World-Class Design
It was at Milan’s premiere design expo, Salone del Mobile, that Victoria + Albert Baths revealed the winner of their 2018 International Design Award. This year’s brief invited designers to create a 3m x 3m boutique hotel bathroom that “inspires, relaxes and invigorates the guest”. More than 140 designers and architects from around the world submitted their designs to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Milan to see their vision realised at the Victoria + Albert exhibition stand, however it was a Brisbane-based interior designer and architect Renee Popovic who most impressed the global panel of judges.
Inspired by natural beauty, Popovic’s bathroom features honed marble, lime-wash render, Terrazzo tiles, and brushed-brass accents. The design plays with symmetry to guide the eye toward the QUARRYCAST freestanding Victoria + Albert bath, which contrasts against the back wall. With the aim of leading the guest on a journey to tranquillity, Popovic sectioned off the shower and toilet to create little pods that enter the guest’s peripheral vision as they move through the room.
All submissions were judged based on their creativity, personality, functionality and aesthetic merit. The judges appreciated the originality of Renee’s concept. “My design approach is based on formal principles, but with a modern twist,” Popovic says.
“Renee’s design sparked conversation about the nature of compact-space design and how innovative interiors can shape a guest’s experience in a boutique hotel,” says Jonathon Carter, Victoria + Albert’s Marketing Director.
The designer was thrilled to see her bathroom come to life at Salone del Mobile, which is used as an international reference point for the design and furnishing sector. The QUARRYCAST bath featured in Popovic’s design is exclusive to Victoria + Albert Baths, and has high insulation properties so that the water stays warmer for longer.
Victoria + Albert Baths is a British company with offices worldwide, including Australia.
