November 2015 Garden & Home feature with Lisa Swart of Oksijen Interior Design

Interior designer Lisa Swart turned an outdated family bathroom into a contemporary space.

ABOVE: A bath from Bathroom Fusion takes centre stage and a frameless shower was incorporated on the right. The floor tiles are from Bathroom Bizarre and the metro tiles are from Douglas Jones. The upper section was painted with Plascon’s Elephant.

INSET: Interior designer Lisa Swart of Oksijen

“THIS BATHROOM IS located in the centre of this Jo’burg home, and the only light came through a tiny window overlooking a small courtyard off the pantry. It had seriously old-fashioned tiles and fittings, and was very dark. The built-in bath took up a lot of space resulting in a clumsy layout,” says Lisa Swart of Oksijen Interiors

HOW THIS SPACE WENT FROM DRAB TO FAB: The room was gutted, which involved removing the shower, vanity and built-in cupboards. “There was no ceiling above the cupboards, so Legacy Pressed Ceilings custom matched a section,” she explains.

THIS PAGE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Lisa found the chest of drawers at Barter Buy Antiques in Kensington and fitted it with a washbasin from Bathroom Fusion. – Lisa had the metal-frame doors custom-made by Pazz Design. The side tables are from Coricraft. – Victorian-inspired wall lights from Streamlight are in keeping with the style of the house.

Large floor tiles were laid, and to break the height of the walls, Lisa painted the upper section and clad the lower in white metro tiles. “With the resulting 16m2, we had space for a freestanding bath and an outside frameless shower,” says Lisa.

The small window was replaced with steel-framed doors leading onto the courtyard. The door to the pantry was closed up and shelves for plants were mounted on the walls. “What was previously an unsightly space is now a light and airy oasis offering a pretty view when relaxing in the bath,” says Lisa.

During the gutting process a wall that partially obstructed the entrance was removed, making space for the antique chest of drawers which was transformed into a vanity. “I love that this piece is a nod to the heritage of the home and contrasts with the bathroom’s contemporary look,” she said.

“Now this bathroom is the bright and happy space my clients had in mind. While it meets the needs of a modern family, it also complements the traditional style of the home,” says Lisa.

SOURCES:
Barter But Antiques barterbuyantiques.co.za Bathroom Bizarre bathroom.co.za Bathroom Fusion winterburns.co.za Coricraft coricraft.co.za Douglas Jones douglasjones.co.za Legacy Pressed Ceilings legacypressedceilings.co.za Oksijen Interiors oksijeninteriors.co.za Pazz Design pasclassic.co.za Plascon plascon.co.za Streamline 011 4404142