work for the client, rather than making the client adapt to the space."

Century says this led to changes with shower access and the introduction of sculptural architectural details, innovative furniture, and a symbolic material palette.

"The resulting composition reflects the client's desire to combine artistic elements in the creation of a modern, organic, loft-like space. On a functional level, there are defined areas for showering, bathing, grooming and meditating."

Century says extra space was created by the removal of a closet. This provided room for a new, textured, sculptural wall, which separates the shower area. Glass blocks on this wall are illuminated from above with a suspended, low-voltage cable lighting system.

"This gives the impression of walking past a sunny window, while maintaining the loft effect," Century says. "It also creates a hallway between the shower, tub and vanities, making the space feel less like a bathroom and more like a central hallway from which you can access the different spaces.

One of these areas is a large, walk-in shower with body-spray fittings. Here, dark pebbles on the tiled surfaces create a visual waterfall that appears to flow from the shower entry onto the floor and under a vessel table.

The vanities and storage solutions also reflect an innovative approach to bathroom design.

"Unique grooming areas were created by rethinking how we typically address storage in bathrooms," says Century. "We opted for a custom, 3ft-wide armoire, flanked by beautifully carved wood tables and concrete vessel sinks. None of these match but they all work in harmony in terms of their scale, texture and finish."

The armoire has hidden side panels for storage, which help eliminate countertop clutter. There are also drawers for trash, towel storage, and a warming drawer that seals the pervading sense of luxury.