Room Tour: A Plain Bathroom Gets a Sunny New Look and Layout
Space wasn’t being optimised in this skinny room in a 1930s house. A practical rework led to a colour revamp, too
This uplifting yellow bathroom, the main en suite in an interwar house, is a long but not especially wide room. Pre-renovation, it was “functional, but not very inspiring”, according to Tina Gill of htg designs, who reimagined the room, and the owners were keen for a grown-up and glamorous space.
There were also layout tweaks – the moving of a door to allow space for hidden cupboards, a generous shower and a standalone bath. (And what a bath it is!) Take a look around this elegant, colourful room.
There were also layout tweaks – the moving of a door to allow space for hidden cupboards, a generous shower and a standalone bath. (And what a bath it is!) Take a look around this elegant, colourful room.
Tina complemented the sanitaryware with soft grey wall and floor tiles and aged brass fittings.
She opted for half a wall of tiles, partly to allow the owners to hang artwork above the bath down the line.
You may notice the loo is entirely yellow, as well – (wooden) seat and all. “Yes, haha – in the same way, I’m not a fan of feature walls. I always think, if you like it, commit to it,” Tina says.
Sanitaryware in Sherbet from the Rockwell range, The Water Monopoly. Tone White porcelain wall and floor tiles, Mandarin Stone.
She opted for half a wall of tiles, partly to allow the owners to hang artwork above the bath down the line.
You may notice the loo is entirely yellow, as well – (wooden) seat and all. “Yes, haha – in the same way, I’m not a fan of feature walls. I always think, if you like it, commit to it,” Tina says.
Sanitaryware in Sherbet from the Rockwell range, The Water Monopoly. Tone White porcelain wall and floor tiles, Mandarin Stone.
The old layout, with the bath beneath the window, emphasised the room’s skinny shape.
“Originally, there was a door into the room facing the bath that clashed with the door of a tiny corner shower, meaning you couldn’t open it safely,” Tina explains. “So we closed off that entrance and made a new one from the owners’ dressing room instead, which is off their bedroom.”
This turned the bathroom into an en suite, as it had previously been accessed from the landing. (There remains another bathroom that can be accessed from the landing.)
The old bathroom suite was carefully dismantled and sold on.
Tempted to revamp your bathroom? Start the conversation by finding a reviewed bathroom designer on Houzz.
“Originally, there was a door into the room facing the bath that clashed with the door of a tiny corner shower, meaning you couldn’t open it safely,” Tina explains. “So we closed off that entrance and made a new one from the owners’ dressing room instead, which is off their bedroom.”
This turned the bathroom into an en suite, as it had previously been accessed from the landing. (There remains another bathroom that can be accessed from the landing.)
The old bathroom suite was carefully dismantled and sold on.
Tempted to revamp your bathroom? Start the conversation by finding a reviewed bathroom designer on Houzz.
Tina designed a new, more efficient layout, seen in this floor plan. It provided hidden storage opportunities as well as a better location for the shower.
The new shower and closed off original entrance is on the left of the room, with the new doorway opposite the bath.
Tina stole around a metre at the shower end of the room for a rather clever storage idea. Rather than blocking up the original door, she kept it in situ, turning the space behind it – which backs onto the shower – into a cupboard accessed from the landing.
The areas marked with crosses either side of the shower are cupboards accessed from the bathroom; the areas behind are part of the landing cupboard. “I always like to ensure there isn’t any dead space,” Tina says.
Similarly, there are fitted wardrobes in the spaces either side of the new entrance, which make up the dressing area.
The new shower and closed off original entrance is on the left of the room, with the new doorway opposite the bath.
Tina stole around a metre at the shower end of the room for a rather clever storage idea. Rather than blocking up the original door, she kept it in situ, turning the space behind it – which backs onto the shower – into a cupboard accessed from the landing.
The areas marked with crosses either side of the shower are cupboards accessed from the bathroom; the areas behind are part of the landing cupboard. “I always like to ensure there isn’t any dead space,” Tina says.
