NO RELAXATION FOR DESIGNERS IN HOT DEMAND - NZ Hardware Journal's
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Leonie Hamill (photo Kallan MacLeod)
NO RELAXATION FOR DESIGNERS
Debra DeLorenzo Joneen Rodgers
26 NZHJ | MAY 2021 MORE AT www.hardwarejournal.co.nz
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Luciana Borges
IN HOT DEMAND
K Candy & Co Andrea Marshall
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Designers say their briefs are getting more It’s a space that they can return to and feel safe, nurtured and
happier.”
adventurous and client expectations Melanie Sa’u, is an award-winning designer at Cube Dentro,
which specialises in creating cabinetry for the whole home,
are rising in the bathroom design space, typically new builds.
finds Andy Kerr. She and a team led by director Leonie Hamill operate in an
area of the market where people know what they want and will
pay the money to get it.
“At this level,” Melanie says, “the end goal is to make
ONE TREND THAT surfaced early on in my research was the idea everything look like a piece of furniture.”
of the bathroom becoming a space offering luxury and peace. She acknowledges that New Zealand is a relatively small
For example, Margaret Young of Margaret Young Designs market with good product options, but we’re not totally spoilt
in Invercargill says she has observed contemporary European for choice.
bathroom designs that “seem to be ahead of the trends and are “For example, we’re seeing a lot of great vanities coming out
starting to take on the character of a living room – places to of Australia that feature a type of fluted board, but you can’t buy
relax and linger.” that off the shelf here, so you have to work with a cabinetmaker
Building on this idea, Debra DeLorenzo of Wellington’s to create the effect.”
DeLorenzo Design reckons many people have experienced the And that’s easier said than done, given the intense pressure
spa-like luxury of bathrooms during stays in high-quality hotels that tradespeople are also under.
and realise there is nothing to stop them pampering themselves
in their own environment, 365 days a year. FITTINGS AND FINISHES
In this respect, Karen Candy of K Candy & Co in Auckland Melanie Sa’u aims to achieve an overall look which means tiling
also notes that people have “become more relaxed and throughout. “That’s where we’ve headed at the upper end of
adventurous with their designs in the past year and have bathroom design. And if there’s plenty of money to spend on
embraced a sense of luxury.” a vanity, clients might instead go down the veneer or lacquer
“They can afford to reveal more of their personalities in a route, which opens up the whole rainbow of colours.”
space characterised by organic materials and natural colours. Karen Candy says she’s seeing customers open up to larger
porcelain panels rather than the traditional tiles and cites a
product called Dekton (imported by Concertino) which she says
is “very natural and organic-looking” and comes in large sheets
up to 20mm thick from which you can make a vanity.
“These are large-scale panels that people are putting on their
bathroom walls and shower floors and it avoids any traditional
grout line cleaning problems. The initial cost of the product
is more but it’s cheaper to install and potentially has better
longevity,” says Karen.
Tiles are still very popular, she adds, with customers steering
towards a warm, concrete look in a large format for flooring and
some going for a smaller tile or finger tiles on walls.
A designer that aims for “understated luxury” is Luciana
Borges of Borges Design in Auckland and she is also a fan of the
new wave of porcelain products.
“You can now get ultra-large sheets in several different
finishes. This allows you to be creative and apply the product to
not only floors and walls but also vanity tops, cabinetry doors
and more.”
One small step… Down in Central Otago, Andrea Marshall of Lily & Forbes
Interior Design says timber and natural stone finishes are still
Blum says take your imagination up a STEP. Whether you’re
trending, usually paired with aged or brushed metal tapware and
always running out of storage space in the vanity, can’t get to the
top cabinet safely or easily, or are still a few years off reaching the hardware which will continue to patina over time.
basin, SPACE STEP is one of Blum’s latest cabinet applications. “Matt tiles are still more popular and smaller format,
Available to suit most Blum drawer ranges, SPACE STEP will keep patterned floor tiles with neutral wall tones are making a
your designs cohesive throughout the entire home. resurgence alongside matt or stone basins and freestanding
www.blum.co.nz baths in organic shapes.”
