What to look for when designing your next bathroom

PHOTOS BIANCHI PHOTOGRAPHY

When it comes to bathrooms, it’s literally the perfect place to let your hair down and let your true personality shine through. It’s where you want to wash off the stresses of the day and relax in a calming and clean space.

Nowhere is that more evident than when you visit the home of Jerome and Tenika Hough, owners of the Highgrove Bathrooms stores at West Gosford, Newcastle and Heatherbrae.

Jerome started at Highgrove in 2005 after working in a local surf shop on the Central Coast, and loved it so much that six years later, ‘he bought the shop’ – three, eventually – opening their first store in Newcastle in 2011.

‘Most people only plan on renovating a bathroom once,’ says Tenika who started in management and is an accomplished interior designer in her own right. ‘So for longevity, keep your »

look on trend and neutral, and design it in a way that it flows throughout the home.

The Hough’s home is set in an expansive bushland setting in Picketts Valley on the Central Coast so Tenika’s colour choices bring the natural setting indoors.

‘I like the feeling that the décor flows with the environment and brings a sense of the outside into the house,’ she says.

‘We’ve gone for lots of natural light: large windows (some frosted for privacy), louvres and skylights in our home. And I’ve always been keen on textures: stone, timber and metal elements. We’ve added a dramatic use of colour in our powder room with a deep, lustrous green for the wall tile to create a beautiful feature without it becoming dominant. In the main bathroom, we’ve used venetian plastering, textured wall tiles, tile sheets on the floor, and a porcelain slab tile and natural quartz for the vanity top.’

Curved walls, in textured tiles you can’t resist running your hands over, provide added privacy and design interest as you enter their bathrooms. And the rounded flow of the walls is seamlessly echoed in the arched mirrors above the vanities.

‘Features such as ceiling-mounted showerheads lend themselves to a minimalist look. Or, instead of a showerhead on a rail, go for an elbow fitting,’ says the ever-practical Jerome.

Tenika is based mainly at their West Gosford store and loves putting her interior design skills to good use to assist customers in their design choices. Because the stores carry a range of around 5-6,000 bathroom products, it means she can help them create versatile looks for a wide range of styles and budgets. ‘A timeless elegance and simplicity can never go astray in your design choices,’ she recommends.

Fluted glass shower screens Brushed brass and nickel tapware Natural colour palettes Stone benchtops in finishes from luxe marble to concrete look

Timber vanities

Arched and round mirrors

Concrete and solid surface basins

Freestanding baths