Zak Reynolds
Winner – Bathroom Designer of the Year
The brief for Ripples’ designer Zak Reynolds was to create a contemporary, sophisticated and stylish ensuite room that would have immediate impact and presence.
The result was a feature-packed design which met the needs of this young professional couple. Since they frequently needed to be getting ready for work at the same time, the large shower was fitted with twin showerheads, whilst the walk-in screens and basin were angled to provide space around the WC and shower entrance to offer ease of simultaneous use.
Since the male client always shaves in the shower, the basin did not need to have a wall mirror position and so it was able to take on a focal-point role in the bathroom. To keep things nice and tidy here, the plumbing for the basin is concealed within the unit’s legs.
In fact, the design incorporates a number of such devices to keep things looking clean and uncluttered – a false wall was built at the WC end of the room to hide the cistern and soilpipe along the bottom of the floor, while another false wall houses recessed mirror cabinets to provide the storage required without limiting the overall visual impact.
The ceiling above the shower and WC area was lowered to provide a more intimate atmosphere and colour-change LEDs were installed into parts of this ceiling and also within the alcoves to boost the visual effect still further.
The judges felt that Reynolds had nailed the brief perfectly by showing a thorough and highly professional approach to understanding his clients and their requirements. The end result was a bathroom that eschewed some of the bathroom norms in favour of practical and eyecatching solutions that actually work for the couple who will be using it.
“It is probably my favourite room that I have designed in the past six years,” says Reynolds. “Not only did it meet all the clients’ wishes in creating a room that is visually stunning, practical and a pleasure to be in, but the product cost came in at under £10,000 – substantially below what I would normally expect for a room of this visual calibre.”
Ripples, Chichester
+44 (0)1243 776661
www.ripples.ltd.uk
Finalists in this category
Wayne Shevlin & Sasha Charlton, Inpirational Design
Sokum Wan, West One Bathrooms