Transitional style: Bathroom architecture that spans traditional and modern

Iserlohn/Rotterdam, March 2019

In the prestigious residential district of Kralingen, close to Rotterdam city centre, the interior designer Lex de Gooijer has renovated and remodelled a traditional nineteenth century house. Taking as his inspiration the “Transitional Style” interior design trend, which is a mix of traditional and modern style elements, de Gooijer has created a look that is both cosmopolitan and luxurious. Dornbracht’s premium Vaia fitting, which is noted for its elegant yet progressive design, was chosen for the bathroom architecture. Exciting contrasts merge to become an arrangement of timeless elegance.

“My idea”, says Lex de Gooijer, “was to give a 2019 interpretation to the classic look and feel of a nineteenth century dwelling – from the living room, to the kitchen, to the bathroom architecture”. The historical context of his home town also influences the style. Rotterdam is shaped both by industrial change and by contemporary architecture. This combination of traditional and modern elements defines the Transitional Style. “A modern update for tradition. Timeless, but with a glimpse of history”, is how de Gooijer himself describes the remodelling of the 600 square metre dwelling that is designed for a family with two children. The building project not only covered renovation, it also included some modernisation of the floor plan, with open transitions. This free-flowing interior design with its complementary style elements appears consistently throughout the house.

Colours and finishes create exciting contrasts

In keeping with the owners’ desire to create a light bathroom architecture, de Gooijer fashioned both the main bathroom and the bathroom for the children holistically in a white marble characterised by an organic, wave-like structure. He also chose special colouring for the white stone, combining its shades of pink and grey with graphic black marble lines for a dynamic visual effect. His plan for the guest bathroom involved three different kinds of black-and-white marble from Italy, Portugal and Greece. These contrasting colours form the environment for Dornbracht’s Vaia fitting, in a Dark Platinum matt design. In the main bathroom, he integrated two double washplaces – in white marble for the parents and in black marble for the children, with a further, single washplace in the guest bathroom. “The marble brings the component of timelessness to the bathroom architecture, with the design of Vaia mediating between style worlds to create identity”, explains Lex de Gooijer.

Vaia: An elegant yet progressive design for a new modern iconography
Inspired by the Transitional Style interior design trend, Vaia embodies a soft, balanced design language. Its delicate spout picks up a traditional shape and transposes it to a new, open silhouette.
There is a traditional feel to the handles as well – available as cross-handles or levers, they combine geometric shapes and soft contours. The rosettes are tapered, creating an especially smooth transition to the washstand. Vaia is therefore equally at home in traditional and modern bathroom architectures – as well as those that combine the elements of different style worlds, in keeping with the Transitional Style.

The architectures designed in this way offer planning and creative inspiration, for architects, interior designers and bathroom planners as well as for private developers.

More about Vaia on the Internet: www.dornbracht.com/vaia/