b'pictures: Lucent* MediaWhen a room has a real sense of place, you can imagine its setting without so much as glimpsing whats beyond its walls. So it is with this beach house bathroom, which exudes awashed with sea spray that you can almost taste the saltUse Resene water-sense of the seas refreshing calm; a retreat from the land- in the air.borne enamels when painting wet areasnishesfor a tough durable locked business of city life. The rooms classic To balance the colour palette, the dark grey porcelain with the tongue-and-groove look on ceiling and wall nish, to minimisepaint odours andoor tiles, which also line the shower enclosure and bath panelling and cabinetry frontsalso lend it a sense ofsurround, anchor the lighter shades. They contrast withprovide an easy water wash up. escape from the currently fashionable cold, harsh linesdelicate shadesResene Weathered Blue on the walls,Choose from Resene or unforgiving surfaces, referring to a gentler and moreResene Dutch White; creamy off-white panelled doors,Enamacryl (gloss), Resene Lustacryl generous, intimate time.skirtings, ceilings; and Corian on the long vanity top. (semi-gloss) or Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen Architect Rachel Venables says the style of the room, andThe idea was to create a bathroom that had a relaxed(low sheen).the house as a whole, was in uenced by the Cape Codfeel to it, but was still quite polished; something that had style of North American beach house, but also by the lofty,a sort of generosity about it, she says.gable-roof form of the Kiwi woolshed. Square, white basins mounted above the benchtop, with simple, high-archingThe relaxed yet re ned style, in this room and throughout, chrome mixer taps, strongly state the farmhouse feel. Thesuits the brief from the homeowners, who currently use exposed rafters of the ceiling and generousoor area of thethe house as a holiday home, but plan ultimately to retire room help to create its open and breezy air.there. Making the most of views of the sea to the north and the hills to the southwest was also an important The dark-grey tiledoor adds to the sense of a robust, down- criterion, even in the bathroom. to-earth space, and looks ready for feet sandy from the The clients wanted a generous bath that related to a nearby beach. The real essence of the bach feel, however,window, so its possible to sit in the tub and enjoy a glassResene comes from the repeated tongue-and-groovenish.ofwineandtheview,butwithprivacymaintained,Echo BlueI think tongue-and-groove is very evocative of a beachRachel says.Resene Ship Covecottage, Rachel says.The reddish, cedarof the window joinery drawsnishResene Powder BlueIt is, indeedespecially in combination with the gentleattention to the outlook and, along with the wooden Resene blueofthewalls,soreminiscentofsummerskiesblinds that protect the owners privacy, warms up theMidnight Express| 99'