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When Card architecture co-founder Tahj Rosmarin and lawyer Sione Pemberton moved into their two-bedroom North Melbourne apartment, the bathroom was in dire need of attention.
Tahj soon put his design skills to the test, working to transform the compact six-square metre space, without extending its footprint, or moving any plumbing points.
Here’s how he did it!
The bones and vision
Apart from some charming pale blue tiles, there were few redeeming qualities about Tahj and Sione’s existing 1960s bathroom, which had been cheaply renovated ad-hoc over time.
The original layout awkwardly positioned the laundry and bathroom as fully separate yet adjoining spaces (placed one after the other). A large bulkhead created a low ceiling, and everything was on display and cluttered due to minimal storage.
Tahj and Sione decided to strip it all back in favour of a more practical and simple space with a neutral palette to suit them and hopefully future residents to come.
‘We wanted the space to feel cohesive with the rest of the apartment’s renovation and the mid-century modernist approach of the existing building,’ explains Tahj. ‘We selected a neutral palette, with a distinctive colour to break this up — similar to how the original kitchen was designed.’
Tahj’s mantra throughout the project : KISS — meaning ‘keep it simple stupid’. Think timeless materials, with classic colours and materials.
Scope of works
To minimise the budget, Tahj decided to keep all existing plumbing points in the same location. Working within these limitations, the vanity was located from the ‘bathroom’ portion of the original plan, to the original ‘laundry’ area before it.
The latter now hosts a vanity station with an operable bulkhead joinery unit above for ‘long-term storage’ (tents, bed linen), and a washing machine underneath. The dryer was integrated into a new cupboard opposite with plenty of additional storage space and adjustable shelves.
In the original ‘bathroom’ portion of the plan, the toilet was shifted slightly and changed to an in-wall cistern system to save on space. ‘This gave us an opportunity to include a plywood ledge to gather knick knacks and products,’ says Tahj.
The existing bath location was retained, but built in with a hob, and tiled to match the walls. 100x100mm tiles add interest and work to make the entire space feel bigger.
Instead of a shower screen, Tahj designed a partition wall with a little ‘window’ that extends the view but still offers privacy away from the toilet. ‘It also frames the window and view outside, without blocking any natural light,’ he says.
The bathroom was fully constructed within a two-and-a-half month period, following a two-month design period.
Project wins
Tahj and Sione were able to stay with family during the construction period to reduce costs and pressure on timing, which went slightly over the original deadline.
The cost of the project was just $2,000 above their initial estimates, which Tahj credits to plenty of prior planning, and working directly with trades.
‘We spent a lot of time confirming costs prior to construction so that there were no surprises,’ he says. ‘We sourced a lot of the items ourselves to save on cost, and we worked directly with the joiner… Michael from Hilite Bathroom Transformations was great to work with and didn’t hit us with lots of variations or cost escalations.’
Of course, Tahj being an architect also saved the couple on potential design fees.
Challenges and surprises
There’s nothing like your own renovation to make you realise just how many people are involved in construction!
‘No matter the size, bathroom renovations require at least 9 trades to come through the project at multiple times: a demolition contractor, plumber, carpenter, plasterer, waterproofer, tiler, caulker, joiner, painter… We underestimated this, which meant coordinating and dealing with many trades working on different parts of the bathroom,’ says Tahj.
‘Working with existing buildings is also a challenge when dealing with millimetre precision, so our trades spent more time and effort in straightening walls, setting out tiles and making sure cabinets were “straight” when walls weren’t! Not easy.’
Favourite features
Tahj is proud of the six-square metre bathroom’s clever design, which has dramatically improved its usability without being extended — a testament to his architectural prowess!
His favourite feature: the way everything can be packed away with no mess. ‘The laundry basket, for example! It is always good to have storage in a small apartment, and bathrooms are actually good spaces for this, as you can integrate it into joinery and bulkheads.’
The couple love the shower window that frames the leaves outside for a relaxing treehouse feel, and the bathroom’s multiple lighting sources. ‘Bright lights for function, moody warm lights for bathing.’
Budget breakdown
Trades
Demolition
Carpentry
Tiling
Waterproofing
Caulking
Plumbing
Electric
= $28,800
Materials
Cabinetry: $9,000
Tapware: $600
Tiles: $1,600
Lighting: $300
Heated towel rails: $500
Paint: $200 (DIY)
= $12,200
Renovation total: $41,000
