They are the two most important, but potentially daunting, rooms to design in any home. Kitchens and bathrooms pose unique challenges – from placing amenities to deciphering IP ratings, things can become very confusing very quickly. There is a ray of hope for homeowners looking to tackle both rooms, though. The two design spheres are moving incrementally closer, with several of our favourite kitchen brands working to bridge the divide, creating pieces (or whole schemes) for the bathroom.
‘We have had it on our “desperate to do” list forever, but it was always about finding the time and ensuring we got the design just right,’ says Devol’s creative director Helen Parker of the launch of the firm’s second dedicated bathroom product: the ‘Twin Victorian Washstand’.
‘Making a washstand is similar to designing a kitchen cupboard, so our carpenters were able to switch easily. Devol produces classic, well-crafted and beautifully designed cupboards; they’re always simple and this is often all it needs to make them, and the room they are in, feel unique. We noticed most bathroom vanity units on the market, like kitchen cupboards, are designed to store things as a priority, which often means they’re solid, boxy and more practical than beautiful.’
What's everyone reading?
Devol’s main aim was to translate the quality and flair it brings to kitchens into the bathroom. It’s a focus shared by Garde Hvalsøe, whose new ‘Pilaster’ collection is its first range specifically for this space. The Danish brand has created bespoke bathrooms (extensions of its existing kitchen ranges by its Atelier Studio), but this design is different: it merges the ‘Koshido’ slatted doors that can be seen as part of the company’s latest kitchen launch, ‘Layer’, with essential elements from its ‘Pilaster’ wardrobe.
‘By bridging design elements across different rooms we can create homes with a coherent and harmonious expression throughout,’ explains cabinet-maker, partner and CEO Søren Lundh Aagaard.
The bathroom feels like a natural space for Garde Hvalsøe too, combining its Scandinavian sensibilities with that of collaborators OEO Studio, which has offices in both Copenhagen and Tokyo. ‘The bathroom is deeply tied to the idea of a purifying, restorative experience, and that sense of clarity and calm is something that both Japanese and Danish cultures express beautifully through design. The blend of these traditions results in a space that feels serene, tactile and timeless,’ adds Aagaard.
These brands may be relative newcomers to the bathroom but, as Aagaard mentioned, there has been a blurring of the boundaries for some time. Bespoke companies known primarily for their kitchen projects, such as Ledbury Studio, have long been designing one-off bathrooms (see its St John’s Wood project, pictured right) for clients attracted by their renowned kitchen expertise. It’s not something they have shouted about, but perhaps that will change as we begin to see these rooms as more closely linked.
Indeed, Devol’s Parker points out how many of her brand’s existing cupboards and accessories can work equally well in the bathroom – in the powder room of its recently opened LA showroom, the team added one of its ‘Haberdasher’s’ kitchen cabinets alongside the new washstand. ‘It looks rather wonderful,’ she says. ‘Suddenly, it feels like a whole new world has opened up.’
