Walnut and stone

Designed by Natalie Du Bois, Du Bois Design

From the designer:

The setting

This is a renovation of a guest bathroom within a three-bedroom home in Saint Mary's Bay. 

There are two entrances into this bathroom – one via the guest bedroom walk in closet and the other through the main hallway.

Wishlist

• A visual and stimulating bathroom space – the opposite of boring and bland looking, which is what was there before.
• A space to wow guests, with high impact and a strong presence.
• The location of the toilet had to stay the same due to plumbing restrictions
• Storage for guest towels was to be hidden away but without making the room feel too full of cabinetry.

There was no other designer or architect involvement – I provided plans, pricing and quotations and full project liaison for this renovation.

Design statement

When you open the hallway door into this bathroom, you are greeted with high-impact and thought-provoking details. 

The dramatic stone veining of the oversized Black Calacatta porcelain tiles leads your eye from the floor up the full height of the walls. 

A powerful image embraces you in the form of a large, round walnut-framed mirror, and a bespoke vanity made with a mix of the same walnut timber found in the mirror combined with bronze mirrored drawers which tease you into the room by giving you a glimpse of the freestanding bath around the corner.

The handles on the vanity drawers have had meticulous planning to ensure you don’t touch the mirror section of the drawer, which reduces potential finger marks.

The basin is seamlessly crafted out of Tundra Porcelain with a gradual slope, encouraging water to gracefully flow down to the basin waste. 

The bushed bronze tapware, with its elegant forms, was chosen to contrast with the two different stoney grey tiles.

This design move also adds a sense of luxury and sophistication to the room.

The toilet remains in the same location – however, the bath and vanity have swapped places. 

The taller vanity hides the toilet, making it more discrete, and the bath now has its own dedicated space to evoke a sense of space encouraging relaxation.

Guests are made to feel loved and cosseted in this bathroom – not only with the comforting material selections, but also with an uplifting ambiance created by several carefully chosen light fittings.

These include a cascade pendant light fitting above the vanity and a wall light to the opposite side of the vanity – creating a well-lit environment around the mirror, where you need it most. 

Above the bath, spotlights are positioned so they can be directed to suit. 

A linear recessed niche shelf has been created in walnut timber with its own recessed LED lighting, which provides more ambient lighting while relaxing in the bath but also serves as visual interest from the toilet – an extra thoughtful detail added to enhance this design.

Story by: Trendsideas