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Main Bathroom & Ensuite

Deepdene

Project Description
This home is in the leafy suburb of Deepdene in a Heritage overlay area. Our clients have a busy family of five with two bathrooms. One of the bathrooms was being changed into a bathroom to suit an elderly parent.

Client Brief
Design an ensuite to accommodate all the needs of a parent with Alzheimer’s who needs assistance. Be large enough to have two people and a stool in the shower at the same time. The bathroom is to be able to be changed into the parent’s ensuite at a later date. Lighting must be considered as the bathroom has no windows. Provide a good amount of storage. Would like the ceiling space above the bathroom to be a storage area. The ensuite is to be a calming and relaxing sanctuary. Bathroom finishes must suit the rest of the home.

Structural Challenges
The previous builder had covered over poor structural workmanship that needed to be rectified. Lack of support to the second story addition. Crumbling brick walls were not supporting the upstairs load. Hydronic heating did not work properly new pipes needed to be installed. Existing skylight framework needed to be replaced. Structural ceiling beams needed to be rectified. Poor underfloor airflow. Water traveling under the floor of the home from the garden outside Three different floor types, timber, terrazzo and concrete all at different levels.

Design Statement

The designer needed to assess the spaces they had to work with. The master bedroom entered off the living space into a short hallway with a very small ensuite bathroom on the left and a walk-in robe on the right-hand side. The newly designed floor plan created a walkway/hall off the living room that connected the bathroom and master bedroom. The new floor plan amalgamated the three spaces to form one large bathroom that has been designed to achieve compartments within the bathroom. The bathroom has split level ceiling which enabled a storage area to be constructed  above the toilet and vanity area which is accessed from upstairs. From the bathroom entry a smart toilet is tucked away beside the vanity. A custom-made mirrored cabinet  spans the full length of the double basin vanity and toilet area, which provides plenty of eye level storage. An open shelved towel cupboard is positioned opposite the vanity.  The walk in shower and freestanding bath are screened off to form a wet room area with a niche for both the bath and shower. A hydronic towel ladder is positioned at end of the shower to provide both easy access to towels but to provide warmth once the shower is turned off. Each structural issue was addressed and rectified. The rooms energy efficiency was improved. The hydronic heating system pipes were replaced, walls and ceiling insulated.

The terrazzo floor was ground down and the entire bathroom floor was levelled. As the existing skylight framework needed to be rebuilt we took the opportunity to increase the size of the lightwell, install an opening Velux skylight to provide airflow and enable light to flood into the bathroom. A freestanding Victoria + Albert bath has centre stage under the skylight with a 3m back drop of fish scale tiles that are lit up with gimble lights. The neutral wall and floor tiles kept the room light, whilst the feature tiles create a focal point behind the freestanding bath. Lighting was a large consideration the lighting plan addresses both functional and mood lighting. The result of this bathroom is both a sanctuary to soak away the stresses of the day and large enough to meet our clients request for space.

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