In the mood black bathroom with subtle textures

Bathrooms, by virtue of their size, provide an ideal opportunity to explore an adventurous design approach. This is the one room where you can indulge a passion for a particular colour or design feature.

For the owner of this house, there was only one way to go when it came to the design of the master ensuite it needed to feature black, and lots of it.

Designer Royston Wilson says the only real dilemma posed by this brief was working out a way to ensure the bathroom would not look like an underground cave.

"The client favoured a textured black tile he had used in a previous apartment, but I felt we needed to add an accent tile to lift the look," Wilson says. "So the wall behind the vanity features a black tile in a smaller format, which is embossed with a tiny silver diamond pattern. The diamonds sparkle and reflect light onto the larger tiles, bringing an added dimension to the room. The mirror is also a light source, that is just as important as the vanity lights."

Wilson says the owner wanted tapware and fittings with a bold, contemporary edge.

"The Newform Forma tapware, in a mix of matt black and chrome, has a strong masculine look and is the perfect foil to the feature tile."

The tub was also selected for its strong, simple lines and functionality it can be used by two people and has therapeutic spa jets.

Another key feature of the bathroom is a sleek, angled glass blade, which separates the shower wet area from the rest of the room.

"Fixtures and accessories were chosen to reinforce the masculine feel," says the designer. "The toilet pan is a mix of black and white, which marries the black, white and silver palette of the vanity. And a white countertop basin was chosen to break up the expanse of black on the vanity wall. The basin, tub and toilet all incorporate angled lines, similar to the glass blade.

Story by: Colleen Hawkes

Photography by: Andrew Ashton