Bathrooms: Mt Eden villa’s marble marvel

Architect Guy Tarrant creates a new bathroom in tune with the renovated villa it calls home. Here, Tarrant discusses the selection of materials used and what makes good bathroom design.

The family bathroom. Photograph by Simon Devitt.

 

HOME This bathroom is part of a major renovation of a villa. What was required, and how did you choose to allocate the space for it?
Guy Tarrant Two bathrooms were required, an en suite and a family bathroom. Only the family bathroom required a bath. A relationship to sleeping areas and north-western light were key drivers in allocating these spaces.

HOME How did you choose the material palette?
Guy Tarrant Marble was selected for the floor and bath plinth in the family bathroom because of its almost-Victorian feel, which was appropriate for a villa. The more economical porcelain wall tiles were chosen as a calming influence to the marble.

HOME What makes a good bathroom in general design terms?
Guy Tarrant Apart from the obvious practical requirements, a prevailing sense of calm and quiet luxury. My approach is to carefully resolve the plan, control light and exercise restraint in detailing and material choices. It is possible to impart a sense of luxury without expensive finishes.

Design details

Tapware Paini ‘Cox’ from Metrix.
Bath spout Felton ’06’ from Metrix.
Basin Vitra ‘S50’ from Franklins.
Wall tiles White 300 x 100mm tiles from Tile Warehouse.
Floor tiles and bath plinth Alba marble from Artedomus.
Cabinet above sink Custom-designed by Guy Tarrant Architect, fabricated by Form Design in solid walnut and walnut veneer.

Latest video features

In the Coromandel, a home with a humble profile and a thoughtful design makes the most of a stunning location.

Built with awe-inspiring attention to detail, this Arrowtown home is a fresh interpretation of a familiar Otago rural vernacular.

This sculptural Northland bach is a perfect north arrow on a remote farm high above the sea.

With the sun on its bow and the community at its stern, this is a house in which the elements are always front of mind.

Trending articles

Homes

Queen of the lake

The master plan of a dwelling comprising three separate buildings, originally conceived in the 1990s, has been completed by Sumich Chaplin Architects linking the three

Homes

Set sail

Designing for a site in the glowing headlands of Te Rae Kura, +MAP Architects envisaged a home that could be sailed like a ship —

Design News

In portrait

The Portrait Chair by Simon James draws inspiration from the Brutalist architecture of the 1950s, reimagining it as a modern take on the club chair.

Design News

The art of design

In the latest edit from Matisse: Blown glass pendants suspended like precious objects; Stella McCartney x B&B Italia, and Rimadesio’s Sail sliding doors.