Page 30 - HW May 2021

wet areas
Designers say their briefs are getting more adventurous and client expectations
are rising in the bathroom design space, finds Andy Kerr.
ONE TREND THAT surfaced early on in my research was the idea of the bathroom becoming a space offering luxury and peace. For example, Margaret Young of Margaret Young Designs in Invercargill says she has observed contemporary European
bathroom designs that “seem to be ahead of the trends and are starting to take on the character of a living room – places to relax and linger.”
Building on this idea, Debra DeLorenzo of Wellington’s DeLorenzo Design reckons many people have experienced the spa-like luxury of bathrooms during stays in high-quality hotels and realise there is nothing to stop them pampering themselves in their own environment, 365 days a year.
In this respect, Karen Candy of K Candy & Co in Auckland also notes that people have “become more relaxed and adventurous with their designs in the past year and have embraced a sense of luxury.”
“They can afford to reveal more of their personalities in a space characterised by organic materials and natural colours.
It’s a space that they can return to and feel safe, nurtured and happier.”
Melanie Sa’u, is an award-winning designer at Cube Dentro, which specialises in creating cabinetry for the whole home, typically new builds.
She and a team led by director Leonie Hamill operate in an area of the market where people know what they want and will pay the money to get it.
“At this level,” Melanie says, “the end goal is to make everything look like a piece of furniture.”
She acknowledges that New Zealand is a relatively small market with good product options, but we’re not totally spoilt for choice.
“For example, we’re seeing a lot of great vanities coming out of Australia that feature a type of fluted board, but you can’t buy that off the shelf here, so you have to work with a cabinetmaker to create the effect.”
And that’s easier said than done, given the intense pressure that tradespeople are also under.
FITTINGS AND FINISHES
Melanie Sa’u aims to achieve an overall look which means tiling throughout. “That’s where we’ve headed at the upper end of bathroom design. And if there’s plenty of money to spend on
a vanity, clients might instead go down the veneer or lacquer route, which opens up the whole rainbow of colours.”
Karen Candy says she’s seeing customers open up to larger porcelain panels rather than the traditional tiles and cites a product called Dekton (imported by Concertino) which she says is “very natural and organic-looking” and comes in large sheets up to 20mm thick from which you can make a vanity.
“These are large-scale panels that people are putting on their bathroom walls and shower floors and it avoids any traditional grout line cleaning problems. The initial cost of the product
is more but it’s cheaper to install and potentially has better longevity,” says Karen.
Tiles are still very popular, she adds, with customers steering towards a warm, concrete look in a large format for flooring and some going for a smaller tile or finger tiles on walls.
A designer that aims for “understated luxury” is Luciana Borges of Borges Design in Auckland and she is also a fan of the new wave of porcelain products.
“You can now get ultra-large sheets in several different finishes. This allows you to be creative and apply the product to not only floors and walls but also vanity tops, cabinetry doors and more.”
Down in Central Otago, Andrea Marshall of Lily & Forbes Interior Design says timber and natural stone finishes are still trending, usually paired with aged or brushed metal tapware and hardware which will continue to patina over time.
“Matt tiles are still more popular and smaller format, patterned floor tiles with neutral wall tones are making a resurgence alongside matt or stone basins and freestanding baths in organic shapes.”
Andrea favours minimalistic tapware styles with clean lines,
One small step...
Blum says take your imagination up a STEP. Whether you’re always running out of storage space in the vanity, can’t get to the top cabinet safely or easily, or are still a few years off reaching the basin, SPACE STEP is one of Blum’s latest cabinet applications. Available to suit most Blum drawer ranges, SPACE STEP will keep your designs cohesive throughout the entire home.
www.blum.co.nz
28 NZHJ | MAY 2021
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