ZEN & THE ART OF THE BATHROOM
A rundown bathroom is given new life with a restrained palette and timeless finishes
Potential was the keyword when Mia Daminato and her husband Jeremy first saw this character-filled cottage in Sydney’s Clovelly. Its great bones and location made it perfect to raise their family, but it needed a total revamp. After doing some quick cosmetic updates, the family lived in the home for four years, which gave them time to work out their long-term plans and prepare for the renovation that would include
a second storey. However, before they could get going, the existing main bathroom had to be addressed. As well as being very unattractive, the bath was leaking, some of the tiles were loose and the waterproofing was non-existent. All these problems were causing damage to the adjoining bedrooms, so the situation needed to be dealt with quickly.
Working with Mia’s brother, Asia-based interior designer Albano Daminato, the couple decided to make the most of the limited space by removing the bath and replacing it with a large shower and a low bench, which serves as a place to keep bathroom essentials and a resting spot for Matteo and Luca. Albano then chose a classic, neutral palette for the room, selecting Japanese-style Minokoyo wall tiles from Academy Tiles for their subtle textural quality.
dream it
When Mia and Jeremy first moved in, the priority was stopping the leaks and preventing further damage. They decided on a short-term fix of sealing the bath with Megasealed, while they considered how best to use the space.
The big question for the family was whether they could squeeze a bath into the space. While a bath is always lovely (and enhances resale value), they decided they could manage with just a shower until they built the first-floor extension, which will include a full-sized bath in a new bathroom. This freed up space in the existing bathroom. “We don’t really need the bath at the moment,” says Mia. “We could have fitted a very small bath across the back wall, but what’s the point of having a tiny bath with a husband who’s six foot one?”
design it
A sense of spaciousness was key to the room’s success. Albano’s design for the open shower allows the eye to travel all the way to the end of the room, and the retro-style Durovit sink from Candana has open space underneath it that frees up the floor area. Large-format limestone floor tiles from Di Lorenzo add to the wonderful almost open-plan feeling.
During the build phase, the family spent about a month using an outside bathroom. “We had to move the plumbing around because it was just so poorly planned before, but it was well worth it,” says Mia. “And even though the space is small, it’s quite a large basin. It looks generous because it’s light (with the base just sitting on the console unit) and you can see through it.”
As with many houses built in the 1920s, there wasn’t much storage space, so Mia and Jeremy wanted to make sure the new bathroom had enough room for their toiletries. The solution was a large floating cupboard next to the basin. “Albano designed the joinery, too,” says Mia. “It floats above the floor to visually give a sense of lightness. It has two drawers at the bottom, shelving inside, and exposed shelving on the side, which is quite handy when you’re standing at the basin.”
do it
One of the reasons the new bathroom works so well is the subtle lighting, an illuminated mirror that creates a soft, flattering glow in the room, and LEDlux Disk wall lights from Beacon Lighting.
“I really like the way Albano designed the lighting,” says Mia says. “He added a light on top of the storage unit that illuminates the ceiling, so we have the illuminated mirror, the light that bounces up over the storage, and the wall light near the shower.”
Mia says it’s hard to choose her favourite part of the bathroom (although she adores the open shelves near the basin), but the boys are big fans of the shower and bench at the end of the room. “The water pressure out of that showerhead is pretty good,” she admits. They love relaxing in there – I can’t get them out!”
“We could have had a very small bath across the back wall but what’s the point with a husband who’s six foot one” MIA DAMINATO, HOMEOWNER