Decor
The Average Canadian spends an hour a day in the bathroom.
MORE THAN JUST A PLACE TO GO
Fall 2009 |
American Standard, the bathroom fixtures people, took a survey in 2008 that found the average person enjoys at least 30 minutes of total privacy behind closed doors daily, but one in four people spend an hour or more taking care of business, bathing and showering, shaving and primping, and dressing.
North Americans also spend time in the bathroom reading, on the telephone, or checking email.
For the past decade or so, there has been a trend toward creating larger, luxurious bathrooms with all sorts of comforts such as heated floors, whirlpools, lounge chairs, and even televisions.
It is not unusual for some homeowners to knock down a bedroom wall to create a larger bathroom, but it wasn’t an option for Vivian and Mario Scinto. They couldn’t make their main bathroom bigger only better. They wanted a comfortable, inviting and more functional place to go.
The Scintos moved into their home, which was build shortly after the Second World War, 20 years ago. They had updated the kitchen and the downstairs bath a few years ago and were finally getting to the main floor bathroom.
They knew it would be a major ceiling-to-floor job. Everything screamed 1950. The pink bathroom fixtures and turquoise wall tiles were dated. The lighting, window and the flooring also needed to be replaced.
“The challenge in designing a small bathroom is to keep it functional yet choosing the right materials to create an uncluttered look,” says Marisa Buttazzoni, of Surroundings Interior Design.
“In this case, the colours chosen were light, the porcelain tile was chosen in a larger scale to create visual expanse. The tile has the visual texture of natural limestone, and it was important to use the same tile in the bathtub area.”
Buttazzoni suggested a glass tile ceiling be installed over the bathtub to create reflection and light.
Darker (cherry wood) accents were chosen such as the vanity unit and mirror to create a focal point.
“The end result was the spa-like room the clients wanted,” says Buttazzoni.
