WHO LIVES HERE?
Meabh and Peter live here with their three teenage sons.
After nearly a decade living overseas in Southeast Asia and America, Meabh and Peter decided to move to Scotland to put down roots. ‘We bought a draughty, poorly insulated 1970s flat-roofed bungalow, and planned to do a simple renovation and energy-efficiency upgrade.'
The outdated bungalow was knocked down and replaced with an eco-friendly new-build design. The couple's new en suite bathroom is at the back of the house, but generous windows give the room an expansive outlook.
‘A skylight above the shower was a must-have for me, as were twin basins and a loo and bidet combination,’ says Meabh.
'I was very inspired by the architecture that we saw on our travels in Australia and New Zealand, and have tried to translate the bungalow we bought into something similar,’ says Meabh.
‘I only wanted a bath for aesthetic reasons,’ she admits. ‘I prefer a shower, but actually in the end, I’m enjoying baths more than I expected, so I’m pleased that I included one.’
Meabh designed the room herself and gave it a lot of thought. She originally wanted terrazzo wall tiles with concrete floors, but couldn’t decide on the grout colour and never felt confident in anyone locally who could lay concrete. So she decided to look at micro cement instead. ‘It kept catching my eye during my research and I started to realise it was a very practical solution for a wet room.’
She approached a micro cement company called Forcrete and met the recommended installer, James Preston of Dynamic Surface Design. ‘He was so helpful, and extremely flexible in what he could do. Realising that I had been looking at terrazzo wall tiles, he said he could add chips to the micro cement for a similar effect.’
Meabh requested this for the wall behind the bath, but otherwise the walls, floor and ceiling are a uniform shade of soft white. ‘I am delighted with the results!’ she says. ‘It’s exactly what I had been hoping for.’
Minimalism is very unforgiving – every detail needs to be perfect, so the quality of the materials is crucial.
Take the tour of Meabh and Peter's minimalist bathroom
'The room faces north so I planned the lighting to make it feel warmer. All the lights are controlled by a Lutron panel, which you can easily adjust for practicality or atmosphere – whatever you want.’
‘Both the floors and walls have the same micro cement finish, which gives the space an open, modern feel.’
‘I love terrazzo tiles, and it’s brilliant that we’ve managed to get the look using micro cement.'
'The effect was achieved by adding Jesmonite chips to the finish, and it makes a wonderful feature of the bath.’
'The large mirror conceals handy built-in storage, while reflecting light around the room.’
‘I sourced the taps and shower fittings from the same company, and wanted the shower screen to tie in with them.'
'Fortunately, I found a great match for the dark bronze finish I’ve gone for throughout.’
'A handheld bidet spray is an unmissable part of your hygiene routine in many parts of the world. We got used to this when we were living in Asia and now there’s no going back.’
'The micro cement finish continues into the shower enclosure, providing a seamless look, with no jarring change of surface.'
'Thanks to its inherent combination of strength and waterproofing, the finish is ideal for a wet room-style shower. Plus, there’s no grout to clean!’
Copy Meabh and Peter's bathroom style
