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This bathroom designed by Greg Natale reinterprets traditional design, gregnatale.com Picture: Anson Smart
Keeping clean has taken on a new emphasis in recent months as concerns over hygiene have kicked into overdrive.
How thoroughly — and how often — we keep ourselves clean has sent sales of everything from hand sanitizer to luxury soap through the roof.
From its earliest days when bathrooms moved from public to private spaces in the 1880s, their design has developed alongside the arrival of diseases like cholera, tuberculosis and the flu.
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Kado basin wall shelf and towel ladder from Reece, reece.com.au
So it is perhaps not surprising that the latest pandemic has once again shone a spotlight on the hardest working room in the house.
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In the past few years, the shift towards wellness has been a strong driver in bathroom design. At the same time, as expectations of having more bathrooms under one roof have increased, the amount of available space for them has decreased.
Lussi thing edge basin and bath by Kado from Reece, reece.com.au
Designers have responded with light-filled, functional spaces that invite us to linger long enough to ensure we are thoroughly clean — and refreshed.
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No matter how small or large the space, bathroom design has evolved to meet the challenges of the changing footprint.
In larger bathrooms, the freestanding egg-shaped bath has become a fixture, along with sleek tapware and wooden accessories to create a sense of sanctuary at home. Ensuite bathrooms have eclipsed the traditional shared family bathroom, with an emphasis on luxury surfaces like stone and patterned tiles and his-and-hers vanities for easy accessibility.
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Welcome to the Jungle house designed and owned by architect and builder Clinton Cole from C+C Architectural Workshop. Picture: Murray Frederikcs, cplusc.com.au
Tamarama house was designed by architect Carla Middleton. carlamiddelton.com
Where space is tight, designers have responded with wet rooms, integrating the shower into the bathroom to make the space feel more generous and open. Sometimes a fixed blade of glass will provide separation but other times, the only discernible evidence of the shower is a discreet mixer tap and a rainshower fitting overhead.
Natural light is a key element in bathroom design but it is always tempered by the need for privacy.
For internal bathrooms where a window is not an option, skylights are an obvious solution.
While the bathroom has become a place to refresh and rejuvenate, it’s also a hive of activity, where everything including drying hair, applying make-up and shaving takes place. Creating seamless storage solutions for all the associated paraphernalia is the final piece in the design puzzle.
For more visit beaumont-tiles.com.au; gregnatale.com; reece.com.au; richardcolerarchitecture.com.au