A Roman bathroom retreat
Francesca Ovidi of Sydney Building Renovations focuses her interior design skills on creating a Roman-styled bathroom for homeowners Rose and Joe.
"The clients wanted a luxury bathroom that was in keeping with the theme of the home, which has a Mediterranean/Roman style," says Francesca.
Starting a new bathroom
The existing bathroom was in disrepair, with 60s-style orange and yellow tiles, a timber vanity that was falling apart and a baby-pink bath tub. It was also on the small side.
"We wanted to make it larger to accommodate a toilet, which was previously located at the rear of the house," says Rose.
Builder Joe Ovidi came up with the solution to the space problem by relocating the existing entry to the house and incorporating the original space into the bathroom.
This allowed the inclusion of not only a new toilet, but also a bidet, double vanity unit, separate shower and spa bath.
Finding the right bathroom schemes
Using warm-coloured tiles in marble and travertine, Francesca created a distinctive design in the style of a Roman bath, with wall niches, stone basins and gold fittings completing the luxury look. But she acknowledges it was a bit of a challenge finding fittings for a bathroom that's so at odds with the stark, minimal looks popular today.
Francesca had particular trouble sourcing a bath spout, so she devised a novel solution: "I ended up scouting nurseries and garden outlets for a rustic-style spout that would have a beautiful fountain-type flow," she says. Similarly, all the tapware is made from wrought-iron pieces plated in gold.
Low maintenance options
As Joe and Rose wanted to keep the design as uncluttered as possible, so to show off the beautiful bathroom tiles, Francesca also had to come up with some novel solutions to the problem of storage. "Most of the storage is cleverly concealed in the vanity - there's storage in the circular sink bases and on either side of the mirror," says Francesca. "There is also a concealed storage area behind the bidet in the ledge."
But the biggest challenge was the sunken spa bath. Francesca says it needed careful consideration and a lot of planning. "The concealed pump had to be accessible for future maintenance, and we also needed to be practical regarding getting in and out of the bath, so we couldn't make it too low," she says.
The complete bathroom renovation
Rose and Joe couldn't be happier with their new bathroom. They particularly love the tiling scheme, and the custom-designed vanity, with the wall niches behind. "We're very happy with the way it all turned out and love using our beautiful bathroom," Rose reveals. "It feels like we are being pampered in a luxurious hotel."
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