Once a sacred space for ritual purification, the bathroom has had a history of ups and downs. In recent times it became the room, along with toilets and laundries, that had to make do with whatever dark space remained after the main “living” spaces were planned. Slowly and surely, this mindset is shifting.
For Michael Ellis, the bathroom has always been a favourite space to design. The typically smaller spaces of a bathroom – when compared to living areas – mean the space can easily afford a more luxurious material palette that is easily absorbed into the overall budget.
Boutique tiles, customised fittings, along with the use of natural stone and marble are merged with the latest in bathroom technologies.
“More of our clients are building in steam showers and under-tile heating, as well as making room for oversized baths so the room truly becomes a place of relaxation.”
Michael Ellis
Bespoke mosaic tiles can bring forth romantic images of ancient hammams, and marble is often used for its beauty as well as its practicality.
Depending on the client’s appetite for the unusual, Michael can be daring in his designs. Dark backgrounds juxtaposed with natural timber challenge the idea of a traditional bathroom and the result draws you in. In the same way warm and cool colours can be used in conjunction with unfamiliar angles to direct light in such a way that the room feels still feels airy while you are cocooned in your purification ritual.
As always, the needs of the client drive the design. Are you a couple looking for an ensuite that reflects your personality or is your idea of a bathroom simply an efficient space that enables you to transition through your day? Could you be a busy family looking for a two-story build and preferring to have a bath in the bathroom that is on the same level as the kitchen so that preparing dinner and bathing kids becomes a realistic multi-task?
No matter your preference, consider this: a bathroom in an architect-designed and built home should always reflect your lifestyle; no matter how much or how little time you spend in it.
