The Parents Retreat - A place to escape to

The Parents Retreat is creating a new sense of home luxury, it is not all about luxe materials but it is all about escape and retreat. A place to get away from the kids and relax. Spend time with a partner or be indulgent and be all by yourself. 

 Description of the House, its local & occupants

Situated in an affluent lower north shore suburb of Willoughby, this 1970s timber weatherboard cottage home housing three teenage daughters and Mum & Dad needed a bit more space; a space for Mum and Dad to run to! So this disused Attic conversion was about to get  areal make over…..

The Brief

With small footprint house and 3 teenage daughters coming of age, the client decided to extend and build onto the unused attic and make it a habitual space to retreat & unwind from their busy professional lives, the space needed to tie together sleeping, wardrobe (walk in preferred) bathing and study. With a small foot print to work with the designer was really challenged to deliver.

CLIENT REQUIREMENTS:

New timber floor

A lot of shoes & clothes storage

Comfy reading lounge chair and foot rest

Bookshelf

Dark grey & walnut palette

Full length mirror for dressing

Good use of light both natural and artificial

A Parents Retreat!!!!!!

CONSTRAINTS: -

Tight workspace, big brief

Lots of clothes & shoes

Wanted sitting and reading area in bedroom

The bed is purchased and on its way, you have to work with it!

Design Statement - How the requirements of the client brief were achieved & problems solved

The client approached the designer to rework the architectural floor plan that had been approved by council, the space was all-wrong and did take into consideration he needs of the home owner.

My first challenge was to get a space that could function well; applying to the bed as the first thing that was visible on entry and the tall elements are placed on the Northern side of the building to offer some protection & relief from the hot summers days.

The decision was clear that the wardrobe required dual access so it could function better for two busy people in the rush period, recess full height sliders where installed for those days when early flights where the order of the day, reducing acoustic and light transfer.

The client had a love affair with the Eames Recliner so I selected the white on walnut (stunning) to be at the end of the bed; there was a real need for texture and warmth. So the Mafifloor system was selected to run thru the bedroom, study, wardrobe & bathroom…yes the bathroom. To complement this I decided to create a slated wall behind the bed and the sitting area to offer a small amount of depth to the walls.

The LARGE bed mad the room unbalanced and I really needed something to tie the room together, the string light was just the element, it connected to three wall and gave the space a real juxtof position…just what I was after.

With the bedroom sorted I moved to the bathroom; with the bathroom being visible form all areas it was paramount to create a little bit of privacy. By applying a 2pac gradient paint finish to the shower screen I had privacy to the toilet and most parts of the shower.

The bathroom housed twin basins and the miles of storage the client so desperately wanted; recessed wall cabinet that lift up was a master stroke as the client had easy access to all the personal effect san daily items

Overall the spaces are connected, the client has never spent so much time away from the kids and fondly talks about lazy Sundays where he falls asleep in “his” chair whilst reading.

The Parents Retreat, a place to escape and relax away form the family.  

Bathroom - The balance of Black & White

The Yin yang theory is a kind of logic, which views things in relation to its whole. The theory is based on two basic components: yin and yang in our case black and white and large and small. They combine in a complementary manner and form a balance and a certain type of energy and calm - perfect the parents retreat or master bathroom. Connecting the inside with the outside, a private bathing space.

CMDA - Designer of the Year 2017 

KBDi - NSW Small Bathroom of the Year 2017 

3D CAD IMAGE - Prior to Construction

Project Location:Sydney, Australia

Area: 7.6m2

Brief: The clients were adamant about their needs, the main one was to take the small cramped space with a large corner spa and transform it into a sophisticated, modern space that pushed the boundaries of a conventual bathing space, oh and by the way…. we have no budget!

CLIENT REQUIREMENTS:

• Sophisticated and modern design,
• Black & White colour palette but must ooze warmth,
• Strong use of Marble or Stone,
• Quality fixtures – without compromise!
• Heating and good task and ambient lighting,
• Increase the natural light,
• Niches required for storage,
• Large open separate shower,
• Small amount of storage,
• Connection to outdoor and
• Client had a clear idea of products they wanted incorporated.

CONSTRAINTS: -

• Very small space;
• Small window – lacking natural light
• Privacy issue due to being an elevated lot (from neighbouring property);
• Clients expectation - Big Brief!
• Black & White palette - challenging at the best of times especially since brief required calming and warm environment.
•  

Project Description: The size of the existing space and the lack of natural lighting was the greatest challenge.

Modern bathrooms of today have to tick alot of boxes. To realise the clients brief, the space had to transform. Luckily the budget could cater to this transformation.

From the outset it was clear the window had to increase in size.  With ample garden bed on the other side of the bathroom wall (side walkway to backyard) a full height and full width window /metal box extrusion was proposed which cantilevered out into the disused garden. This made the space feel twice as large with additional floor space and brought the outdoors in, including an enormous amount of natural light! 

