The making of a holiday-inspired bathroom ensuite

Owners Julie and Stuart were fresh off the plane from a holiday on Hayman Island when they decided to bring some indulgence into their own bathroom. Inspired by the sense of freedom they found in the outdoor shower at their resort, the couple was armed with visual ideas for their ensuite renovation. 

One special feature is the lengthy dappled window that reveals just enough of the outdoors to spark the memories. Revealing hints of the ferns and grass of their garden, the window faces out from the sunny side of the house, filling the room with lots of natural light.

With the combined design ideas of the owners and designer - Owen from Bubbles Bathrooms - the new ensuite has an earthy outdoor feel. 

Stuart was keen on using stone or pebbles and Owen integrated this into a unique tile strip that runs down the wall and across the floor. Trimmings echo this look, with a stonework insert sitting neatly behind the towel rack.

The bathroom floor tilts ever so slightly towards a tidy stainless steel drain strip along the back wall. The subtle slope, combined with glossy tiles, allows water to run off quickly after showering. The unique custom-made strip means the room isn't interrupted with a central drain typical of a normal enclosed shower.

The beauty of this openness is the room's ability to evolve into whatever it's being used for. When used as a shower, there are no barriers or screens to get in the way. But once the shower runoff has disappeared, it then becomes a spacious bathroom, with ample room for brushing, scrubbing and polishing up. When used as a toilet, the ensuite has more than enough space to open up a newspaper.

Owen says he is proud of the way the bathroom has come up and is chuffed that his ideas to get the most out of this small area have given his clients the ensuite they envisioned.  

Owen Barnes

Bubbles Bathrooms

What was the brief?

Stuart and Julie wanted a special bathroom; they were looking for something stunning and different. They said that they'd like earthy tones and they wanted to incorporate pebbles they had seen used in other bathrooms.

How did you transform the space?

In a normal ensuite, the space is divided into different zones for different activities. Because this was such a small ensuite, the idea was to make it look as big as we could. So when they use the shower, they have the whole room; when they use the vanity, the whole room is the make-up room.

Were there any challenges involved?

I guess the biggest challenge was to make sure the water left the space after showering, so they're not tramping it through the house. And that was achieved by putting a gentle slope on the whole floor, using a very flat tile and using the custom-made strip drain down along the back wall.

How does such a small room seem so spacious?

It's really about creating the illusion of space. Putting a big piece of glass into the wall has made the space feel open. It makes the space feel bigger and gives lots of natural light. Keeping the hand basin and also the toilet suspended off the floor gives the illusion of space. 

What do you like most about the design?

As a designer I feel that to have taken such a tiny little space and turned it into a something that can be used is quite an achievement. It was nice to be able to go outside of the norm and create a space that gives you the feeling that it's so much bigger than it is.

Stuart

What was the brief?

We wanted to get an outdoor feeling, an open space. We'd just been to Hayman Island where we used a beautiful outdoor shower. We thought it would be great to have something like that at home. Being in Victoria, of course, it's pretty cold, but we wanted to try and get that same sort of feel.

How did you hope to achieve that outdoor shower feel?

There's a floor-to-ceiling window which is made from sculptured glass, which lets a lot of light in. We just get a hint of the trees and ferns on the outside and a lot of light comes in. Also through the tiles, the stonework and the colours.

How much input did you have into the design?

I had ideas for the colours, the size of the tiles and also some stonework. I came up with the idea of having that up the wall, then Owen brought it along the floor as well. We had a bit of input but not all of it. It was a combined effort. 

What makes your ensuite unique?

There's no actual shower screen; it's like one room with the drain going along the back wall. It's a great room, works really well.

What's your favourite aspect of the room?

The shower itself is pretty fantastic - it's got a large shower head. We also like the openness of it. It's very easy to get in and out. And just the colours and the stonework.