Elegant reflections

Bathrooms are too often an afterthought in home design, getting what's left over in terms of space, budget and decorating ideas after plans for other rooms have been finalized.

Determined to do the opposite, Melview Developments decided to differentiate this apartment design with a sophisticated bathroom look, says marketing manager Hamish Coney.

"Our guiding principle was to create a simple yet elegant bathroom," he says. "We were uncompromising in the amount of space we allocated and the quality of materials."

Melview commissioned Studio of Pacific Architecture for the design. Director Stephen McDougall says the firm's approach was based on a restrained palette with a contemporary edge.

There are five basic colors and materials in the design: Jura limestone, mirror, glass, stainless steel and black granite. Pursuing a minimalist style emphasizes the sense of space in the bathroom and gives it a streamlined look.

Two basins appear to be suspended from a granite backsplash attached to a mirrored wall. Recessed niches in the granite form slots for displaying toiletries. The cutouts are lined with black back-painted glass that give depth to the small space.

Two full height cabinets on either side of the sinks are disguised by the mirrored wall, their position made apparent only by the stainless steel pulls on each door. Stainless steel also forms the skirting, reflecting and seeming to extend the German limestone flooring.

"The mirror makes a single element of the cabinets and basins and reinforces the size of the bathroom," says McDougall. "Our use of black granite and back-painted glass concentrates the palette, reflecting our reductive approach."

Black back-painted glass is repeated behind the toilet, which is shielded from the vanities by another glass panel, this one frosted. This panel and one side of the shower enclosure are symmetrical, framing the sinks and abutting the mirror wall.

The limestone tiles form accent walls behind the bath and inside the shower, helping to provide water protection.

The fixtures and fittings that complete the distinctive design were all new to the market. They include the Bamberger Novola bath, a Philippe Starck Duravit toilet, Norman Foster basins and Dornbracht faucetry.

Story by: Trendsideas