News - 7 Indulgent Bathrooms
What’s in a bathroom?
“Bathrooms and bedrooms are secrets,” says YOO’s founder, John Hitchcox, “but they should be places of great beauty and attraction…”
Here we delve into 7 of YOO’s most indulgent, beautiful bathrooms and ask some of our Creative Directors what a truly luxurious bathing area means to them...
1. YOO Pune - an Indian sancuary of white marble, glass and gloss by YOO inspired by Starck
Philippe Starck sees two essential realms within the home. The ‘public’ realm that includes the kitchen, sitting area and dining places. And the ‘private’ realm – the bedroom and the bathroom. In these spaces we want to relax, unwind and indulge ourselves in comfort and ease. To be ourselves, decompress.
“When people first started to have bathrooms they thought they should be like a machine – a machine for washing,” says Starck. “But it doesn’t need to look like a machine – it can look like a salon. You can put whatever you want on the walls or on the floor. I have designed many bathroom furnishings that can stand alone, like a sofa or an armchair. And after that you can bring in any type of table, a fireplace, a lamp and it’s still a bathroom.”
2. YOO Panama - YOO inspired by Starck injects irreverant splashes of colour into a light, bright bathroom
3. Lodha Fiorenza in Mumbai - Jade Jagger's delight in all-things Indian shines through in rich character and textures
Mosaic tilework and his-and-hers sink units alongside generously scaled bathtubs make the bathrooms welcoming and luxurious.
“I love a dressing room,” says Jade. “One of the ultimate luxuries is to have a dressing room and a big bathroom. They are things that enhance the daily routine of life so that the rituals of bathing and dressing become real pleasures.”
4. The Baglioni Marrakech - with Jade Jagger's trademark bohemian aesthetic
5. Lodha Evoq - Starck plays with gold in this sumptuous, luxury bathroom
6. Mira Moon Hotel - Wanders and YOO
Although cultural differences affect the specific bathroom elements and fixtures that are used in individual developments around the world, the attention paid to the design and specification of these most intimate and personal of spaces is now universal. This is particularly true in Asia, were designers such as Steve Leung focus special attention on the bathroom.
“Everybody is working hard….” Says Leung, “So when they get back home the places where they spend the most time are the bedroom and bathroom. So the bathroom is very important…Although it may be a small bathroom with just a shower, a vanity unit and a counter…even in quite a small space the functions will be very comprehensive.”
If both time and space are the ultimate luxuries, the prospect of an hour spent in a welcoming, well-proportioned bathroom – perhaps with a fire roaring on the hearth and a good book to hand becomes powerfully attractive.
7. Icon Vallarta - YOO inspired by Starck on the beautiful Pacific coast of Mexico