A bathroom renovation with Sydney harbour views

"We wanted to open up the bathroom to the outside a lot more because, with only one small window, it was too enclosed," explains Terry. "Also, we had a 10 square metre deck out the back, but most of that backed onto a brick wall. We really wanted to create a better connection between the deck and the indoors."

The solution was to knock a hole in the offending wall and put in double French doors, as well as create a doorway between the bathroom and the master bedroom.

That meant that everything had to come in – and go out - via a special hoist, up three storeys to the top-floor balcony. "There was a bit of trial and error getting the bath up," Robert laughs.

There was also a bit of trial and error involved in getting the bathroom's colour scheme right. Terry's wife wanted a soft white tile to create a sense of elegance and space in the very small bathroom, but she didn't quite get what she bargained for.

"We made the mistake of choosing the tiles in an outdoor setting," says Terry. "When they finally went up we discovered they were a lot darker than we thought."

Realising it was going to cost a fortune to replace them, Terry and his wife came up with a clever alternative.

"We found a beautiful piece of pure white, glossy marble that we used on the vanity top and that has really lifted the room," says Terry. "Now we're really happy with the finished product."

To ensure nothing impeded their breath-taking view of the harbour when soaking in their luxurious shower-bath, Terry and his wife decided to do something very unorthodox – they did away with a shower screen altogether.

"When we shower there, we do wet the floor quite a bit," says Terry. "But we tend to shower in our second bathroom and use this one as more of a bathing and relaxation area."

And because the bathroom can be fully opened up to the elements, they've also done away with the need for additional heating and an exhaust fan.

"I hate walking out into a steamy bathroom in summer, because you start sweating before you even get dressed. With the doors open, that doesn't happen," says Terry. "We also don't need any additional heating because the windows capture all the winter sun."

Robert 

Bathroom Images

What was the owner's brief to you?

The brief was pretty challenging. They wanted to open the bathroom up to their back deck as well as their bedroom, they wanted a big island bath in a tight space, and it all had to look spacious and elegant. We had our work cut out for us!

What was the biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge was trying to get the materials up to the apartment. We couldn't take anything through the foyer or staircases because of the hand-carved railings and tessellated tiles. In the end, we had to use a special hoist over the balcony to get everything up, and all the rubbish down.

What is your favourite part of the renovation?

The big bath tub that looks out over Sydney Harbour.

Terry

What did you set out to achieve with the new bathroom?

The brief was to open up the bathroom to the outside because the one existing window was too enclosed. We also wanted to find a way to connect the inside of the house to our back deck. We come from a farm on Byron Bay where everything is opened up, so we wanted to re-create that feeling.

Your shower-bath doesn't have a screen. Why is that?

We decided against a shower screen because we thought it would spoil the look of the room. When we shower there, we do wet the floor, but because there are only two of us we tend to shower in our second bathroom and use that one as more of a bathing and relaxation area.

Were there any challenges along the way?

We had to rethink the colour scheme. By the time the tiles went up we decided we didn't like them – they were too dark. But it was going to cost a lot of money to replace them, so instead we found a beautiful piece of pure white marble that we used on the vanity top and that really lifted the room.

What's your favourite part of the bathroom?

Being able to open it up. It's great in summer because it doesn't steam up. I hate walking out into a steamy bathroom in summer, because you start sweating before you even get dressed. We also don't need any heating because the windows capture all the winter sun.

Does the absence of blinds on the windows create any privacy issues?

The only trouble is that when we're entertaining on the deck we can't use that bathroom. But, day to day, because we're on the top floor, no one can really see in. It's quite private.