Gloomy to Bloomy

For years, my client’s main entrance featured a standard walk-in guest toilet with a small basin tucked away in a narrow passage leading to the kitchen. However, in 2022, as part of a significant home renovation project, they aspired to transform this area into a sophisticated vanity space that would stand out from the rest of their home’s interior. Their desire was to pay homage to their beloved home country, South Africa, if possible.

I successfully reconfigured the layout, sealing off access to the kitchen from the end of the passage, and created a charming powder room in this space. A floating vanity, crafted from American white oak and veneer, now graces the back wall. Above the vanity, a bronze mirror stretches from the countertop to the ceiling, adding both height and an illusion of spaciousness. To maintain visual continuity with the flooring, I also extended the mirror below the vanity. I used the timber to ground the two boldly coloured spaces in nature.

Throughout the house, I embraced a theme of strong vertical lines in the joinery design. In this powder room, I introduced graceful curves at either end of the solid oak drawer.

The vertical line theme of the house was retained by attaching slim strips of solid timber to the veneer front of the drawer. Above the toilet, a floating veneer shelf echoed the same rounded curve of the vanity. A warm white led strip-light below the vanity highlights the bronze mirror.

The introduction of the Protea wallpaper in the toilet brings a great point of difference to the natural hues throughout the house. The protea, also the national flower of South Africa, holds iconic significance, similar to the silver fern for New Zealand, and is even embraced by their national sports teams. Stepping into this space, you are enveloped in the beauty and vivid colors of nature.