Bathrooms as relaxing zones

A bathroom design by Taliesyn for a farmhouse in Bengaluru. Credit: Special Arrangement

A sky-lit shower zone at Java Rain Resorts, Chikkamagaluru, designed by Cadence Architects. Credit: Special Arrangement

From merely being utility areas, bathrooms today are turning into relaxing havens at home. From zoning and layout to finishes and lighting, a lot goes into conceiving a soothing aesthetic.

Shower amidst nature

As sky-lit shower zones are hugely popular now, George E Ramapuram, managing director of Earthitects, Bengaluru, sheds light on a bathroom design done for a residential project in Kerala. “We took the courtyard of the home to the bathroom, and placed a terrazzo-shower tray in the middle of the courtyard garden,” he illustrates. The walls are made from natural stone and the skylight was articulated with wooden poles to let in dapples of sunlight. This replicates the feeling of being under a tree, he adds.

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Landscaping worked as a buffer space, so the water wouldn’t splash onto the dry zone. “This was key in avoiding the shower cubicle, which according to me makes one feel cramped for space and unrelaxed,” he notes. The idea here was to keep the wet zone separate from the dry zone while providing the freedom of moving around like when under a waterfall.

The calmness was highlighted by hiding the geysers in a zone between the sloped roof of the home, and the false ceiling so no wires are hanging around. The plumbing lines are taken through the wooden poles and the shower head is taken through a branch of one of the poles.

Diffused or reflected lights work well, says George. “At the Kerala home, we followed the shape of the roof and the mirror for the lights,” he adds.

Take ideas from nature. He explains, “We took a tree stump from one of the fallen trees and added wheels to it. It works as a seater in the dry zone. The towel stand mimics the branch of a tree”. For the flooring, George opted for wooden finish vitrified tiles.

Keep them large

Sanjay Srinivasan, co-founder, Edifice Consultants, Bengaluru, worked with a similar design for a Kerala-based wellness resort. The bathroom has both external and internal zones — where the view of the greenery and water bodies outside has been captured. For the external shower area (a skylit space), Sanjay worked with laterite walls and greenery to ensure privacy. The space was completed with traditional Malabar elements including a ladder-like shelf.

If your bath is a cocooned box you will feel restless; to lend a laid-back feel, larger bathrooms work well, he suggests.

Speaking about planning the layout of bathrooms, Smaran Mallesh, principal architect with Cadence Architects, Bengaluru, says, “If you want an open to sky or garden view zone then you need to work out a floor plan for that experience. You will organise your spaces so the edge of your bath falls in the garden or captures a view of it”.

Monoliths and monotones

Smaran worked with an enchanting rooftop, and garden-view bathroom (attached to a spa) at a Trivandrum residence. “To make the space look like an extension of the garden, we gave it an earthy tone,” he says. The wall cladding features tiles (that mimic natural stone) that are cut in different proportions and staggered together to create a monolithic look, he adds.

“We looked at freestanding sanitary fixtures for this space: the mirror, the wash basin, and the basin mixer,” he notes. Cove lighting was key here to highlight the texture of the tiles. The ornamental drop light over the water closet zone completes the look, he adds. “In the same home, another bathroom was attached to the interior space. There we worked with Statuario marble for the wet zone and tiles for the dry zone (to differentiate),” he says. The mirror and the counter with storage are placed along the length of the room to accentuate it.

At Smaran’s Chikkamagaluru project, Java Rain Resorts, the shower is right below a skylight. The basin is made out of concrete, with the look of an eroded block. Monotones and materials that render the natural coupled with views of open areas are his go-tos.

Shalini Chandrashekar, principal architect with Taliesyn – Design & Architecture, Bengaluru, designed a sculptural dining-wash area for a Kerala home. “The wash has a monolith brass sink, indirect lighting through the false ceiling, and marble with an anti-grip finish. We didn’t use tiles, we wanted to avoid visible joints,” she says. She worked with a limited colour palette, and added French doors between spaces.

At a Bengaluru farmhouse, Shalini crafted a minimalistic, monochromatic bath (all grey). In most of our designs, we don’t have a mirror or wall in front of the wash basin. Instead, we capture the views and sounds of nature, she says. Here, we have a two feet-high window (that doubles up as a seater) above an automated stone basin. The louvre shutters play well with the rustic interiors while letting in breeze and light even when closed, she adds.

Design challenges

*Creativity is put to test when you want to separate wet and dry zones seamlessly.

*Selecting the right sanitary fixtures can be challenging.

Wallet factor

Depending on the materials and fixtures used, a bathroom of this kind should cost you a minimum of Rs 3,000 per sq ft.