Similarly, there are fitted wardrobes in the spaces either side of the new entrance, which make up the dressing area.
The owners didn’t want to clutter up the room with storage beneath the basin, so they chose this elegant stand.
The wall-mounted taps also keep things neat – and make the basin easier to clean, too.
Brassware in Aged Brass from the Ben range, The Water Monopoly. Wall lights, Pooky.
The wall-mounted taps also keep things neat – and make the basin easier to clean, too.
Brassware in Aged Brass from the Ben range, The Water Monopoly. Wall lights, Pooky.
The shower is clad in terrazzo porcelain tiles. “It felt as if all the fun was at the other end of the room, so we needed something at this end, too, but nothing that would compete,” Tina explains. “The terrazzo, which has some lime green and light grey in it, seemed perfect.”
The mirrored cabinets either side help to boost natural light in the room and Tina installed discreet lights on motion sensors at the bottom of the walls. “These give a lovely wash of light across the floor, and are really good if you [need the bathroom] in the middle of the night, as they’ll just come on,” she says.
There’s also an IP-rated dimmable downlight in the shower cubicle, plus tiny spotlights in the top of the niches (see next photo).
Shower door and inline fixed panel in aged brass finish, Matki.
The mirrored cabinets either side help to boost natural light in the room and Tina installed discreet lights on motion sensors at the bottom of the walls. “These give a lovely wash of light across the floor, and are really good if you [need the bathroom] in the middle of the night, as they’ll just come on,” she says.
There’s also an IP-rated dimmable downlight in the shower cubicle, plus tiny spotlights in the top of the niches (see next photo).
Shower door and inline fixed panel in aged brass finish, Matki.
To create a frame for the shower, Tina brought the tiles out a little. She didn’t want to use tile trim, so made use of the tile edge. “You do have to be careful – you want to see pattern all the way through [if you’re using the edge],” she says. “With terrazzo porcelain, the pattern goes all the way through, rather than just sitting on the top, as it does with other porcelain tiles.
“The idea works really well with natural stone or marble as well,” she says, “but if you did this with another type of tile, you’d probably have to paint the edge.”
Terrazzo Nouveau Lime Matt porcelain tiles, Mandarin Stone.
“The idea works really well with natural stone or marble as well,” she says, “but if you did this with another type of tile, you’d probably have to paint the edge.”
Terrazzo Nouveau Lime Matt porcelain tiles, Mandarin Stone.
Even the soap dispensers fit the theme.
Tina looked at lots of samples before settling on the antique-style aged brass taps and fittings. “I didn’t think something modern would work, and it also runs the risk of becoming unfashionable. This is timeless,” she says. She also believes the coloured sanitaryware won’t date for the same reason.
So how did Tina’s design go down with the owners? “They love it,” she says. “They say it always makes them smile and feel as if they have a great start to their day when they go in there to get ready for work.”
Tell us…
What do you most like about this modern-meets-vintage bathroom? Let us know in the Comments.
Tell us…
What do you most like about this modern-meets-vintage bathroom? Let us know in the Comments.
Who lives here? A couple in their forties
Location Cobham, Surrey
Property A 1939-built detached, four-bedroom house
Room dimensions Around 4.7m x 1.9m
Designer Tina Gill of htg designs
Project year 2022
Photos by Amelia Stewart
The elegant yellow bath is undoubtedly the star of the show in this reconfigured room. “The owners aren’t averse to colour,” says Tina of her bold retro revamp, “but they weren’t thinking of coloured sanitaryware.” As soon as they saw samples and Tina’s ideas, though, they were sold.
“What inspired me was the age of the property and the fact it’s an east-facing room” she says. “I found a few coloured bathroom suites, but this felt as if it had a nod of the 1930s about it while also feeling modern.”
The quality of the light in the room drew Tina towards the colour. “It gets morning sun, so the yellow really enhances that on a bright day, while adding a sense of sunshine when it’s gloomier,” she says. “It looks absolutely beautiful in the late morning.”