Long Baths

Baths are a way to unwind and calm one’s mind. For people who are always on the move and always in a hurry, baths were a time of sanctuary.

Words by Miranda O’Rourke Photography by Luisa Brimble

My thing since forever has been taking a long bath. I was definitely a water baby and I still am a water girl. While we were living in Sydney and looking for houses to rent, one of my strict criteria was for the house to have a bath. Baths to me were a way to unwind and calm my mind. For people who are always on the move and always in a hurry, baths were my time of sanctuary. And I always say, I do my best thinking in the bath. When it came time to renovate our own home, I knew the bath needed to be something special. I knew I needed it to be special for me and for my time, but also for the people to who we were opening our home up. I wasn’t in a hurry to find the right bath because I knew it would come at the right time. During the months when we first started renovating the cottage, our at the time boss Richard from Parterre was on a buying trip in Europe. He knew we were renovating and because he was quite literally the best boss ever, he would send us pictures of pieces he would find. If we liked them, we were able to purchase and he would ship them over to Australia as part of his shipment. He sent us two photos of two completely different baths and we said yes to both because we couldn’t choose. One we would take and one he would sell in the shop. So on one day in December, a shipping container docked at Sydney Wharf and we went to choose.

They were both zinc, but one was raw and tarnished whilst the other had a marble effect on the outer. As soon as we saw the bath which now sits proudly in our bathroom, we knew it was the one. The bath came from the courtyard of one of Richard’s long time dealers and was rumoured to have once belonged to a French prince. The bath was ready for Pambula. We knew us and our guests would take long baths and recharge here. Our bathroom designed stemmed from the zinc bath. We wanted the bath to be the hero here and for this, we chose to render the bathroom walls with a product that allowed the bath to remain the hero. Our bathroom is still evolving and we will always tinker and change, but one thing is for certain - the bath will remain the hero.

The bath is a place of sanctuary and self-love. We wanted all guests to rest and reflect here and a key part of this is bringing in nature and the outside elements. We planted a flowering crab apple out of the window in our bathroom with the thought of it growing tall and impacting the bathroom. Can you imagine bathing in a zinc bath whilst being shaded by the blossom of a crab apple out of the window? In winter, the salvia plant climbs through the window and drops petals into the bath. On a rainy day, you can listen to the rain drops on the roof in the comfort of a hot bath (which actually retains the heat!). Relaxing is guilt free here (and highly encouraged!), as we have plumbed the bath to water the garden when you drain the water, so your bath is helping our garden grow. English tapware company taps give a luxurious feel when paired back by the antique zinc tub. Bubbles, essential oils, rose petals, Epsom salts to sooth tired muscles or straight out of the tap plain Pambula water – this is the place to have a long bath. Relax and rejuvenate.