Trends New Zealand Volume 33 No 4 | Page 102

Previous pages: Strong and sculptural – this luxury ensuite by designer Leon House combines crisp rectilinear forms with the soft lines of an elegant freestanding tub. Above: A powder table on the wall across from the feature vanity has the same furniture-style legs and fluted wood and mirror backdrop. Facing page: The ensuite’s chunky external walls are echoed in the proportions of the privacy wall. search | save | share at It can be tricky creating a modern, sculptural bathroom when the day-to-day necessities such as storage often take traditional, tell-tale forms. However, there is another way, as this opulent ensuite by designer Leon House reflects. “Set on the top floor of a large four-level, river-front home, this moody ensuite achieves a strong, natural aesthetic in keeping with the emphasis on natural finishes seen throughout the residence,” House says. “We partially walled in the bathroom – which presents as an insertion within the expansive master bedroom, a config- uration often seen in opulent hotel suites. “Both the external and internal wall faces are in veined carrara marble, chosen for its rich, earthy feel. The low-upkeep bathroom floor is in concrete, with a dark, exposed aggregate.” While the ensuite delivers on functionality it’s not weighed down by the look of traditional vanities. Here, the large central double vanity is finished in a dark Caesarstone and has the air of a piece of movable furniture, complete with legs. In one of many clever storage treatments in the room, the base of the vanity includes two drawers fronted in smoky mirrors, which reflect the room and so disguise the drawers’ presence.