Minimalist luxury bathroom with Japanese wall tiles and marble shower

Contemporary ensuite by designer Jason Saunders with feature tiles, glass ceiling strip and marble vanity TIDA Australian Designer Bathroom winner

In this bathroom by designer Jason Saunders dark-veined architecture, bathroom, countertop, interior design, room, white, black — In this bathroom by designer Jason Saunders dark-veined marble on the blade shower wall is repeated on the vanity.

A wall of mirror visually doubles the size bathroom, countertop, floor, flooring, interior design, kitchen, room, white, black

Dark and white tones create a crisp, modern bathroom, countertop, interior design, product design, room, sink, white, gray, black

In pursuit of privacy, the front wall of bathroom, interior design, product design, room, gray, black, white

Labour of love this feature wall was bathroom, ceiling, daylighting, floor, flooring, interior design, light, lighting, lighting accessory, pattern, tile, wall, orange

Running the idea past a client of a feature surface made of thousands of pieces might have them thinking about the budget and looking nervous. However, it's a different story when your passion is design and it's your own home.

This large ensuite is an extension to designer Jason Saunders' own character home built in the 1930s. From the street, the period home is distinct from the extension the former is white and the add-on painted black. Once indoors, the home's classic ceiling roses and cornices give way to a crisp, pared back aesthetic in the addition.

The main linking element is the flooring. The designer sourced recycled jarrah floorboards to extend the home's original floor into the ensuite.

"As designer and owner we naturally had free-rein and wanted something a bit different and something personal to us minimalist yet at the same time luxurious. To this end, the bathtub area is accentuated by a feature wall of Japanese Luna ceramic mosaic tiles creating both an air of intimacy, and a wow factor."

The tiles are laid individually by hand all 2500 of them. Their curves pick up light from the corner pendant and the floor lights behind the tub, reflecting the light in several directions.

At the other end of the expansive ensuite, a shower stall with a feature grey marble blade wall offers another intimate space.

"Overall, we wanted the space to read as one large volume and to accentuate this we stopped the marble shower wall short of the ceiling."

The prominent dark veins in the marble connect with the jarrah floor, the stained veneer vanity front and the black walls of the shower. The rich stone is also seen on the adjacent vanity.

Labour of love this feature wall was built bathroom, ceiling, daylighting, floor, flooring, interior design, light, lighting, lighting accessory, pattern, tile, wall, orange — Labour of love this feature wall was built individual tile by individual tile, 2500 in all. The Japanese ceramic tiles create a local area of intimacy for the freestanding bath. A contemporary pendant and in-floor spot lights highlight the sculptural tub and the 3D tiles, which cast light in various directions. The stained jarrah floorboards were introduced as a continuation of the original homes floors and provide a dramatic backdrop.

The black shower walls are in Laminam, a light, compressed ceramic sheet that is scratchproof, knock-proof and generally low upkeep.

As the bathroom faces the street it is walled for privacy, with a vertical strip of glass louvres providing light and a glimpse of the garden. However, the dominant natural light source is the stepped up, concealed glass ceiling that runs the length of the room flooding soft, indirect light right through the bathroom. A strip of LED lighting in this recessed space ensures that it's a feature by night as well as by day.

"The colour palette is mainly black, white and mirror," says Saunders. "Overall, this bathroom balances a simple, expansive look with areas of intimacy like the shower and tub."