Clean, clutter-free bathrooms filled with natural light make for calm places, writes Robert O'Byrne

One of the most dispiriting features of a typical modern apartment is the appearance of its bathroom. While developers take at least a certain amount of trouble over other rooms, they somehow believe the place in which we perform our daily ablutions ought to look as uninviting as possible.

Inside a small, cave-like space that is devoid of any natural light, fresh air and decoration (other than a thin line of cheap white tiles) there'll be one miniscule sink below an equally diminutive mirror. Also a lavatory, a child-sized bath and just possibly a rail large enough to hold a single hand towel.

The water tank will provide only enough hot water for filling the sink once a day, and an asthmatic extractor fan struggles ineffectually to clear the atmosphere of its rank odour.

The modern bathroom: dark, cold, damp and an ideal environment for fungoid growth. No wonder some people don't seem to spend much time washing themselves.

Contrast this scenario with the bathroom shared by muralist and decorative painter Nat Clements and his girlfriend Alicia Parsons. The couple live in a central Dublin terraced house bought by Nat four years ago and gradually restored ever since.

Prior to the onset of its make-over, the building looked very different to the way it does today. The present bathroom, for example, used to be two rooms, since one half of the space - divided by a thin partition wall - served as a bedroom.

"It definitely needed attention," he says. There was, for example, no heating in the place and the bathroom section had no window and so no natural light.

But not any more: now the Clements/Parsons home is a haven of warmth and comfort and airiness, particularly the bathroom because, as Nat notes, "This is a place to rest after a long day, somewhere to relax and unwind in a long, hot bath." Which is precisely the right attitude to take towards that area of the house. A bathroom ought to be tranquil, cosy, restful and perhaps just a touch luxurious.

The one used by Nat and Alicia is all of those things. Plus it's big enough to accommodate two people - or even more - with ease because the first job done here was the removal of the partition wall. This provided the entire space with natural light from a window overlooking the house's rear courtyard but in case that wasn't enough, a Velux was inserted into the ceiling. The latter meanwhile was raised approximately 10 inches to create a gentle cove that further enhanced the overall impression of ample light and space.

Walls and ceiling are now painted a uniform putty-hued matte wash that's unobtrusive and serene, and doesn't absorb too much of light the way stronger shades are wont to do.

"It's a neutral backdrop," explains Nat before going on to point out the equally understated walls behind the bath and shower that are covered in large squares of Turkish travertine, and the floor of pale ivory ceramic tiles. The colour surprise comes inside cupboards which have been painted a brilliant peppermint green.

There is ample opportunity to discover this because the bathroom is sufficiently well equipped with storage space. Tucked neatly beside the entrance is a large airing cupboard plus another unit for the miscellaneous paraphernalia any bathroom is liable to accumulate; its door carries a full-length mirror.

Then, on either side of the (gratifyingly large) sink are two long slender cabinets designed and made for the space and covered in bevelled mirror; one is for Nat, the other for Alicia.

All the white units in the room were manufactured by Duravit and the couple are particularly pleased with the large, free-standing bath installed last summer even though, says Nat, "We bought it by mistake: we thought the price was much less and by the time we came to pay, it was too late."

On the opposite side of the room, and for those occasions when shortage of time doesn't allow for a bath, is a very large shower; because of the coved ceiling, its glass door had to be specially made.

There's not much by way of further decoration, because not much more is required. Above the sink and between the two cabinets hangs a large mirror in what appears to be an antique frame but is, in fact, fibreglass that's been silver-gilded. A couple of lithographs of a fish and a waterfall by Melissa MacGillycuddy and Georgina Gleeson suggest an appropriately aquatic theme but Nat and Alicia have wisely not taken advantage of all that space to clutter their bathroom with excessive amounts of furniture.

"It's very calm," he says. "It's also the quietest room in the house because of being at the very back." A quiet not even disturbed by the wheezing of an asthmatic extractor fan.

Bathroom: key elements

1 Heat and plenty of it; this is cold and wet Ireland, after all

2 Good light, both natural and artificial

3 A neutral but warm colour scheme

4 Plain units

5 Access to fresh air

6 Mirrors in abundance; aside from letting you inspect yourself, they increase the impression of space