Splash Palaces

No longer the poor cousin to the kitchen, the best bathrooms balance practicality with big, beautiful ideas

AN OBSESSION WITH all white is one trend industrial designer Lucan Donovan has seen fade in the 15 years he has worked at St Michel. Lucan is now head of design at this Auckland-based manufacturer of bathroomware and, while white has been somewhat shelved and the gloss has worn off glossy surface finishes, one thing remains constant: homeowners underestimate the complexities of designing and building a bathroom. “Because it’s a smallish room, they don’t realise how many trades are involved and what it takes to get things right,” says Lucan.

Today’s technologies and innovations have also meant an explosion of choice in product selection. “The variety can be overwhelming, so it’s up to industry professionals to guide the consumer in decision making.”

When putting together the fittings, furniture and accessories that make your bathroom a look-good, feel-good space, ask your interior designer for advice and, try not to do what is obvious. “That’s tricky because when something is done right, in hindsight it seems obvious! It’s all about balancing materials and spatial function. You’ll know when you’ve nailed it.”

Accent on aesthetics

Urban Industrial style has its origins in the New York warehouse and, although Kiwis don’t tend to have access to many of those, we have adapted this aesthetic by cherry-picking features as our own. In a new bathroom this could mean teaming aged engineered timber or polished-concrete flooring with subway tiles in black or white and, perhaps, black-aluminium shower doors to mimic the much-in-favour Crittall steel joinery. Using exposed piping is another way to channel the look. Try a ceiling-mounted rainhead shower or a mirror with a matte black or metallic frame. “Some mirrors even come with attached pipework that extends from the top and the bottom and looks like conduit,” says Lucan who has also recognised a resurgence of Colonial Classicism where cabinetry has a tongue-in-groove or simplified picture-frame profile and half-cup handles. F

LEFT Whereas once all-white bathrooms with glossy finishes were quite the thing for their clean and sparkling looks, these days the trend is to matte surfaces and the inclusion of dark-toned features.

Which colour is you?

When Lucan started designing bathroomware in the mid-2000s, there was only white and three different woodgrain laminates to offset it with. That has changed dramatically. Today’s palette is prolific and yet generally, when people talk about using ‘colour’ in a bathroom, they mean personalising it with a mix of timber tones, engineered stone and metal accents. High-pressure laminates that are hardwearing and not porous have opened that avenue of expression to various shades. Lucan says dark, solid colours are coming into fashion moving from black and ever-popular grey into deep navy and earthy green. These latter two shades are smart yet take us back to the comfort of nature and look just the ticket on cabinetry paired with walnutty timbers.

ABOVE Don’t forget to make a statement piece out of your vanity which is the only piece of furniture in the bathroom that can be customised in a blend of materials to your style.

All is vanity

As the only actual piece of furniture in a bathroom, Lucan says the vanity unit can really make a statement – so it’s worth investing to say something special. The move is to bespoke design by blending materials, using different surfaces for the top, sides and front. You might play with matte black high-pressure laminate on the top and sides and contrast this with door and drawer fronts in a light woodgrain. Accent strips of metals such as titanium and gold that sit within the negative detail on the vanity front bring a touch of glamour to the picture. Popular vanity tops include stone and engineered stone. Carrara or calacatta marble with dramatic veining give a beautiful effect too. Doors and drawers can sit either within the line of the cabinet’s carcass so they are framed by the sides – or over the top of it for a more homogenous, streamlined look. Wall-hung is the way to go to keep the design light on its feet and look out for special features like a unit with a built-in waste bin.

What’s big in basins?

Kiwis favour basins that are large and deep, but Lucan always questions customers who come to view the range on the St Michel shopfloor. “I think it’s a cultural belief that we need deep bowls for hand-washing clothes or the dog!” he says. Usually there’s a laundry tub these days and so he pushes for a shallower bowl which is more suited to a benchtop vessel and has the upside of conserving water. And, yes, benchtop vessels are still top in the popularity stakes. The style is to combine robustness, so they look like a substantial object from afar, with the refinement of a thin rim.

Time for taps

Chrome was everywhere before black and white tapware was introduced about 2014, launching at the Milan trade fair. “Black took off but white never did,” says Lucan. Taps that combine matte black material, say for the handle, and a shiny chrome spout (or vice versa) are the latest introduction which gives the customer the opportunity to sample the look without full immersion in it. There’s also a massive move to metallics: brass is almost commonplace now but hot off the press are options for tapware in gold, rose gold, copper, graphite, nickel, brushed stainless and gunmetal black. F

ABOVE Benchtop vessels that look substantial from afar but have a fine rim for elegance are on trend.

RIGHT Freestanding baths are not only luxurious but a focal point. Don’t be afraid to jump into them to test-drive their comfort in the showroom.

Reflection direction

The passion for round mirrors is unabated but pillshaped ones offer the benefit of generally being more slender (so can fit in smaller spaces) while still retaining that fluid form. Lucan likes mirrors with organic shapes. “I think curvaceous mirrors take the edge off the sharply chiseled geometry of today’s modernist architecture,” he explains. Look for a mirror or mirror cabinet with a built-in overhead task light if you’d like the aesthetic to match perfectly. Mirror frames in powder-coated black metal are trending with copper and brass as an alternative to lift the starkness of the all-black or all-white bathroom.

Light fantastic

Today’s LED technology gives lighting such flexibility. A bathroom needs task lighting (one that mimics daylight is great for putting on make-up) as well as mood lighting. This can be integrated into cabinetry (some St Michel’s vanities have built-in lights under the top that gives sculptural appeal in the evening but acts to illuminate what’s in the drawers when they are opened). Then there is smart lighting to consider. “Some systems allow you to change the temperature of the light from warm to cool or the actual colour of the lighting to create different effects – all achievable from an app on your smartphone.” P

Quick-draw design points

• Freestanding baths: Don’t be afraid to jump into them at the showroom to see how they fit your body. • Tiny but mighty: A separate powder room (basically a flash way to say WC) adds value to a home and now there are designed-to-suit mini vanity units with basins which are only 150mm deep so no excuses not to include one. • Open storage: It might be on trend, but can you curate your life so perfectly forever? We can all create beautiful pictures on Instagram but it may not translate to your lifestyle now and in the future.

LEFT Plan a powder room into your new home or renovation and you’ll be adding value. There are now mini vanity units that can sliver into the most restricted space.

ABOVE Side-by-side pill-shaped mirrors take up less space than circular or rectangular ones.