On Ritual and Restoration: Designing the Bathrooms

Every working space needs its counterbalance.

While the studio areas of our home were designed for focus and making, the bathrooms became spaces of restoration — quieter rooms shaped around warmth, texture, and pause.

Rather than approaching them as purely functional, I began to think about how material and light could create a sense of calm. Vintage-inspired tiles, subtle patterning, and layered white surfaces felt both timeless and grounding. Penny tiles underfoot, subway tile on the walls, and fine border details introduced texture without visual noise.

Tile, like fibre, responds to light in nuanced ways. Gloss surfaces reflect; matte finishes absorb. The contrast between black and white floor patterns adds rhythm, while circular mirrors soften the geometry of the room. Even plumbing fixtures — with their weight and form — contribute to the atmosphere.

Radiant-heated floors became an intentional choice, particularly in a coastal climate where cool mornings are common. Warmth rising gently from beneath shifts how the body experiences a space. It transforms a utilitarian room into something restorative.

A freestanding cast iron tub anchors the room with presence and permanence. Its weight required structural consideration during the build — a reminder that even aesthetic decisions carry physical implications.

Throughout the process, I found myself drawn to materials that feel enduring rather than decorative. White tile that holds shadow, metal that will patina over time, fixtures that feel substantial in the hand. These choices mirror the values I bring into my fibre work: restraint, texture, and longevity.

In a home that functions as both living space and studio, restoration is not an afterthought. It is part of sustaining creative practice — a quiet room where the pace slows, and the day can gently reset.