www.thedesignermagazine.com 45
InterIor
plans that go beyond ‘good’ and
onto a whole new level are often the
result of a designer who has one critical defining attribute – vision.
Being able to see what might be possible with this bathroom space
in Belgium involved a holistic look at the space, including the areas
immediately above and below the existing room.
the brief was to create an ensuite bathroom that was masculine
and dramatic whilst at the same time making the most of the
available space. Johanna Bush, bathrooms specialist and interior
designer at Surrey-based interior design firm evitavonni, explains:
“My main aim was to turn what was once a soulless unused room into
a unique, dramatic and atmospheric bathroom that would be enjoyed
as a haven and a retreat.
“the architecture of the room, including the awkward sloping
ceilings, inspired me to tackle the space to see how it could be
adapted and utilized to its full potential. this was the starting point;
product choice and the selection of intricate ranges of tiling followed
once the shape of the room was finalised.”
With this in mind, the structure of the room was investigated
and it was discovered that the existing ceiling could be removed and
also that the room below had a very high ceiling.
the design honed in on these elements and exploited both in
order to create an altogether different space. the existing ceiling was
removed and replaced with a new vaulted ceiling.
Bush says: “As I investigated how we could manipulate the
limitations of the building and change the structure of the room, all
of the elements started to piece together, for example how a huge
custom-made bath could be incorporated with a feature shower.”
this is where the high ceiling in the room below was seized
upon as a solution but it also created perhaps the biggest challenge
of the project. the structural alterations and technical detailing
of transforming the sketches and cardboard models into reality
challenged the design teams’ technical knowledge due to the
complexity of the design.
the plan was to use some of the height of the room below
to include a sunken bath. this of course demanded a detailed
approach to reinforcing the ceiling below and the floor structure.
the challenge was increased as the room had been added above an
older part of the building and had a part concrete slab floor. the
concrete floor was removed and replaced by steel joists which the
bath was then built into. ➔
evitavoni.indd 45 27/8/09 14:52:08
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