Room of the Week: A Classic Bathroom is Lifted With Bold, Bespoke Tiles

Vivid Mediterranean hues and vintage-style fittings create a wow family bathroom

Lara Sargent 4 November 2015

Houzz UK contributor. Freelance interiors journalist with over 20 years' experience writing for national magazines, newspapers and websites.

Houzz UK contributor. Freelance interiors journalist with over 20 years' experience... More

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The bathroom was last on the to-do list for the total renovation of this five-bedroom London home and was designed by its owner, Heidrun Anna Bjornsdottir, a singer-songwriter originally from Iceland. The master bathroom is on the first floor of the four-storey Victorian property Bjornsdottir shares with her husband and their three young children and two visiting stepchildren. ‘We decorated the rest of the house, but left the bathroom, as it wasn’t in too bad a state,’ says Bjornsdottir. ‘But last year we decided it could do with a little bit more love.’

The brief was simple: they needed a bigger bathroom to cater for the growing family’s needs and it had to reflect Bjornsdottir’s love of vintage style and bold Mediterranean colour.

Drummonds Bathrooms

Room at a Glance
Who lives here Heidrun Anna Bjornsdottir, her husband, commodity broker Jamie Lawson, and three young children (14 months, 2½ and 6 years) plus two stepchildren (11 and 14 years)
Location Clapham, London
Size 60 sq ft; part of a four-storey Victorian house
Bathroom Drummonds
Bespoke tiles Rustico Tile & Stone

Heidrun Anna Bjornsdottir and her husband, Jamie Lawson, knocked together two smaller, side-by-side bathrooms, one containing a toilet and the other a bath. Joining the rooms created enough space for a walk-in shower, a handsome roll-top bath and an elegant vanity unit.

The couple decided on traditional, vintage-style décor for the bathroom, with an array of classic, elegant fittings creating a glamorous and luxurious finish.

Drummonds Bathrooms

‘The house is old Victorian, so this look fitted in with everything else in the property,’ explains Bjornsdottir. ‘It just worked and felt like the right way to go: live modern, but keep traditional.’

The striking, freestanding Tay bath with a gleaming polished finish and separate plunger waste, takes centre stage. It’s set against a wall panelled in antique mirror glass. ‘It makes the space look much bigger than it actually is,’ says Bjornsdottir.

Tay bath, plunger overflow and waste unit in nickel, Drummonds. Antique mirror panelling, Rupert Bevan.

Drummonds Bathrooms

‘I fell in love with these tiles when I saw them on the internet,’ says Bjornsdottir. ‘They are quite crazy and not for everyone, but I wanted the flooring to be brave and bold. I love turquoise and thought the mix of colours worked well. I wanted to create a look that feels as if you’re in a hotel or on holiday.’

The toilet was moved to the other side of the room to make space for a walk-in wet room. ‘I did insist on having glass panels either side, though, just so the water doesn’t splash everywhere,’ explains Bjornsdottir of the tray-free shower area.

‘The prints are by Slim Aarons, an American photographer in the 1960s and 1970s,’ she says of the photographs by the toilet and next to the shower (visible in the last image). ‘I would buy two or three more if I could, but they weren’t cheap.’

Slim Aarons photographic prints, Jonathan Adler.

Drummonds Bathrooms

‘The original tiles I liked weren’t suitable for the wet zones of a bathroom,’ recalls Bjornsdottir, ‘and I knew I wanted to take the tiles up the shower wall, so I needed to get hold of a product that could withstand a good soaking.’

While scouring the internet, she came across the Philadelphia tile, part of the Traditional Cement Tile collection from American company Rustico Tile & Stone. Bjornsdottir adored the gutsy pattern, but wanted vibrant, sea blues and greens, so used the company’s online tool to put together a bespoke colour palette. The tiles were then manufactured exactly to her design and shipped to the UK.

‘The whole process was done over the internet, including seeing the custom-coloured samples,’ she explains.

Philadelphia tiles, Rustico Tile & Stone.

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Drummonds Bathrooms

Each tile measures 8in x 8in, with four tiles laid together to create a 16in x16in pattern. The tiles are reminiscent of traditional clay encaustic tiles, but while clay tiles can wear and fade over time, these are made from a special pigmented cement, so the colours should remain vibrant.

‘The recess within the shower area was once a window, so we just tiled over it and now use it to hold toiletries,’ explains Bjornsdottir.

White metro tiles, Fired Earth.

Drummonds Bathrooms

‘All the shower and bath fittings are in a nickel finish,’ adds Bjornsdottir. ‘It’s a lovely metal with a vintage look, and I’ve also mixed in a few gold accessories and door knobs.’

Dalby shower with curved arm and 300mm shower rose, Drummonds.

Drummonds Bathrooms

The traditional toilet with a high-level cistern fits in perfectly with the vintage mood.

‘I originally wanted the mirrored panelling to be flat, but there was an awkward pipe running behind, so we had to build in a shelf,’ recalls Bjornsdottir of the low-level ledge behind the toilet and bath. ‘It’s actually really handy for storing books and displaying pretty toiletries – and holding a glass of wine while you’re soaking in the bath, although I still haven’t managed to do that yet…’

Brora WC suite with a Throne Dark Walnut seat, Drummonds.

Drummonds Bathrooms

‘The bath is big enough to fit all three children in at the same time,’ says Bjornsdottir.

Classic bath and shower mixer with
Mull heads, Drummonds.

Drummonds Bathrooms

‘The tiles are so powerful that we had to go for white on the rest of the walls and ceiling,’ Bjornsdottir says of the overall design. ‘I’ve been so into grey lately, but I’m moving away from this colour towards peacock blue.

‘We don’t have any blinds on the Velux windows, but we do need to make sure no one is looking down into the bathroom if we’re bathing when guests are staying in the attic suite above!’

Drummonds Bathrooms

The robust and very elegant double basin is finished with a dark grey marble top.

‘There was a double basin here already, but it was a much more modern design – all white and a bit plain,’ says Bjornsdottir. ‘I also have a big, custom-built linen cupboard in the room [to the right of the basins] for stashing towels and bathroom accessories.’

Atlantic Grey Double Crake basin; classic basin taps; oval tilt mirrors, all Drummonds. Parker wall sconce, Jonathan Adler.

Drummonds Bathrooms

‘The built-in spotlights were already there,’ Bjornsdottir adds, ‘but we got rid of some as there were far too many, and replaced the surrounds with white versions.

‘We have four switches for the various light sources, which are all on dimmers. It’s lovely, as you can alter the lighting according to the mood you want to create.’

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Drummonds Bathrooms

‘Nothing is a true antique here – it all just looks old and vintage, including the beautiful chandelier,’ explains Bjornsdottir.

The white shutters match those fitted to the windows around the rest of the house to give a uniform appearance from the outside. ‘These ones were specially made to withstand the steam and water of a bathroom,’ she adds.

Chandelier, Villaverde. Towel rail, Drummonds. Shutters, The New England Shutter Company.

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