Canning Street Small Bathroom

Location: North Melbourne

Status: Completed in 2020

Internal alteration/renovation to single residence.

Within a narrow, inner suburban terrace, a tiny yet mightily efficient intervention provides a much-needed bathroom to the second storey. A modest 3.2 square metres contains a shower, hand basin, cabinetry and toilet without compromising the size of any of these amenities, using a clever combination of light, materiality, shape and spatial configuration to create a room that feels larger than the floor area would suggest. The bathroom takes full advantage of the attic staircase as an opportunity for ingenuity and playfulness by cladding the underside with a translucent polycarbonate, using borrowed light to illuminate the space below with a warm glow whilst maintaining privacy. This glow works both ways: when the bathroom interior lights are turned on, the staircase in turn is illuminated; an ethereal, luminous path skyward to the humble attic above. The clever configuration of the bathroom also allowed for a full-width master bedroom built-in robe, spacious and customised to the resident’s needs.

Photo credit: Wei Wei