We recently had the pleasure of designing four bathrooms as part of a home renovation in Lower Hutt. We managed the project for the entire renovation and it all came together beautifully.

Our client contacted us to design and project manage the renovation of his 1990’s two-storey home. He wanted to update the look with a new colour scheme, window treatments, flooring and modernise the two ensuites, main bathroom and powder room. The client shares our passion for colour and we wanted to incorporate this with his love of all things botanical and organic hence our choice of tiles and wallpapers.

All four of the bathrooms were dated and in need of a refresh; one was never even fitted out and the other had no flooring or painted walls. The main bathroom had pink and blue wallpaper and the vanity and fixtures were also pink. There was a large tiled bench in the main bathroom and the shower was leaking. Our builder got stuck into work and gutted all bathrooms including the fixtures. This gave us a blank canvas to reconfigure the floorplan and make the best use of space. It is super important when we complete any job that it not only looks amazing but is functional and suits the lifestyle of our clients. The ensuites were small so we chose showers with round corners and sliding doors to maximize the space, wall-to-wall vanities provide ample storage, and then we chose stunning tiles, underfloor heating, and designer mirrors and lighting to add those special touches to the design.

The inspiration for the design of both the ensuites came from the curtain fabrics that we chose for the adjoining bedrooms. The first thing we did was select a range of tile options that were inspired by the colours in the curtain fabric. We found a variety of tiles that would look gorgeous for the wall and floor. We then looked into cabinetry that would complement those colours, something that would tie in with the exposed rimu woodwork throughout the rest of the house. The options we had selected were then presented to the client as a mood board - a visual for how the finished bathroom will look. Presenting mood boards with samples of tiles, cabinetry colours, tapware metals and handles etc, are something we do for every client. Once our client was happy with all of the elements in the design and pricing, we sourced the fixtures and fittings, and tradespeople to make our vision come to life.

Our wonderful client put his trust in our design judgment and shared our love for colour and wallpaper. This enabled us to incorporate stylish features and embrace the new trends in bathroom design for 2021. The use of wallpaper and tiles in the bigger bathrooms looked stunning. We wanted to lighten the main bathroom so we chose white wallpaper with a modern metallic trellis design, white tiles, and fixtures. The white gloss with ripple tiles went perfectly with the wallpaper and the overall look of the bathroom. We went bold in the powder room with a floral design, again with a shimmer of metallic. The gorgeous wallpapers were from Borastapeter whose designs we adore.

For the floor tiles, we went for a natural look that was complemented by the tile colours. We chose green feature tiles for the upstairs ensuite and blue for the downstairs ensuite and timber vanities added to the natural feel and complimented the existing woodwork, and we added a matt white top mount basin and countertop. The use of matt white rather than gloss is an on-trend choice. Another trend that we went for is the position of the spout and mixer coming from the wall rather than mounted on top of the basin.

When choosing the mirror for the main bathroom and powder room we opted for custom-designed mirrors from New Zealand company Joska & Sons. These beautifully crafted mirrors with steel frames make a subtle yet stylish statement.

For the main bathroom, this was custom made to size with a demister. For the mirror in the ensuites, we selected the Athena lluminar LED mirrors to give both task and ambient lighting and a touch of glamour. Lighting is also important in a bathroom, and having wall lights on either side of the mirror prevents shadow cast. We found these beautiful lights from ECC lighting and were thrilled at how simple yet beautiful they look installed, mimicking the chrome and style of the tapware.

As the final touches to the bathrooms, we added special features such as underfloor heating which we consider a must when choosing tiled floors. Our electrician also installed a strip of lighting under the vanity that comes on when you walk in, and all the mirrors have demisters.

Our lovely clients are absolutely thrilled with the finished look and functionality of these bathrooms. The success of this project is also a testament to our client to who gave us free rein and trusted our vision.

Main Bathroom Before:

In progress:

Main Bathroom After:

Powder Room Before:

Powder Room After:

Upstairs Ensuite After: