Small space becomes great ensuite for two - parents retreat

Ensuite Design Brief

•To bring a touch of glamour to a small bathroom space

•Although the bathroom is to be different to the other three bathrooms in this renovation there was a need for it to have its own identity

Products Required

•Double washbasin (preferably wall mounted), good storage, Double shower, toilet & Bidet 

NO PRODUCT TO BE MADE IN CHINA

The Constraints

•A circular window that could not be changed

•Structural Piers

•Fixed Floor waste locations

The Solution

•The layout of the bathroom as far as bathroom fixtures went, was self selecting; there were real challenges with this space. The first was to establish a way to get the plumbing were it needed and how do i treat the circular window that can not be changed! The designer decided the best thing was to create a false wall to do two things. First thing was it allowed the running of plumbing works and secondly it depend the round window and made it a real feature. This was then tiled with the selected Bisazza feature tile to highlight the depth and push the eye thru to the Bondi view.

•A floor to ceiling cabinet was placed in front of the structural pier and applied with mirror, this has a two fold action...one it allows for a full length mirror and second it gives great storage. The storage has a benchtop inside with GPO’s located inside to allow for the use of all electrical goods and keeps them away from the water points.

•The next hurdle was the shower, it was decide to create a false floor and dropped ceiling, feature tiles were applied for to make the space feel taller. LED lights have been applied to the vertical wall opposite the Bisazza wall to make the pearl tiles glisten and shine

•The custom made washbasin was selected to give the client a simple streamlined affect, slow flow tapware is required to maximise the function of this “flat” washbasin. LED lighting was applied to the underside of the washbasin & also the joinery below to highlight the free space to give a feeling of depth.

•Mirror was applied to the two return piers to make them disappear and to give a greater feeling depth to the bathroom this also helped with the glamour.

•Pendant lights were selected for their decorative appearance and applied in front of the side faced mirrors

Design statement

The clever use of recessed joinery, mirror and light gives this small bathroom a real touch of glamour. With a large amount of bathroom products required the real success to this bathroom is the overall feeling of space achieved by the designers - MInosa.

Custom Double ScoopED by Minosa

Clever use of mirrors makes the space feel that much larger!

Side mounted LED lights adds a touch of bling tot he Bisazza tiles...they seem to shimmer more when lite from the front!

The once ugly round window is now a real feature..we triple the depth of the reveal to run all plumbing works and to highlight  the rooms once ugly point!

who wants a door when your parents retreat looks like this!

Catalina & Smith Sweet light.....

Small space becomes a large kitchen thru clever design solutions - The Hidden Kitchen.

The challenges a small floor space throws up when a client wants all the mod cons available in todays digital world, for clients that love to entertain their kitchen had to do the same......

Design statement

The design brief was simple:- Fit enough appliances in that would service a small commercial kitchen; cater for a family of five that entertain a LOT, a ten seater table was a MUST! Make it stylish with no visible appliances and no products are to be made in China...... All this into a space that is a fraction of the size of their previous home; throw in a three seater couch, two large arm chairs and a 65inch plasma with all hi fi mod cons and toys and the design solutions was simple... Add another floor!

simple clean lines and soft touch of Corian benchtops

open plan/life integration how a few small spaces become one large space

looks like a small kitchen right?

The client engaged the designer at the eleventh hour after confidence had been lost in the previous project manager; the space was stripped and all rough in works were well underway.  The designer had to come up with a concept very, very quickly; after the first site visit the designer simply requested that the easiest way to meet the brief was to add another floor to the two level apartment or at least an extra 15 m2 (obviously never going to happen)!

The Constraints

The main constraint was the space that had to encompass this kitchen/family room, windows (with a very sunny northerly aspect), doors and plumbing oultets that could not be changed or relocated; the ceiling was low; a large stack had to be concealed within the design; a very obvious structural pier or two were also in the way!  Throw in the fact that this is a apartment on the sixth floor with now service lift and the small issue of 13 household appliances.......it was a challenge to say the least.

by rotating the table and connecting to the island unit we gained and extra 2m2 

Design solution

The layout of the cooktop and sink really selected itself as the plumbing was fairly fixed and the window had to remain, the biggest challenge came trying to conceal the structural piers and conceal the wall ovens and appliance cabinets.

structural piers and low concrete ceiling were are real challenge

have to admire the Hans J Wagner CH24 chairs....incredible design and i would have to say the most comfortable dinning chair i have every sat in!

warm palette of materials gives this kitchen/living space a real homely feel; travertine floors, walnut veneer & Carrera marble table top.

The designer decided to create a 7.2lm run of storage with a “pop and slide” door system to conceal the wall ovens and steamer, appliance cabinet for all of the small appliances; & second appliance cabinet would house all of the breakfast products and tea/coffee making facilities and also the entry into the scullery. This solved a number of issues as all can be easily opened when required and closed when visitors come over. The scullery became a pivotal part of the design as we could house the second dishwasher, 2nd fridge and wine storage (wine fridge) and one of the great success’ of this kitchen is the wall of white glass installed in the scullery which acts as the hub of the family home....white board markers & family planner live front and centre and can be closed of to guests effortlessly.

the workings of the kitchen are concealed behind pop and slide doors.....so when you need it...it is all there waiting!

and when you don't want it....it is out of the way...neat and tidy!

The structural piers played a very big part in the design concept as I had no choice but to highlight one of them on the cooktop run and make it a design feature of the space; a bulkhead was created to join the vertical element so it would tie in and shorten the tall timber joinery preventing it from connecting with the ceiling. All the walls (including glass splash-backs) and ceilings were painted in the one shade of white to give no clear distinction of were the wall stopped and the ceiling started. A timber surround was designed to tie in the integrated fridge on the left of the pier to give the feeling it was coming thru the pier and also to frame the cooktop area; the timber surround also married the tall joinery element on the right side (near window) which is the stack, the challenge here is that future access is required and we did not want any visible fixing. A vertical split baton panel was applied to the vertical panel so it was easy to remove and allow access if every required.

The final piece of the puzzle was the island unit, we have a family of 5 using this every day and with the request for up to 12 seats it was decided (after much debate) to rotate the table and integrate it into the island unit, this did a three things; firstly it removed one walk way that would have been created if it was to run north to south. Secondly it allowed us to create a extension table that could be easily extended each weekend when the entertaining would start & finally it drew your eye thru the room upon entry; making the space appear larger. BACK TO The table...this needed to be bold yet understated but in the same breath fulfill the clients desire for a real show stopper! After much discussion, debate and sketching the designer pitched the idea of a infer red remote control system normally used for pop up plasma televisions in entertainment units. A 316 stainless steel frame was engineered to take the load of the marble top and house the mechanics of this system....the table will seat comfortably 8 and with the extension table extended it could easily seat 10 to 12 people  the client was searching for.

the real hero of this space is the motorised table

inferred remote control controls the extension

the incredible HJW CH07 chair...200m of papercord as the seat....

our open boxes with no visible fixing....

integrated Corian sinks & the Gessi tap

Pop up GPO...great design idea

   

3D rendered images & walk thru provided to the client before any construction

3D images gave the client a clear understanding of our design direction & intent

Success

The kitchen design has fulfilled the clients brief in every essence and far exceeded their wildest dreams of what the space could be, the total integration of the space is the success of this kitchen/living room. The way the kitchen works for the client is outstanding & effortless. For a small (ish) Bondi apartment the space has all the mod cons the client was searching for, ample storage to accommodate a family of 5 and the design speaks for itself. I hope you like it as much as the client does!

We hope you enjoy these images as much as we do this space....great result.

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Milan fair wrap from a far

For us it is hard to watch & read all that has gone on in Milan over the last two weeks.


We thought we would throw in our "from a far" report. 


We are always watching and keeping a close eye on the Italian design market and have put together this image report what we see as the highlights from our favourite players.

Boffi - The hidden kitchen continues to gain momentum

The most impressive bifold door @ Boffi

Boffi front window @ Milan

Boffi - White is still strong. texture and colour coming from the styling and dressing

Bisazza Bagno Nendo collection - HOT! 

Bisazza Bagno Nendo collection - HOT!
super slick....

Bisazza Bagno Nendo collection - HOT!

Bisazza Bagno Nendo collection - HOT!

Bisazza Bagno Nendo collection - HOT!

Bisazza Bagno Nendo collection - HOT!

Bisazza Bagno Nendo collection - HOT!

Bisazza Bagno Nendo collection - HOT!

Gessi the underground experience @ Via Manzone

Gessi the underground experience @ Via Manzone

Gessi the underground experience @ Via Manzone

iSpa - Gessi....playful

Gessi the underground experience @ Via Manzone

Gessi the underground experience @ Via Manzone

Gessi - Well just having fun!

The entry to the Boffi showroom in Milan would have to be one our  highlights for any Milan visit!

Boffi Design week 2012

 The long distance wrap would have to be that the Nendo collection from Bisazza Bagno would be the highlight....white is here as far as fixed joinery goes. There does not seem to be a lot of colour which may reflect what's happening in the world today.  Enjoy....