Trends New Zealand Trends Volume 31 No 12 New Zealand | Page 90

Bathing
ritual
There’s a strong Japanese
influence in the design
of this bathroom and its
tranquil garden courtyard

Above: Natural timbers, including
western red cedar and rosewood,
reinforce the serenity of this master
suite in a new house designed by
Tanner Kibble Denton Architects.
Right: Pivoting windows over the tub
open out to a sheltered, Japanesestyle garden courtyard, complete
with gecko colony. The tub surround
is teak decking with caulking –
similar to the decking used on
yachts. The timber flows outdoors to
form a window seat in the garden.

In a clifftop house that flows seamlessly
between private and public spaces, and between
inside and out, it is only natural that the master
suite will reflect a similar design response.
And so it is with this project designed by
architects John Rose and Renata Ratcliffe of
Tanner Kibble Denton Architects (TKDA).
The master suite echoes the serene nature of
the rest of the pavilion-style house, which references both Japanese and Balinese architecture,
says architect John Rose.
“One of the owners is Australian and the
other is Japanese so that had a strong bearing
on the design of the bathroom, which needed
to celebrate the bathing ritual,” he says. “And
while they wanted a luxurious retreat, the suite
needed to feel homely, not like a hotel.”
Large pivoting windows beside a deep tub
open up the bathroom to a traditional Japanese
courtyard garden
“The windows blur the divide between
indoors and outdoors, so you feel as though you
are bathing out in the open,” says Ratcliffe. “The
feeling is enhanced by yacht-style teak decking
with caulking that forms the tub surround and
then flows outside to create a window seat. But
we haven’t forgotten the harbour view. The tub
is directly aligned with a window on the opposite wall in the bedroom, so the owners can
glimpse the harbour and city lights – and see
the moon rising – from the tub.”
A long, cantilevered stone shelf supports
his-and-hers basins, each with its own mirror
suspended on a steel rod. Similar stone features
in the step-down double shower on the same
axis, and on the floor and walls.
“The natural materials echo the palette of
the rest of the house,” says Rose. “They help to
put the focus on contemplation. For this reason,
also, the suite is the quieter side of the house.”
Other features of the suite include a steam
room, toilet room, walk-in wardrobe and gym.

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