Monochrome magic

Interior designers are often asked to create a contemporary interior, but invariably this is with a soft edge. For this bathroom renovation, however, there was no softening required the owner wanted a slick, sharp, edited look.

Designer Shelly Handman says the new bathroom replaces a Japanese-styled room with a huge soaking tub that took up most of the space. The bathroom was also very enclosed and compartmentalized.

"The new owner wanted a much more open, flowing space, and it was important to bring light into the long, dark hallway leading to the bedroom," Handman says. "Consequently, the existing walls were replaced with very sleek Mondrian-style glass and steel partitions that pay homage to the subtle Deco styling that can be seen in the baseboards and mouldings.

"We played with different glass opacities within the space the glass beside the hallway is sandblasted to allow plenty of diffuse light to pass through. To provide more privacy in the toilet room, these glass walls are laminated, while the shower walls are clear glass."

Sharp contrast is created between the powdercoated black steel and the crisp, white freestanding oval tub and the vanity cabinetry, which appears to float above the floor.

"To provide an airy look and the illusion of more space I didn't want anything reaching down to the ground," says Handman. "The vanity extends like a ribbon right through the glass wall and into the toilet room."

The designer says the owners' preference for Calacatta marble on the vanity top determined the gray tile color the shade matches the veining in the marble. In the shower and toilet, the walls feature gray backpainted glass that makes a glossy contrast to the honed marble floor tiles.

Story by: Colleen Hawkes