Andrea favours minimalistic tapware styles with clean lines,
28 NZHJ | MAY 2021 MORE AT www.hardwarejournal.co.nz
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Design meets function – The Caroma Urbane II Tapware
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specifically “feature tapware and hardware in brushed finishes or with channel drains. Some channel drain kits have joiners
completely handle-less with push to open hardware.” and angle joiners available for indefinite lengths and corner
Back in Wellington, Debra DeLorenzo says: “We’re past that installations, so they can fit most spaces.
urban-minimal look and integrating more texture and interest “Another option is to specify enamel on a steel base as a single
into bathrooms.” unit and this situation avoids the needs for a waterproofing
Debra says she is wary of following trends, however: “I’m a bit membrane to be laid.”
of a classicist and more conscious of designs standing the test of Karen Candy adds that in high-end designs, “people are really
time.” expecting that you’ll have a stainless channel drain with tile inlay
So, while large-format, natural-looking, wood-effect tiles, and in the shower rather than a traditional drain in the corner.
marble and travertine tiles remain very popular she’s also using “The most popular shower size would be a 900 x 1200. There
“quite a bit of mosaic tiling for feature walls. In this respect, was a fad there for a while to have a dual shower with two
there doesn’t seem to be a middle ground.” shower heads, perhaps influenced by Pinterest, but I don’t think
that ever really took off.
KEY BATHROOM ELEMENTS
Karen Candy finds vessel basins more popular than built-in,
with clients opting for a concrete organic look with funky
colours, especially blacks, zincs and iron sand. Tapware is all
about brushed metal finishes with brass, brushed copper, and
brushed gunmetal popular at the moment.
Indeed, all our designers agreed that the days of chrome
tapware are long gone. “Brushed nickel, gunmetal and rose gold
have all entered the market and add design flair, as do some of
the new handle designs for mixers,” says Melanie Sa’u.
Back to vanities and Karen Candy, who says two bowls are
better than one: “Clients like to have two vessels and a shallow tray
drawer underneath each for storing personal items on their side.”
Opting for a deep, substantial-looking front face to the vanity,
she says “By the time you install the vessel basins and beautiful
mixers, the vanity becomes a piece of art and a feature in the
bathroom.”
Karen’s customers, often an older demographic, she says, are
steering away from bathtubs: “Many are travellers who say that
baths are a big dust collector. A lot live in apartments and, even Robertson mixes it up – The Tita Progressive Shower Mixer for
mains pressure applications comes with both round and square
though they are generously sized, they don’t want a bathtub to
faceplates with finish options including chrome, brushed nickel,
gobble up ensuite or bathroom space.”
gun metal, black and brushed brass. Boasting a reduced body
Debra DeLorenzo emphasises that vanities are very much a size with 90mm faceplate and new adhesive faceplate seal, with
personal choice but prefers drawers to cabinets, although tall its cold start system Tita protects the user against injury from hot
cabinets with LED mirrors offer a nice light solution, she says. water and scalding. Temperature and flow are adjusted by one
“Otherwise, a feature light if there’s room, under-vanity lighting rotational motion for precise temperature control.
and downlights on different circuits.” www.robertson.co.nz
In terms of showers, Debra favours a custom-tiled shower
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power outlets. “This can be useful for charging a phone or even
a razor. I also like to specify 12V IP55 heated towel rails as they
allow you to reduce the distance from the shower head to where
the rail is mounted, making it easier to reach the towel. And
underfloor heating remains a given with my clients.”
Of course, lighting is an important client conversation, and
Melanie Sa’u says that if you light the bathroom well and have
good feature lighting, you can dramatically improve the overall
look of any bathroom.
“I like to incorporate downlighting, LED lighting behind a
mirror to create ambience, feature pendants or wall lights to
dress a room, and warm white light remains popular.”
Karen Candy says she also tends to specify LED-lit mirrors
“because they are so flattering. People expect that now.”
Karen is another designer to look beyond just task lighting,
say a strip of LEDs running under a floating vanity and an accent
light beside the vanity.
