The Designer Magazine
Hidden Depths
Light and bright is usually the rule for bathroom schemes, and yet sometimes, taking an entirely different approach is the best way
This feature appears in the September 09 issue of Designer. To see the feature as it appeared in the magazine click the BACK ISSUES button and read the online edition of Designer.
Interior plans that go beyond ‘good' and onto a whole new level are often the result of a designer who has one critical defining attribute – vision. Being able to see what might be possible with this bathroom space in Belgium involved a holistic look at the space, including the areas immediately above and below the existing room.
The brief was to create an ensuite bathroom that was masculine and dramatic whilst at the same time making the most of the available space. Johanna Bush, bathrooms specialist and interior designer at Surrey based interior design firm Evitavonni, explains: “My main aim was to turn what was once a soulless unused room into a unique, dramatic and atmospheric bathroom that would be enjoyed as a haven and a retreat.
“The architecture of the room, including the awkward sloping ceilings, inspired me to tackle the space to see how it could be adapted and utilized to its full potential. This was the starting point; product choice and the selection of intricate ranges of tiling followed once the shape of the room was finalised.”
With this in mind, the structure of the room was investigated and it was discovered that the existing ceiling could be removed and also that the room below had a very high ceiling.
The design honed in on these elements and exploited both in order to create an altogether different space. The existing ceiling was removed and replaced with a new vaulted ceiling.
Bush says: “As I investigated how we could manipulate the limitations of the building and change the structure of the room, all of the elements started to piece together, for example how a huge custom-made bath could be incorporated with a feature shower.”
This is where the high ceiling in the room below was seized upon as a solution but it also created perhaps the biggest challenge of the project. The structural alterations and technical detailing of transforming the sketches and cardboard models into reality challenged the design teams' technical knowledge due to the complexity of the design.
The plan was to use some of the height of the room below to include a sunken bath. This of course demanded a detailed approach to reinforcing the ceiling below and the floor structure. The challenge was increased as the room had been added above an older part of the building and had a part concrete slab floor. The concrete floor was removed and replaced by steel joists which the bath was then built into.
Pipe work and services were run behind the ‘new' wall and ceiling structures to avoid obvious ‘boxing in'. This was planned very carefully and was fully tested and functional before the ceiling in the room was replaced below and the tiling began. Bush adds: “Once steel joists are put in place it is not easy to get through them!”
The idea of filling the bespoke bath with water cascading down the bath's steps took some thought and design planning. The water pressure and flow was calculated in order to fill the bath in the fastest possible time ensuring that the water did not jet out of the Dornbract Waterblade taps. Bush overcame this challenge by using two Waterblades to provide the quantity of water required, whilst experimenting with the pressure and feeds to the blades.
Once the structure of the bath and the plumbing had been completed, the task of tanking and waterproofing was the next test. The ergonomic shape of the bath features a curved back rest at each end, designed and built to take full mosaic tiles without cutting; carefully laid out, these tiles were aligned with the mosaics on the outer wall of the room.
“A love of high vaulted ceilings and a room full of character helped me to select, with the input from the client, a dramatic monochrome colour scheme with reflective surfaces for added interest,” Bush explains. “It would have been an obvious route to use light colours to create the effect of an open and spacious room, but I felt this would not add to or create the drama I wanted to achieve.”
The client was very keen on a black colour scheme. In order to create interest and to highlight the architectural features of the room, three different tiles were used. The main walls and vaulted ceiling were tiled with Bisazza black glass and white gold mosaic tiles with a diagonal pattern to accentuate the curve of the ceiling.
As a contrast, the recessed wall for the washbasin is tiled with large black glass tiles which are highly reflective and selected to provide a strong background to the Bisazza White gold tiled mirrors.
The window recess provided a concealed space for the black WC.
Lighting was carefully considered using LED lights in the bath and floor. Mini pinhole downlighters in the ceiling create a beam of light down around the shower rose and wall wash uplighters/downlighters highlight the curve of the vaulted ceiling.
For Bush, a number of key features stand out within the overall scheme. “Architecturally, the vaulted ceiling is quite stunning and is accentuated by the drama of the suspended shower rose over the bath. All of the other necessary elements, such as the WC and washbasins are set back in their own space so as to not interfere with the central feature of the bath and shower. Every aspect of the bathroom has its own identity, character and function.”
In terms of product and finishes, she singles out the large black tiles behind the basins as an important link in creating a dramatic backdrop and differentiating a separate feature of the room.
Finally, the full impact is enhanced by the lighting she says. “The lighting has been designed for a choice of different moods and atmospheres. The halo of lights which are set into the ceiling have been angled to create beams of light around the 500mm diameter shower rose for an invigorating showering experience, while the subtle bath lights provide a tranquil bathing space.”
Evitavonni
www.evitavonni.co.uk
