In an impressive coup, Brisbane-based interior designer and architect Renee Popovic beat stiff international competition recently to take out the top prize in the Victoria + Albert 2018 International Design Award, for a bathroom she designed.
Entrants were asked to create a 3m x 3m boutique hotel bathroom that ‘inspires, relaxes and reinvigorates the guest’ and Renee beat over 140 other international interior designers and architects in the process.
The bathroom combines honed marble, lime wash render, terrazzo and brushed brass and the judges were particularly impressed with Renee’s use of curves within a square space. “My design approach is based on formal principles, but with a modern twist,” says Renee who was sent on an all-expenses-paid trip to see her winning bathroom recreated (using imitation materials) at the recent Salone del Mobile in Milan.
“I was faced with a relatively compact space, so felt it was important to utilise symmetry to create a coherent bathroom. I also chose to mix modern and traditional elements in the bathroom, opting for a modern bath with more traditional basins. Adding the Stone Grey exterior paint finish to the products was also an important detail,” says Renee who relished the opportunity to create a high-end experiential space.
“I was particularly inspired by the brief for boutique hotel design as it gives the designer the chance to create something truly unique that the guest wouldn’t usually experience at home. I was absolutely delighted to see my design come to life at Salone del Mobile,” says Renee.
“Renee’s design was truly original and it created a lot of conversations at Salone del Mobile about the nature of compact space design and how innovative interiors can shape a guest’s experience in a boutique hotel,” says Victoria + Albert’s marketing director Jonathan Carter.