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Dreamy Kiwi bathrooms win Trends International Design Awards.
20 August 2025
The call of nature wins out in the latest award-winning bathrooms - they all have a strong connection with the natural world.
Paul Taylor, director of the Trends International Design Awards (TIDA) says two ongoing trends are evident, and they’re all about luxury and retreat. But there were two contrasting paths that designers took to achieve those aims.
“One was to recreate the ambience of a spa, using subtle finishes and moody lighting to encourage relaxation. While the other design direction that was more prominent this year, was to create a more invigorating environment, especially through the use of bold colour, particularly shades of green.”
The cantilevered vanity has its own “space” within the suite.
“This came through in the tiles that had been specified, but also in murals with biophilic themes that occupied whole walls in some of the bathrooms.“
Kate Gardham of Suede and Stone in Auckland won the 2025 TIDA New Zealand Designer Bathroom of the Year with a beautiful bathroom will fully glazed walls looking out onto a lush semi-tropical landscape.
Walnut timber for the vanity and reeded wall panelling establishes a connection to the surrounding landscape and adds richness in colour to the interior spaces.
The home, in Bombay, comprises four separate pavilions linked by glass breezeways, with expansive views. In the renovation of the ensuite, the full-height glass walls were retained, with the native bush and established gardens providing screening and privacy between the pavilions.
“The redesign creates distinct zones for the various daily rituals of bathing, with separate areas for toilet, vanity, shower and bath,” the designer says. “While there is an overarching feeling of openness, two concessions to privacy were made – a linen curtain that can be pulled around the bath when in use, and a reeded glass door for the toilet enclosure.”
Designer Natalie Du Bois designed this bathroom suite renovation for a couple who requested a “vibrant, imaginative suite”.
The Iconic Patricia Urquiola-designed tin bath features an Iroko timber backrest and shelf, complemented by brushed bronze tapware to enhance the natural, raw aesthetic.
Winner of the 2025 TIDA New Zealand Designer Suite of the Year is Natalie Du Bois of Du Bois Design. The master suite renovation has transformed the top floor of an inner-city Auckland, three-storey townhouse for owners who frequently travel internationally and own multiple residences.
“Being avid art collectors, they wanted interiors that were as vibrant, imaginative, and engaging as their extensive collection,” the designer says. “This included a sophisticated interplay of diverse textures, colours and patterns, together with strong biophilic influences in order to balance the urban setting.
Natural stone with strong veining creates an artwork backdrop for the shower.
“The new bathroom needed to be a luxurious and innovative space that prioritised privacy without compromising natural light. Large-format porcelain mural tiles have been skilfully mitred into window reveals, enveloping the bathroom in an immersive forest-like experience.”
Group Builder Homes
Maddren Homes and Natasha Bozic took out the 2025 TIDA New Zealand Group Home Builder Bathroom of the Year award.
The goal for this master ensuite in a Milldale, Auckland home was to create a moody and relaxing retreat, with soft curves used throughout to balance the clean lines of the vanity and shower enclosure.
The TIDA judges were impressed with the way the Maddren Homes bathroom design is flexible to allow privacy - there is a cavity slider that slides across into the slot within the vanity to close off the space.
Two custom-made round mirrors are a standout feature, deliberately installed at different heights to balance practicality with aesthetics. One mirror caters to seated use at the makeup desk, while the other is positioned for standing at the vanity, creating a point of difference to the overall design.
The vanity and custom makeup desk itself is designed to be used either as a single element or as separate units.
Landmark Homes North Shore Rodney & Shannon Pepper Design won the 2025 TIDA New Zealand Group Home Builder Suite of the Year with a beautifully understated retreat in a Matakana home.
This is the ensuite within the winning suite designed by Landmark Homes North Shore Rodney & Shannon Pepper Design.
The adjoining ensuite is moody and dramatic with full-height, stone-look tiles that envelop the space in rich texture. A freestanding bath positioned beside a large picture window invites relaxation, while offering uninterrupted views of the natural landscape, which can also be enjoyed from the adjacent shower enclosure.
Dark woodgrain cabinetry and sculptural vessel basins on the vanity complete the space, ensuring a cohesive flow between form and function.
Best powder room
The 2025 TIDA New Zealand Powder Room of the Year was won by designed by Priyanka Sareen of Home Factor in Wānaka.
A beautiful sculptural basin is the centrepiece in the winning powder room designed by Priyanka Sareen of Home Factor in Wānaka.
A stone floor basin shaped like an unfurling lotus serves as the room's centrepiece, while the dramatic leaf mosaic feature wall behind it creates a sophisticated backdrop and adds textural depth and subtle colour variation.
The TIDA judges felt that having the side walls and floor clad in a more monochromatic large-format grey tile pulls the focus into the room’s key design features, creating a memorable guest experience within a compact footprint.
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