Apartment Bathroom Renovation – Freemans Bay, Auckland

It was looking tired and dated, and on top of that, she had a couple of persistent leaking issues that needed sorting. The brief was clear: transform the space into something warm, functional, and well-finished.

The result is a fully tiled bathroom – floor to ceiling – in a warm sandy limestone tone that feels inviting from the moment you step in. A skylight draws natural light deep into the space, and for a small apartment bathroom, it presents beautifully and reads as far more spacious than it is.

Brushed brass fixtures run throughout – from the wall-mounted cross-handle taps and shower rail to the towel bars and mirror cabinet frame – tying the whole space together with a quiet warmth. The floating timber vanity, with its rounded corners and fluted cabinet fronts, adds texture and softness, and the LED strip beneath the mirror cabinet creates a lovely ambient glow.

One of our favourite details is the curved niche, finished with grey mosaic finger tiles. Getting the curve right took careful planning – too sharp and the tiles simply won't work – but nailing that balance paid off. The ledge extends all the way across and flows seamlessly into the shower, a design move that's becoming increasingly popular. It's a smart way to create an extra storage surface without eating too much into precious space.

The project came with its own puzzle to solve. Susannah's home is a three-level split apartment, and access was tight throughout – narrow stairwells made it impossible to bring the shower glass in through the usual route. So we built scaffolding on the outside of the building and lifted the glass up through the deck. It's the kind of problem-solving that keeps things interesting, and we were proud of how smoothly it came together.

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