Taking a bath outdoors

We have outdoor living rooms, and outdoor kitchens. So why not an outdoor bathroom? Caroline Wesseling has been commissioned by Inovo and Ecosmart Real Fires, to design just that for this year's Auckland Flower Show.

Calling the garden 'Living outside the ordinary', Caroline will design for the Courtyard Garden category, which means meeting the theme of 'urban paradise'. "This will be the ultimate urban courtyard garden paradise," she says. "It transforms the bathroom into an enclosed outdoor haven, evoking a sense of sanctuary, luxury and serenity."

The garden has been cleverly designed as a permeable 'green' space, with emphasis on creating a sense of wellbeing and seclusion. Caroline will use lush planting, warm colours and intimate lighting with help of the Outdoor Lighting Company. Fire and water are also integral to creating the relaxed, cozy atmosphere.

"After a hard day's work, when there is little time left, what better than to come home to a relaxing outdoor bath before bed? It is truly, living outside the ordinary," she says.

Luxurious Inovo bathroom products will be used to breath-taking effect, Caroline says. The featured Apaiser bath, vanity and vessels are all handcrafted from a unique composite material that is a blend of stone aggregate, marble, resins and polymers, embedded with a range of elements (including mother of pearl). Among the lush vegetation, there will also be a selection of exclusive tapware and accessories from Inovo.

Adding warmth and a fiery visual touch to the outdoor bathroom are the dancing flames from the portable, clean-burning Ecosmart Towers. The walls that frame the courtyard garden will use bright, warm colours from a new James Hardie bathroom range.

Caroline won a silver medal at the Ellerslie Flower Show in 2006 for a garden she designed for Schwarzkopf. It takes imagination to integrate hair products into a gardening concept, and Caroline proved with this garden that she enjoys rising to a creative challenge. "I think it's important that people feel comfortable with their garden, but also that they have a strong emotional response to it.

"Perhaps this year, we will have to hold back the crowds from responding by climbing in to take a bath!"

The Auckland Flower Show takes place at Alexandra Park, 20-23 November 2008. On the web: www.theflowershow.co.nz.