Upon reflection

Separating a large ensuite bathroom from the master bedroom with only a sliding door has the advantage that when the door is drawn back, the bathroom's volume adds to the sense of space in the bedroom.

This pared-back bathroom forms part of a whole-house design by architects Maria Arango and Diego Molina. The elongated space can be screened off from the adjacent master bedroom by floor-to-ceiling pocket sliders. When the two metre-wide panels are pulled back, the merged spaces give the impression of one large room.

The bathroom itself is divided into distinct areas: the toilet, set behind sliding mirror doors to the left, the central bathing space, and a shower cubicle to the right, screened by a blade wall of travertine stone.

"The owners wanted a clean, contemporary bathing space that wouldn't date," says Arango. "One way of achieving this was to continue the material palette of travertine stone, glass and black granite found in other areas of the home these natural materials are always in vogue.

"Further to this, we custom designed a vanity created from a solid block of marble, with the sinks carved straight out of the block. This simple, substantial piece is matched with minimalist taps that will also retain their design relevance well into the future."

The architects were also considering a stone tub for the bathroom, but given that this wing of the house cantilevers out over a carport, it was felt the weight might be excessive.

Set at the very front of the house, the bathroom has frosted windows for privacy, with an upper clear strip to maximise natural light levels in the room.

Underfoot, flame-etched black granite provides a subtle non-slip texture for bathers. The material also provides a striking tonal contrast with the white walls and the bedroom's rich teak floors.

"In a minimalist bathroom space, storage can be an issue," says Molina. "To get around this, the mirror doors fronting the toilet slide from both sides one way to reveal the toilet, and the other to reveal a concealed storage cabinet.

"The floor-to-ceiling mirror doors have another function, too. Much as the master bedroom borrows space visually from the open bathroom, so the bathroom seems even more generous when seen in reflection."

Story by: Charles Moxham