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Black Magic
An awkward roof space was the location for a new master bedroom and en-suite bathroom. Susan Quirke explains to Martin Allen-Smith how she enabled the room to really play to its strengths
When updating and extending a traditional suburban house, getting the new parts of the home right simply make or break the project. That's why the planning and specification of the master bedroom and en-suite bathroom in this North London property was such a central part of this particular redevelopment.
The property was an overall renovation of a 4-bedroom house, utilising the attic space to add the new main bedroom. Susan Quirke, Creative Director of Quirke McNamara Consultancy, laid out the space as a new build part of the property defining the bedroom, dressing room and bathroom space.
The attic space itself has two skylights - one in the bathroom and one in the bedroom. The bathroom therefore is quite a dark space so Quirke proposed the use of glass cladding for the walls, as the client wanted to use a seamless modern material in keeping with the white resin flooring. All the walls are clad in black glass, including a stud wall to divide the Alessi WC from the rest of the space.
The project was not without some stiff challenges. Maximising the space was the first priority. The main project works involved the replacement and realignment of the roof. The structural walls supporting the roof structure was positioned to give the maximum practical space. The alignment of the walls had to coincide with available head heights and these walls were then utilised as the perimeter walls to the rooms.
Overcoming the spatial characteristics of the pitched roof was a key starting point for Quirke. Due to the pitch of the roof (and ceiling) there was always going to be a restriction on the floor-to-ceiling height at the perimeter. In this way it was necessary to place items along the edge, which did not require the full height of the room to function. The sink was put on a unit, which pushed out the user away from the wall and back into an area of non-restrictive height.
The area behind the structural walls was used as a storage space and services zone whilst the concealed cistern, pipe works (plumbing and ventilation) - together with electrical wiring - were run through these crawl ways.
The sloping ceiling also made positioning mirrors above the sinks a tricky task. “Rather than avoid utilising the sloping surface, we installed mirrors on the suffix, which works to good effect due to the steep slope of the roof,” explains Quirke. “Also the walls have been made reflective to give both a decorative finish and to supplement the mirror.”
A Crystalplant bath by Mastella faces an inset Aquavision TV set into the black glass wall. Fibre-optic lights are set around the bath in the resin flooring shining up onto the bath and offering a number of different lighting options which subtly change the mood of the room. In addition, blue LED fittings are set over the bath shining into the water.
Quirke says: “The property has white resin flooring throughout so I wanted to compliment this with the Crystalplant bath. It is an organic spoon shape and I was keen to create a dramatic effect using the inset fibre-optic lighting that changes colour and shines up the side of the bath.”
The weight of the feature bath meant that it would not have been possible for it to be manhandled into position so it had to be placed roughly into position by crane. “The other issue with a bath of this weight and size was making sure the floor could support it,” says Quirke. “The roof steelwork had to be reengineered so it could support the point loads of the bath.”
A double sink (Karol Manhattan double basin sink unit made from Corian) set into a black lacquered unit leads on to the shower area, which is very large (3.7sq m) as requested by the male client. A clear glass door leads into the black glass clad shower area with an inset Soffione shower head with inset blue LED lighting.
The design incorporated red inset storage pockets for storage and there are also speakers within the shower and bathroom itself all linked – along with the lights - to a Lutron system which also allows the user to manage the music system, TV channels and lighting controls from a single control panel. It even enables the client to open the front door from the bathroom.
There is a smart glass viewing wall by Smart Glass International in front of the bath, which can become clear or opaque at the flick of a switch therefore allowing more light into the room, yet also offering privacy when required.
The TV is set into the wall so that the client can watch it from the bath. A towel rail next to the bath is joined by another radiator to the side of the shower area bringing a reflective chrome finish to the space to compliment the modernist overall look.
Quirke McNamara Consultancy (QMC) www.q-mc.co.uk www.thelightingdesigners.com
