Room Tour: Simple Hues and Pattern are Key in this Airy Bathroom
A chic scheme complements beautiful brass fittings to transform a dark en suite into a light, elegant space
The owners of this 1990s home got in touch with interior designer Emma Merry because their en suite bathroom felt cramped and uninspiring. To give her clients the boutique hotel feel they were after, Emma designed a pared-back scheme that teams subtle pattern with luxurious finishes.
Emma chose a muted pink colour scheme and contrasted it with a dark blue vanity unit and brushed brass taps and fittings.
“The vanity has double pull-out drawers, so there’s enough storage for the couple’s toiletries inside,” Emma says. “We also built niches into the shower area, which give it a sleek look.”
Walls painted in Setting Plaster, Farrow & Ball. Sanitaryware; brassware; vanity unit; towel radiator, all CP Hart. Taps and fittings, Crosswater. Mirror, La Redoute.
“The vanity has double pull-out drawers, so there’s enough storage for the couple’s toiletries inside,” Emma says. “We also built niches into the shower area, which give it a sleek look.”
Walls painted in Setting Plaster, Farrow & Ball. Sanitaryware; brassware; vanity unit; towel radiator, all CP Hart. Taps and fittings, Crosswater. Mirror, La Redoute.
To change the layout, Emma and her team needed to update the pipework. “We encountered difficulties, as the pipework in 1990s homes was traditionally taken internally rather than running to an outside wall and down the side of the house,” Emma says.
They managed to locate the soil pipe and streamlined this to encompass the waste for all the sanitaryware. “This created more wall space for the beautiful brass heated towel rail,” she says.
Are you planning to renovate your bathroom? Find bathroom designers and fitters in your area.
They managed to locate the soil pipe and streamlined this to encompass the waste for all the sanitaryware. “This created more wall space for the beautiful brass heated towel rail,” she says.
Are you planning to renovate your bathroom? Find bathroom designers and fitters in your area.
Simple white tiles were laid over part of the walls in an interesting herringbone pattern, and Emma created a clear division from painted wall to tile pattern with brushed brass tile trim.
A frameless glass shower door adds to the lovely feeling of space in the room.
Artisau wall tiles; Foundry Raw brass trim, both Topps Tiles.
A frameless glass shower door adds to the lovely feeling of space in the room.
Artisau wall tiles; Foundry Raw brass trim, both Topps Tiles.
Slim legs on the vanity unit and a wall-hung loo ensure the floor pattern is clearly visible. The cistern was boxed in, which allowed the team to carry the herringbone tiles the full length of the wall.
The window is simply dressed. “We wanted a window treatment that would neaten up the old sashes, but still allow light to fill the space,” Emma says. “So we chose moisture-resistant shutters, which give the room a clean look.”
Shutters, Shutterly Fabulous.
The window is simply dressed. “We wanted a window treatment that would neaten up the old sashes, but still allow light to fill the space,” Emma says. “So we chose moisture-resistant shutters, which give the room a clean look.”
Shutters, Shutterly Fabulous.
Two basins sit on the marble-topped vanity unit, and the white herringbone tiles form a splashback. “The wall-mounted taps were fitted first, and then we tiled around the fixings,” Emma says.
“It’s always best to ensure the taps are aligned with the bowl and at the right height to minimise splashing,” she adds.
Towels, Secret Linen Store.
“It’s always best to ensure the taps are aligned with the bowl and at the right height to minimise splashing,” she adds.
Towels, Secret Linen Store.
Floor tiles with a diagonal striped pattern provide a feeling of space by drawing the eye to the corners of the room.
Parisian Café Porcelain Tri floor tiles, Artisans of Devizes.
Tell us…
What do you like about this modern bathroom? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Parisian Café Porcelain Tri floor tiles, Artisans of Devizes.
Tell us…
What do you like about this modern bathroom? Share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Who lives here? A couple and their two children
Location Reigate, Surrey
Property A mid-1990s detached house
Room dimensions 3 x 4m
Designer Emma Merry of Emma Merry Styling
Photos by Paul Craig
It’s hard to imagine, but this light, spacious en suite bathroom once felt dark and cramped. It had been installed in the 1990s as part of the original house, with a full-length pine double vanity unit, a shower cubicle, a bath and an oversized loo.
“It was all you could do to get in the door,” Emma says. “Consequently, space, light and functionality were at the top of our agenda.”