all white’s not alright

A tip-off from her sister was the starting point for Tracy Towers’ bathroom with its distinctive tiled feature wall and colourful vanity unit, painted Resene Hullabaloo.

When Tracy and her family moved into the 1970s suburban home, the configuration of the bathroom was typical of the era – three smaller rooms with the shower and toilet separated out from the main bathroom. The shower room was “so disgusting we only used it once or twice before we renovated”.

And her sister’s tip-off? To check out the range of quirky and colourful tiles available at Middle Earth Tiles. Says Tracy: “I was originally thinking about green tiles but then saw this blue one and loved it.”

While the toilet has been kept in a separate room, the shower room has been incorporated into the main bathroom, allowing for a large tiled shower area that’s perfect for a family of teenagers. A half-height tiled wall separates it from the vanity, with glass above to allow the feature wall to be seen uninterrupted.

The Middle Earth tiles extend over the entire end wall of the bathroom, including into the shower, with a listello strip running through the remaining white tile walls for continuity.

Tracy had commissioned designer Joanne Godding of Bespoke on Khyber to help with her previous house so called her in again for the bathroom project.

Says Joanne: “It’s great working with such a design aware client and one who isn’t afraid of using colour. She knows what she wants and isn’t afraid of following through with that.”

Although Tracy had a clear idea of what she wanted, and the layout was restricted to the original positioning of the vanity and bath, Joanne was charged with designing the vanity unit to unite the visual elements. Says Joanne: “We kept it relatively simple so that it didn’t overtake the tiles visually.”

A matai timber vanity top from Kings Fourth Generation (a surprisingly robust surface) and open shelves bring warmth to the room, while the Resene Hullabaloo panelled drawers echo the tile colour. The square top-mounted basin means that drawer space isn’t lost, and makes the area easier to clean, says Tracy.

Tracy was keen on the open shelves in order to store towels; she has also introduced colour into the otherwise white room with ceramic wall art.

To complete the picture, she used a whimsical paua and mirror mosaic mirror from Art of Gifts in Birkenhead, Auckland, set between two light sconces from ECC. “I didn’t want a big mirror to cover the tiles. This doesn’t detract from the tiles, and works in well with them.”

The next area for a makeover was the adjacent toilet, which Tracy had painted white. “The painters left at the end of the day and I thought ‘yuck’. It was too white – white walls, white toilet, white basin, white tiles. So I went out and bought a tin of Resene Hullabaloo and repainted it myself in a day. I was much happier.”

Tracy is, in fact, very happy with the look of both rooms, and enjoys the functionality of the spaces. “They had to work well as both good spaces for a teenage family but also look good for guests.”

words: Sharon Newey
pictures: Frances Oliver

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