Bathroom ideas: Top 8 lessons from award-winning house

We’ve featured this fabulous Noosa home before but today we’re taking a more in-depth tour of its resort-style, award-winning bathrooms. “They have the vibe of a luxury hotel – I wanted each bathroom to be a place to unwind after a busy day,” says the home’s architect Sarah Waller.

The chic, monochrome spaces complement the home’s minimalist design while connecting seamlessly with the outdoors – the most notable is the master bathroom which is a covetable indoor/outdoor space.

The home has a magnificent outdoor bathroom. Image: Jake Magnus — The home’s dreamy outdoor bathroom. Image: Jake Magnus

We caught up with the architect recently to get the inside skinny on how to create a sanctuary style bathroom – here are Sarah’s top eight design tips.

Planning
As with anything related to designing and building a home, planning is key for wet areas. “Be thorough when planning your bathroom layout. It’s a small space so carefully consider lighting, ventilation, windows, the placement of fittings and the colour palette,” says Sarah.

Simple palette
“Keep the colour palette simple. Bathrooms are usually quite small, intense spaces and busy colours are too overwhelming on the eye and can create an unwelcoming space. Look to black and white to provide clean lines,” says Sarah.

With a whopping five bathrooms in this home, Sarah made them different but complementary. All of them boast black and white colour schemes that have a unifying effect overall.

Storage
“Storage, storage and more storage. Everything should be hidden away in concealed storage for a clean line of vision,” says Sarah and we couldn’t agree more. From mirrored medicine cupboards to vanity drawers designed around plumbing, you can never have enough space to store toiletries and make-up.

Timeless (but not boring!) fixtures and fittings
“Choose classic styles for longevity. Select fittings that are classic in style and high in quality,” says Sarah who is wary of trends in the bathroom – especially when it comes to tiling. “When selecting bathroom tiles remember you have to live with them for the next ten years so be wary of trends. It’s not easy to retile a whole bathroom,” says Sarah.

Glasshouse — This shower features the Methven Aurajet Aio rail shower in matte black. Image: Michelle Clark

Create space
“The more floor space you have, the larger a bathroom will feel. Anything you can keep off the floor is a design win. Look to floating vanities, wall-hung toilets and concealed cupboards. Adding storage behind mirrored cabinets is ideal,” says Sarah echoing our sentiments above.

A wall hung vanity increases the feeling of space. Image: Paul Smith — A wall hung vanity increases the feeling of space in this bathroom. Image: Paul Smith

Heating
While our warm weather is envied across the globe, it can also get rather cold in Australia which is why you may like to consider bathroom heating. “Underfloor heating is amazing in bathrooms and takes the edge off walking on cold tiles,” says Sarah. Overhead heat lamps and heated towel rails are some other great options too.

Lighting
From task to mood and natural lighting, Sarah argues that lighting is key when it comes to creating a practical yet luxe bathroom sanctuary. “Lighting is important as we tend to use bathrooms at night. Make sure your space has mood lighting for enjoying a relaxing bath, as well as task lighting for doing things like your make-up. Windows are energy efficient and provide natural lighting throughout the day,” says Sarah.

Pendants provide mood lighting in the bathroom. Image: Jake Magnus — Pendants provide mood lighting in this bathroom. Image: Jake Magnus

Accessories
“Matching accessories complete the look. Choose items such as towels, soap dispensers and decorative pieces that complement your colour palette. They will tie the whole look together.”