A bathroom renovation by and for a professional bathroom renovator

"I felt sorry for my clients," Lynette laughs. "The experience gave me a new appreciation of how hard it is to pick things like tiles and colour schemes."

Indeed, with a blank canvas to work with (the builder left the ensuite space empty for Jack and Lynette to fit out), the world was their oyster. But because the apartment was part of an over-55s residential complex, there were a few rules and regulations they had to comply with first.

"We had to adhere to the Australian standards for aged care," Lynette explains. "That meant all the door openings had to be specified for wheelchair access, that we preferably had a walk-in shower with hand rails, a basin at a height that you could sit at, and taps that were accessible and easy to use."

This suited Jack and Lynette just fine; they wanted to be able to bring their elderly parents in to live with them when they became too frail to live alone. But that didn't mean they were going to sacrifice all luxury for safety, and when it came to mod cons, they spared no expense.

"We brought in a lot of things from overseas that weren't available here two years ago, like the taps and toilet," says Lynette. "The hydrotherapy spa we had custom-made. My chiropractor mapped out my acupressure points and the bath maker positioned the 36 jets accordingly."

Lynette and Jack also wanted their ensuite to stand the test of time, so they chose durable, high-quality finishes. But picking a colour scheme to do those finishes justice was no easy task. Because they wanted the same floor tile to flow through all their living areas, they had to find a colour that would complement every room – not just the ensuite.

"You can imagine the challenge in designing a whole home around a tile," says Lynette. "We had to try and pick something we would both like, but that would also suit the rest of the house."  

In keeping with the ultra-contemporary feel of the apartment complex, Lynette and Jack settled on a crisp white colour scheme that wouldn't date. But they didn't want the ensuite to be stark, so for the walls and floors they chose a white polished porcelain tile that featured a hint of soft almond marbling.

Two years on, Jack and Lynette love every part of their ensuite – and so do their clients, who often use it as inspiration for their own designs.

"Because we operate our business from home, our bathrooms are like showrooms," Lynette says. "They have to reflect our originality, as well as our eye for quality and detail, and I believe we've achieved that."

Lynette Tebbenhoff

LJT Bathrooms

What requirements did you have to meet when designing the bathroom?

We had to adhere to the Australian standards that apply to over-55s residential developments. This meant that all the door openings had to be specified for wheelchair access, that we preferably had a walk-in shower with hand rails, a basin at a height you could sit at, and easily accessible taps.

How did you choose the fittings?

We did a lot of shopping around. We sourced a lot of things from overseas that, at the time, weren't available here, like the taps and toilet. The hydrotherapy spa we had custom-made. My chiropractor made a map of my acupressure points and positioned the 36 jets accordingly.

Were there any challenges along the way?

To accommodate the Mainsflush toilet, we had to fiddle around with the plumbing quite a bit. We also had to be careful with the overhead lights: to comply with the building's fire rating, all the transformers had to be positioned on the outside so they weren't penetrating the ceiling.

Anything else?

Choosing the tiles was hard because we wanted them to flow throughout the entire apartment. Therefore, we had to pick something that would work in every room - something we would both like but that also suited the rest of the house. 

What advice would you give to people wanting to design their own bathrooms?

There's been a big trend in the last couple of years of putting full mosaics and pebbles in the bathroom, but I always say to my clients, "Think about the cleaning and maintenance." You want your bathroom renovation to last you at least 10-15 years, so go for something easy and timeless.

Lynette

What did you set out to achieve with this bathroom?

We wanted to make sure we could achieve two things. One was to be able to bring our elderly parents in to live with us, and the second thing was to have some luxury for ourselves.

How would you describe the overall look of the bathroom?

It's ultra-modern to fit in with the very contemporary nature of the whole apartment complex. It's minimal with very high-quality fittings.

What did you consider when choosing the colour scheme?

We'd already decided that we wanted the whole apartment to be white, because it's quite contemporary, but we didn't want the bathroom to be stark white. Instead, we wanted something to soften it, so we chose a tile with an airbrushed almond marbling through it. 

In hindsight, is there anything you would have done differently?

The only thing I'd change is the glass on the back wall of the shower recess. It needs to be treated just like a shower screen, so there's all that extra cleaning involved. Usually, I would just tile that in, but because it was my own bathroom I wanted something special. 

What is your favourite part of the bathroom?

We'd both probably say the overhead shower, and the size of the shower space generally.