Interiors:A small bedroom was sacrificed to make this luxurious bathroom 'a place to hang out', writes Eoin Lyons
If there's one thing in common among those who undertake the renovation of a period house, it's that when it comes to bathrooms, they're concerned about creating a bigger, more luxurious room than exists already. But our preoccupation with lavish bathrooms is relatively new, and finding the space for a large bathroom in such houses isn't easy.
Which is why many turn to people such as interior designer Philippa Buckley to solve the problem. A couple in Dublin 6 asked her to oversee an almost top-to-toe renovation, and one of the changes she made was to merge a small bedroom with an existing bathroom.
"What they most wanted was a large bath that would sit in the centre of the room," says Buckley. So she set about devising a plan that would incorporate a mammoth bath and a large stand-alone shower. The second request from the owners was to retain a cast-iron chimneypiece that had been in the original bedroom.
The bath was placed at an angle, slightly off-centre in the room. Buckley designed an oval surround and had it made by Bracken Design Ltd (057-9352825) from marine plywood. It completely encases the sides of the bath, with a ledge that's deep enough to sit on. "It was difficult to find someone to take on the job - it's more complex than it seems because of all the pipes and so on."
She asked the specialist paint company Fassbinder & English (01-6617678) to paint the surround to mimic the pale creamy stone used in the shower and supplied by Antica (www.antica.ie). It's almost impossible to differentiate between the two.
A low "wall" rises from one side of the bath, following its curve, and is also made from specially painted marine plywood. This hides the pumps for the bath. Set into the "wall" is a recess with a water feature and a shelf for drinks. Towels are kept in shelves at the side.
Because of the generous scale of this bathroom, Buckley chose sanitary ware that's large in size. "It's all about proportions - smaller things would look too mean in the room. The toilet is a Philippe Starck design and has an extra-high cistern.
"The shower is by Huppe; the bath and sink are by Duravit. They were all purchased at Elegant John (www.elegantjohn.ie). Arcon Bathrooms (www.arconbathrooms.com) also has great products and are very good to deal with."
The bowl sink is set in a recess to one side of the chimneypiece on a panel of MDF that was stained to match the walnut floor. The other side of the chimney has a vertical radiator from Heating Distributors (www.heatingdistributors.com), a good source for all heating requirements. "Vertical radiators often work best in a bathroom because they need less wall space and give out the right amount of heat." The chimneybreast is covered in silvery metallic wallpaper by Zoffany, which can be ordered through Buckley.
Interior decoration magazines often describe a bathroom as being a "place to hang out" but in this case the cliche is true. Needless-to-say, the room is fitted with surround sound, and a flat-screen television. The total cost of the job was €17,000. Philippa Buckley's website is www.studio44.ie