New bathroom a centrepiece of the home

A revamp brings this period bathroom into the modern age, with some stylish touches to make it a feature of the home.

The owner of this earthy bathroom was keen to make a statement with this stunning new bathroom design. While Rosslyn's 1920s home had survived the test of time, her much-neglected bathroom was crying out for a renovation. After finally moving into the house she had rented out for four years, she consulted a designer.

Mark Annesley from Just Bathroom Renovations developed a few ideas for the new bathroom, deciding on the style and layout with the owners. One particular addition was essential: "A toilet inside the house!" says Rosslyn. "The house was built in 1925 and the original toilet was out the back door and across a landing."

With this addition, there were a few extra items to fit in to the bathroom. To avoid any clutter and create a spacious look, Mark installed a wall-hung vanity unit and a tidy toilet suite that tucks in between the bath and shower; the frameless shower screen adds to the sense of space.

The position of this bathroom within the house has had a great influence on its design. As guests enter the home, the room can be seen at the end of the hallway, and for this reason Rosslyn was keen to ensure it was an eye-catching space.

Colour makes a big statement; stone-look tiles in warm neutral tones dominate the design, giving a stylish finish that mirrors a sandstone verandah at the front of the house. Mark used a vitrified tile to keep the costs of the new bathroom down, but the overall effect is nothing short of stunning.

The large tiles also help keep maintenance requirements to a minimum. With fewer joins, there is less grout to clean and, being rectified (rather than ceramic or stone) tiles, they only require a one millimetre gap between them.

Another unusual aspect of the bathroom is that it is essentially light locked in the middle of the house. With no windows, Mark had to think of additions to traditional bathroom lights, and other ways to let in some light. "We had to put in a large skylight, which just flooded the bathroom with natural light," he says.

There is also plenty of great bathroom lighting for when the sun goes down, including some lovely bath-side downlights. Installed in the niche beside the tub, these bathroom lights are bright enough to read by, and warm enough to provide an intimate and cosy atmosphere when required.

After laying a new concrete slab for the floor, laying new pipes and adding a new ceiling and cornices, the bathroom is as good as new. For added luxury, the room has been finished with in-floor heating. "It just takes the chill out of the air and keeps it nice and dry, especially in the shower recess, where 99% of the water is," says Mark.

Mark Annesley, from Just Bathroom Renovations

What was the brief from the client for their new bathroom design?

They wanted a lot of natural light, so the issue of bathroom lights was a high priority. Because the bathroom is in the middle of the house, and there are no windows, we put in a large skylight, which just flooded the bathroom with light. They also wanted something that was maintenance free and easy to clean.

What is special about the materials used?

We got all the fixtures and fittings from Just Bathroomware; it's all mid-shelf to top-shelf from Australia and imported from Europe.

What features does this bathroom have?

Little features like the niche above the bath create a great effect, with the light that comes down through it. The client wanted the vanity off the floor, so it was wall hung and the shower screen is 10 millimetre frameless glass.

What structural changes did you make?

We had to take out the whole floor and re-lay the drainage to accommodate the extra fixtures such as the toilet.

So it was like creating a brand-new bathroom?

It was a full strip-out, so it got taken back to the bare bones and revamped as a completely new bathroom. We poured a new concrete slab, renewed all the drainage and pipework in the walls, so it's all brand new. They also have a new ceiling and cornices.

Rosslyn, the homeowner

When did you decide to renovate the bathroom?

I decided it needed to be done the first time I saw the house, but we didn't proceed with it until five or six years after. We lived in it for two years, then rented it for four years. When we returned, I contacted Mark and we went ahead with it.

How has the bathroom changed?

I think the bathroom had been renovated before. There was '70s wallpaper and '50s fixtures; it's gone from a green and pink tiled room without a toilet, to what it is now. The shower is the only thing that stayed in the same place.

Why were aesthetics so important to you?

When you come in through the front door and look down the hallway, you can see the bathroom, so I wanted it to look really good. That's why we came up with the idea of the lighted niche. You can see that from the end of the hall.

Do the bathroom colours tie in with the rest of the house?

Yes, the rest of the house has those neutral, earthy, sandy tones as well. We have a semi-circular sandstone front verandah, so I wanted that earthy theme to come through.

Featured products

• Shower - Argent Champagne hob shower with retractable hose
• Showerhead - Meco London Rainshower
• Bath - Kaldewei Saniform
• Shower and basin mixers - Paini Fluxio
• Towel rail - Artizen Flow heated rail
• Shower screen - Frameless 10mm glass
• Toilet - Duravit Darling back-to-wall suite
• Vanity unit - ADP (Architectural Designer Products)

If your bathroom could use a little TLC or you're installing a new bathroom, contact a renovator in your area: