Creating a dream space

The bathroom of a scenic family home on Sydney’s Pittwater dated from the mid-1980s and reflected the tastes of the time, heavily marbled with a strong colour palette. ‘It was like a hotel,’ says Danish-born architect Niels Herholdt, who has lived in Australia for many years.

The architect’s brief was to bring the bathroom into line with the rest of the house, maintaining a distinctly modern Scandinavian style. ‘Every room should blend with the next,’ Niels says. ‘This is a house for big ideas. The owners lived for a long time in America where the rooms are large and spacious, and they wanted to create that open, expansive feel here.’

Creating that feeling meant lightening the colour scheme and letting the water views take centre stage. ‘The view is everything,’ Niels says. ‘A Scandinavian aesthetic works perfectly in an environment like this because it’s about working in harmony with nature.’

 

The white-on-white fixtures and fittings are softened by walls, splashback and vanity doors made of American rock maple, the same timber used throughout the house. All the joinery details were done by hand, with the dovetail joints visible from both sides left exposed to showcase the craftsmanship and enhance the natural effect. The timber was finished with a solvent-free natural oil to lift the warm tones of the grain. 

The choice of square French limestone tiles continues the white theme. Left untreated, they were simply honed and sealed for water resistance.

 

‘Leaving everything as natural as possible has become an important feature,’ Niels says.

 

‘I was also able to work that same ethos into other details such as the doubled-sided mirrors that reflect the view back into the room.’

 

It’s an effect that points to the intelligence of the design. Other features that are subtle but smart include a timber seat in the shower area for taking in the view, and a sound system with speakers recessed into the walls.

 

‘I don’t like anything on the walls interrupting the lines,’ Niels says. ‘I recessed as much as possible, including the showerheads. You don’t lose any function but gain a lot in terms of design.’