The hydronic heater panel was re purposed to a heated towel ladder. Photographer: David Russell

A bathroom renovation that optimised layout and updated the decor to a contemporary yet retro feel, that harmonises with this mid-century beachfront home.

a custom freestanding wood vanity with black hardware complements black and white large aggregate terrazzo flooring

Master bath flooded with diffused light, White finishes, warmed with fir ceiling and walnut vanity and mirrors. Dramatic lighting with led channels at soffit over vanity, vanity base, and drapery track. Glows at night.

Live by the sea Photography

A modern bathroom with a mid-century influence

We gladly sank our teeth into this Ocean Grove project, converting a 90's ensuite into a modern day retreat. The toilet was sunken back into the window frame to help open the space, a 19mm terrazzo floor tile which was also used in their main kitchen/living space was used on the floor – paired with a handcrafted ceramic subway tile on the walls. The matt black tap-ware accentuates the sea of whiteness but nothing speaks more proudly than their (very heavy) custom made vanity and equally heavy cement counter top bowl.

Coburg Frieze is a purified design that questions what’s really needed. The interwar property was transformed into a long-term family home that celebrates lifestyle and connection to the owners’ much-loved garden. Prioritising quality over quantity, the crafted extension adds just 25sqm of meticulously considered space to our clients’ home, honouring Dieter Rams’ enduring philosophy of “less, but better”. We reprogrammed the original floorplan to marry each room with its best functional match – allowing an enhanced flow of the home, while liberating budget for the extension’s shared spaces. Though modestly proportioned, the new communal areas are smoothly functional, rich in materiality, and tailored to our clients’ passions. Shielding the house’s rear from harsh western sun, a covered deck creates a protected threshold space to encourage outdoor play and interaction with the garden. This charming home is big on the little things; creating considered spaces that have a positive effect on daily life.

We gladly sank our teeth into this Ocean Grove project, converting a 90's ensuite into a modern day retreat. The toilet was sunken back into the window frame to help open the space, a 19mm terrazzo floor tile which was also used in their main kitchen/living space was used on the floor – paired with a handcrafted ceramic subway tile on the walls. The matt black tap-ware accentuates the sea of whiteness but nothing speaks more proudly than their (very heavy) custom made vanity and equally heavy cement counter top bowl.

This home is in a rural area. The client was wanting a home reminiscent of those built by the auto barons of Detroit decades before. The home focuses on a nature area enhanced and expanded as part of this property development. The water feature, with its surrounding woodland and wetland areas, supports wild life species and was a significant part of the focus for our design. We orientated all primary living areas to allow for sight lines to the water feature. This included developing an underground pool room where its only windows looked over the water while the room itself was depressed below grade, ensuring that it would not block the views from other areas of the home. The underground room for the pool was constructed of cast-in-place architectural grade concrete arches intended to become the decorative finish inside the room. An elevated exterior patio sits as an entertaining area above this room while the rear yard lawn conceals the remainder of its imposing size. A skylight through the grass is the only hint at what lies below. Great care was taken to locate the home on a small open space on the property overlooking the natural area and anticipated water feature. We nestled the home into the clearing between existing trees and along the edge of a natural slope which enhanced the design potential and functional options needed for the home. The style of the home not only fits the requirements of an owner with a desire for a very traditional mid-western estate house, but also its location amongst other rural estate lots. The development is in an area dotted with large homes amongst small orchards, small farms, and rolling woodlands. Materials for this home are a mixture of clay brick and limestone for the exterior walls. Both materials are readily available and sourced from the local area. We used locally sourced northern oak wood for the interior trim. The black cherry trees that were removed were utilized as hardwood flooring for the home we designed next door. Mechanical systems were carefully designed to obtain a high level of efficiency. The pool room has a separate, and rather unique, heating system. The heat recovered as part of the dehumidification and cooling process is re-directed to maintain the water temperature in the pool. This process allows what would have been wasted heat energy to be re-captured and utilized. We carefully designed this system as a negative pressure room to control both humidity and ensure that odors from the pool would not be detectable in the house. The underground character of the pool room also allowed it to be highly insulated and sealed for high energy efficiency. The disadvantage was a sacrifice on natural day lighting around the entire room. A commercial skylight, with reflective coatings, was added through the lawn-covered roof. The skylight added a lot of natural daylight and was a natural chase to recover warm humid air and supply new cooled and dehumidified air back into the enclosed space below. Landscaping was restored with primarily native plant and tree materials, which required little long term maintenance. The dedicated nature area is thriving with more wildlife than originally on site when the property was undeveloped. It is rare to be on site and to not see numerous wild turkey, white tail deer, waterfowl and small animals native to the area. This home provides a good example of how the needs of a luxury estate style home can nestle comfortably into an existing environment and ensure that the natural setting is not only maintained but protected for future generations.

The original Art Nouveau stained glass windows were a striking element of the room, and informed the dramatic choice of colour for the vanity and upper walls, in conjunction with the terrazzo flooring. Photographer: David Russel

A bathroom renovation: 1. Optimised layout 2. Updated the decor and storage to a contemporary yet retro feel, that harmonises with this mid-century beachfront home.

Thomas Leclerc

Luxury homes with elegant custom wall sconces selected by Fratantoni Interior Designers. Follow us on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more inspirational photos with wall sconce ideas!

Marble wall with brass bar inlay, diffused light from sheer drapes, Pendants replace sconces.

Derek Swalwell

The upstairs guest bathroom has a contrasting white Terrazzo flooring, with wooden strips front and a clean aligned dark green subway tile with an exposed shower system by Hansgrohe.

Renovation from an old Florida dated house that used to be a country club, to an updated beautiful Old Florida inspired kitchen, dining, bar and keeping room.