A sense of indulgence
Technology at the touch of a button brings music, movies and mood therapy lighting to this couple’s spacious sanctuary of sound and vision
There was one thing at the top of Helen Wright’s shopping list for her new bathroom. “I just wanted to be able to watch TV in the bath,” she laughs. “It just seemed like the ultimate in relaxation and a great way to unwind after a hectic day at work.” Husband James felt the same way about music and, together, they realised they needed to plan a bathroom entertainment system that would meet both their needs.
But first, they had to decide which room would become the new bathroom in their four bedroom home, which forms part of a 150-year-old stable block attached to an elegant country house in Hertfordshire. The house had been renovated in the 1970s, but not particularly well, as Helen explains. “It was divided into a series of very boxy, small rooms,” she says, “and the bathrooms were definitely of the ‘everything-in-avocado’ era, so we knew when we bought the house that it needed re-thinking and updating.”
Inspired by a stay in an Australian boutique hotel which blended its period exterior with a minimalist and modern interior, marketing manager Helen set out to achieve a spacious and inviting en suite with a distinctly contemporary feel. But first they had to do some replanning. “The existing en suite was very small, and we also needed to change the position of the soil stack, as we’d altered the layout downstairs, removing a dividing wall that had previously hidden the pipes,” says Helen.
The answer was to convert the guest bedroom next door into the new and significantly larger en suite, and turn the old en suite into a replacement guest bedroom. This move also allowed Helen and James to reposition all the plumbing at the beginning of the project in one fell swoop.
Determined to keep the feel of the en suite as spacious as possible, the couple chose simple white sanitaryware and cream floor tiles, adding contrasting slate-coloured tiles in the shower enclosure, and timber shelves and cabinets.
“We both like natural colours and materials, because they are easy to live with, and create a very relaxing environment,” explains Helen. “And because we were keen to keep some of our budget for a waterproof television and some home technology, we went for simple fittings that wouldn’t break the bank.”
While Helen was lining up DVDs of TV series 24 and Lost ready to watch on the television as soon as it was installed, James was busy researching music and lighting for the room.
“James had been reading about home technology and was keen to include a good system throughout the house,” recalls Helen. Following a recommendation from a friend, they called in home technology specialist ClearSphere.
“The whole point of an integrated system is to make life easier,” says director Nick Fletcher. “The idea is to take all the disparate systems that control things like heating, lighting and entertainment and bring them together into one simple and intuitive interface, hiding all the wires, switches and timers away out of sight. Then all you need is a simple touch pad or screen to change settings.”
Nick designed a fibre-optic lighting system in the bathroom, with uplighters around the bath to wash its sides with colour and to illuminate the ceiling at night. More fibre-optics were installed in the alcoves to highlight the shelves. They can be pre-set to different levels and colours of light for different moods, or programmed to a changing sequence for a dramatic effect, while simple halogen downlighters in the ceiling provide task lighting when necessary.
The Crestron key pad, part of an entire Crestron Total Home Technology package which operates throughout the house, is positioned by the bathroom door. It controls the lights, as well as the entertainment system, towel radiator and underfloor heating. “It’s all programmed on individual timers and the heating on pre-set thermostatic controls, but if you want a bath in the afternoon, you simply override the controls from the key pad,” explains Nick.
Helen chose an Aquavision TV, on Nick’s recommendation. “It looked like the least ‘techy’ and most ‘lifestyle-looking’ of the waterproof televisions,” she says of her choice. The TV is linked to the main Crestron management system of the house, which operates the movie server. In-ceiling stereo speakers provide good quality sound, and also enable Helen and James to listen to the radio or music from their entire personal collection, as even their iPods are linked in through a docking station.
“In the mornings, it’s usually a quick shower to the news headlines, but in the evenings, I find it so relaxing to be able to come in here, run a lovely bath, light the candles and watch a movie. Perfect,” says Helen.
Richard Henton’s top TV tips
Sizing You don’t want a 40inch TV right up next to you or a tiny screen miles away, because neither will provide the best image quality. The rule of thumb for optimum viewing size is about three times the diagonal screen size, measured from where you will be viewing the screen
Location Do you want to view the TV from the bath, the shower enclosure or while standing at the basin – or from several points in the room?
Colour Do you want to complement or contrast with the décor? Aquavision offers glass in Ice White, Black or Mirror Vision.
Installation Because these TVs are flush fitted, they need to be planned in at an early stage of a refurbishment. Retro-fit is possible, but may be more complicated, or you may want to install another option, such as a Towel Rail TV instead
Who are we? Richard Henton, general manager
Where are we? Ibroc House, Essex Road, Hoddesdon, Herts EN11 0QS. Tel: 01992 708 333. www.aquavision.co.uk
What we do Waterproof televisions for bathrooms and other wet environments
Business history Aquavision began selling its waterproof televisions 10 years ago. Designed by Alastair Benn, who is still a partner in the business today, Aquavision is owned by bathroom product distributor, Davroc, which is a privately owned and run business. Aquavision TVs are specifically designed for their application with their own software and hardware, and they can be integrated into a whole-house control system.
“A few years back, a bathroom TV was seen as a bit gimmicky. Now it’s seen as much more of a standard item in a luxury bathroom,” says Richard. “With the advent of the LCD TV, people are used to having TVs everywhere in their home. Why not have them in the bathroom, by the swimming pool or on the patio?” Screens are offered in sizes from 10in to 46in and can be custom built. All TVs are either HD-ready or full HD. They only use LCD screens from reputable manufacturers, and image processing is via Aquavision hardware and software.
All screens fit flush into the wall, and are made in Korea. The most popular size is 19in. New competitively priced bathroom products, including 17in and 24in models, will be launched in December.
There are six standard TV products in different ranges, including bathroom, professional audio, hotel, yacht, outdoor and kitchen TVs. Products are distributed to bathroom showrooms by Davroc, and by two wholesalers to the custom install market. Aquavision doesn’t sell directly to the consumer, or over the internet
Sales stats “Over the last three years, sales have grown significantly, but this year, like most companies, we haven’t been immune to the effects of the recession. However, from our market research, we believe we are still the leading supplier of bathroom TVs in the UK,” says Richard
Strange but true “We were approached by a hotel in Italy to put TVs in the floor in front of the toilets,” laughs Richard. “Although they went off the idea in the end, we could have done it!”