As the site was elevated above the neighbors’ block privacy was paramount, especially since increasing the size of the window!  To ensure privacy was maintained and coincidentally to make the outside connect internally, privacy screens were designed with an organic motif and manufactured with Core10 steel.  The rust that developed added the warmth naturally to the space within. 

Subsequently the layout was tackled. The client wanted a large separate shower, a freestanding bath and a vanity that was easy to access.  Plus the layout had to have storage for everyday bathing accessories. With the increased floor space this still small area was all that was needed to fit all the requirements of the brief in.  The bath was positioned centrally in the window and on the actual cantilever.  This enabled a large shower and toilet to be realized on the opposite wall.  It also meant that the vanity could sit between the two areas with a large round mirror above, and be the feature upon entering the bathing space.  In order to add storage the designer built up the vanity wall to allow for discreet pullout drawers with Blum tip on mechanisms and niches to be cleverly concealed behind.  It also kept the space clutter free and inline with the overall feel of a modern, chic space.

The fittings specified are the Kos Morphing range by European brand Zucchetti. They were the clients preferred product.  Not only were they quality fittings, they also complemented the black and white theme perfectly.

To compliment this theme further, black marble slabs were laid to the floor and up 1200mm high around the walls.  Contrasting this, white Corian® was clad to the remaining walls above.  This gave the space a minimal sleek foundation; grout free to soften the edges.  Mutina mosaic tiles were added to define the vanity area centrally.  They added some texture and depth to the overall feel. 

All fittings specified are quality products.  Underfloor heating and heated towel rails were installed. Lighting also plays a big part of any project but no more than here.  With the understanding that downlights would make the large glass window a mirror at night, the use of vertical LEDs either side of the vanity were incorporated.  Not only to they cast light outwards, they also light the niches and pullout drawers. Uplight spikes in the outdoor garden are on a night sensor, and act as a nightlight internally.

The final result  of this bathroom is one of many contrasts, the black and white theme, the oversized slab marble sheets and the Corian wall paneling contrast against the mini mosaic tiles to a striking effect but the biggest contrast of all is that of our thoughts; one would always presume that a black and white space would not have a real sense of calm or serenity but throw in the ingenious idea to extrude a glass & steel box into a garden space with a full height glass window and you have a space that is just that, calm and surprisingly this small bathroom feels that much larger. The light levels and connection to the outdoors gives you exactly what a private and personally indulgent space should offer you and that is personal calm, tranquility and private wellness

Modern Bathroom Design by Minosa

This Main Bathroom come Powder room for Guests has all boxes ticked. Strong bold design statement, soft ambient lighting and a great user friendly layout. 

DESIGN BRIEF

This family home is located in Sydney’s Inner West suburb of Haberfield. The architecture a traditional Californian bungalow with high internal ceilings, traditional cornices and mouldings. This bathroom was the only bathroom and with two children now young adults, this bathroom was no longer functional for the entire family. This family was desperate for a clever design, that was modern and fresh, however, complimenting traditional interiors.

The clients required a vanity/bench to accommodate two people, freestanding bath, large shower, heated towel rails and towel storage. To fit all the requirements into the existing small footprint, and still have a functional space, was set to be a challenge! Additionally, on the back wall was a large framed window consuming space.

The preference was for a more luxurious, contemporary style with timber accents, rather than ultra-crisp and modern. Maximising storage was imperative and the main difficulty was improving the access to the bathroom from the corridor, without comprising the existing linen cabinet.

Firstly, the bathroom needed to be slightly bigger in order to accommodate all the clients requirements and as it was the sole family bathroom and it would be a final renovation – this justified increasing its size. We utilized the space where the linen cabinet was in the hallway, however replaced it with another that was recessed from the hallway side into the bathroom. It was disguised in the bathroom by the timber look tiled wall, that we repeated in the shower. By finishing these walls shorter and encasing a vertical led profile within, it gave them a purpose.

Increasing the space also provided an opportunity to relocate the entry door and build a wall to recess three mirror cabinets, a toilet cistern and mount a floating bench and double drawer unit.

The door now covered the toilet on entry, revealing a grand ‘bathing’ platform on the left, with a bathtub and large shower, and a new wall that encased a generous shower niche and created a place for heated towel rails. Natural light is important, so the window wasn’t removed just relocated to maximise the shower area.

  

To create a sense of luxury, led lighting was mounted under the vanity and bathing platform for ambience and warmth. A contemporary scheme was achieved by using an Australian timber for the custom made bench, complimenting timber details within the home, and warmth added by layering the timber and marble porcelain tiles over a grey wall and floor tile as the base. For the double vanity the bench and drawers are asymmetrically balanced with above counter bowls creating a relaxed yet elegant fe

The result of this space is overwhelming, it offers the user a real bathing experience, one that is rich in texture and material and one that is engaging thru design and light. The brief was meet and sum, the clients could not be happier with their new bathroom. el

This Main Bathroom come Powder room for Guests has all boxes ticked. Strong bold design statement, soft ambient lighting and a great user friendly layout.