Be safe and in control – Englefield’s new Studio Thermostatic
Bath/Shower Mixer combines control, safety and performance With the task lighting on a different switch, she will often also
in a simple and easy to use unit. Designed to reduce the risk of incorporate a small motion-activated “funky and stylish” inlaid
scalding and uncomfortable temperature fluctuations, the unit’s light down low to the floor beside the toilet.
thermostatic temperature control can be set from 43°C to 49°C
and is suitable for both mains and low pressure applications. COPING WITH LONGER LEAD TIMES
www.englefield.co.nz
All good so far but, with apologies for sounding like a broken
record, in respect of the limping supply chain, all the designers
spoken to agreed that, in the current environment, they have
“People just seem to want generously sized showers.” had to ramp up forward ordering of appliances, tiles and
Joneen Rodgers of Hello Home in Wellington agrees: “With tapware to cope with longer lead times.
showers, it’s a case of the bigger the better. We use Atlantis a lot “With the supply chain struggling,” says Melanie Sa’u, “it’s
for the variety of sizes and wall finishes. A 1200 x 900 walk-in is important to get a client on board before a new build has gone
popular. in for consent; we try to give them select choices to avoid
“People are loving the rainhead situation with a standard slider confusing matters.”
and are asking for double shower heads. You’d be surprised by
some of the requests that come through.”
NEW TWISTS ON TECH FRONT
“12–14-week lead times from
In-shower technology has advanced to the point where you Europe are now 16 weeks and longer
can now specify four-way shower function with shower towers
delivering an all-in-one massage unit with body jets, overhead for some products”
rainfall function, waterfall outlet, and a hand shower and holder.
Luciana Borges further points to automated showers with
“thermostat, water flow adjustment, pause features, timers, and Debra DeLorenzo sums up the current supply chain situation
even colour therapy.” as pretty crazy: “Everything has been affected. Our strategy is to
“Smart home tech is evolving all the time,” adds Melanie Sa’u. buy and hold tiles and plumbing gear in particular.”
“It enables the creation of pre-set moods. In a bathroom context, And, with her preferred joiner booked up several months in
someone might have a ‘wake-up’ preset that is as simple as turning advance, Debra’s project timelines are lengthening.
on some lighting for when they get up and jump in the shower.” “Product supply is problematic,” concludes Joneen Rodgers,
Margaret Young points out that Häfele has made available “and none more so than tiles and stone out of Europe.”
in New Zealand a mirror range with touch keys which operate As a result, Hello Home is “trying our best to be upfront
defogging, light and sound functions. The multi-dimensional with clients and keep expectations real. That means greater
mirror comes fully assembled and unites the functions of communication with suppliers and extra stock level monitoring.”
make-up light, room lighting, mood lighting, mirror defogger Joneen’s tried and tested formula for project planning and
and Bluetooth capable sound system in an elegant design. product ordering simply doesn’t work anymore.
Karen Candy highlights PDL by Schneider’s motion-activated “We’ve had to increase the regularity of contact with suppliers
night lights and switch ranges that integrate a USB port in their and put contingency plans in place. If clients have the garage space,
30 NZHJ | MAY 2021 MORE AT www.hardwarejournal.co.nz
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we encourage them to have products delivered on-site as early as
possible so they’re ready to go when the builder is available.”
Lily & Forbes’ Andrea Marshall agrees that accessing tile stock
is a major issue. Her response has been to become acutely aware
of each supplier’s lead times, pointing out that custom-made
bathroom furniture is now taking two to three weeks longer to
manufacture and it’s easy to be hamstrung by a lack of available
tradespeople.
Having always accepted long 12–14-week lead times from
Europe, Luciana Borges says some products are now taking 16
weeks and longer to arrive.
“It can be a real challenge if projects are not planned in
advance,” she says, “but we are lucky that our key suppliers are
carrying a fair amount of stock in the country.”
Painting a slightly different picture, however, is Karen Candy. Felton adds to digital products – With the new Tate range,
Felton has expanded its line of digital products to include a
“To be honest,” she says, “Supply hasn’t been a problem, although
shower mixer, deck mounted and wall mounted mixers. The
I have been mindful to switch to NZ-manufactured vessel
digital mixers prevent spikes in water temperatures, while
basins, for example. memory settings allow preferred temperature and flow to be
“The biggest problem has been getting hold of a cabinet selected with a touch. The temperature and flow controller unit
maker that can do the job in a timely fashion. They have been can be installed in the ceiling or inside a vanity for easy access.
ridiculously busy for the past year and sometimes too busy to www.felton.co.nz
even price work.”
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