Before & after: A renovated bathroom with a luxurious spa feel
By removing the bath, the owners of this narrow bathroom have transformed it into a spa-like space. Brushed-brass trims, bespoke floor tiles and a spacious (and stylish) shower seat have helped create a luxurious room that belies its small size.
Who lives here?
Lesley Bradshaw lives with her husband Tim and their Border terriers, Lily and Pocket, in an 1860s Lincolnshire farmhouse. They enlisted the help of their daughter Victoria, an interior designer.
Before
'It was very dull and a bit gloomy. There was a bath along the wall on the left and a cumbersome sink unit on the right. The WC was at the far end of the room and was the first thing you saw, and the shower felt cramped at the front,' says Lesley.
What inspired the redesign?
LB: We didn’t use the bath and knew we weren’t making the most of the space. Our aim was to make it all feel bigger, and to create a new focal point at the end of the room, drawing the eye towards the stunning countryside view beyond. Overall we wanted the bathroom to feel a bit special, and somewhere we could really relax.
How did you get started?
LB: Our daughter Victoria [Covell] is an interior designer, so we sought her help. One of the first things she did was contact Utopia Interiors, a fabulous bathroom specialist based in Newark. The team there came up with the clever solution of installing a Matki custom-made shower, which has made the whole room work spatially.
Did you have any particular challenges?
LB: The main issue was working out how to deal with the narrow layout. Deciding to get rid of the bathtub was key. Installing a custom-made wet-room shower at the end with a glass partition halfway down the room had the effect of cutting it into two squarer halves and foreshortening the space, making it all feel much wider.
Were there any must-haves?
LB: Our priority was to make the room feel larger. We also wanted it to be luxurious and spa-like. Victoria suggested the Calacatta marble tops, which lift the space, as does the beautiful tiling. She designed the bespoke floor tiles, which we love, and chose the elegant brushed-brass finish for the taps and shower fittings.
Are you happy with the result?
LB: Yes, we’re delighted with how it’s turned out. We love our shower seat. It feels luxurious to have a shower you can sit in, and it’s also really handy to have an extra surface for storing soap and things. And our favourite thing is the brushed-brass trim that frames the shower door – it’s a small detail but it completely elevates the whole room somehow.
Sourcebook
Bespoke shower door, matki.co.uk.
Wet room parts, underfloor heating; buildbase.co.uk.
Bespoke sink unit, victoriacovell.co.uk.
Loop & Friends sink, villeroy-boch.co.uk.
Sink mixer, shower mixer, brass fixtures; swadlingbrassware.co.uk.
Calacatta marble tops, worldofmarble.co.uk.
Zellige wall tiles, cement floor tiles; mosaicfactory.com.
Deco wall lights, oldschoolelectric.com.
Recessed downlights, astrolighting.com.
Vitra Zentrum WC, Zehnder Buckingham towel rail; utopiainteriors.co.uk.
Mirror, grahamandgreen.co.uk.
Slate III paint, paintandpaperlibrary.com
Costs
Bespoke shower door £3,800
Wet room £900
Underfloor heating £440
Bespoke vanity unit and sink £2,100
Brassware £3,000
Marble £2,400
Tiles £3,200
Wall lights £290
Downlights £220
WC £630
Towel rail £1,600
Mirror £270
Paint £107
Labour £7,000
Total = £25,957
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