Houzz Tours
Room Tours
Before and After
Room Tour: A Gorgeous Family Bathroom Full of Colour and Texture
Pretty pink tones teamed with practical materials help this bathroom easily morph from family space into calm retreat
Family bathrooms have to work hard. These communal spaces must cater to all ages, withstanding the daily wash-and-brush-up routine, but also, ideally, offering a sense of sanctuary for an evening soak.
In this busy family bathroom in Essex, Janet Hanson of Studio Lunet achieved that balance by combining practical materials with ample storage, pretty colours and vintage touches. “The owner really wanted a space that was hardwearing, wasn’t going to date, and could take a bit of hurly-burly,” she says. But as well as being a practical family bathroom it also needed to be a space where the client could wind down at the end of the day.
In this busy family bathroom in Essex, Janet Hanson of Studio Lunet achieved that balance by combining practical materials with ample storage, pretty colours and vintage touches. “The owner really wanted a space that was hardwearing, wasn’t going to date, and could take a bit of hurly-burly,” she says. But as well as being a practical family bathroom it also needed to be a space where the client could wind down at the end of the day.
This before shot shows the original position of the bath, on the left-hand side of the space.
The cupboard that used to contain the hot-water tank is visible to the left of the basin.
When it came to layout, Janet kept the toilet in roughly the same location. “We moved it along a bit, but keeping it on the same wall avoided a lot of issues,” she says. “Sometimes when you plan to move the toilet, you find the joists are running in a different direction and you can’t cut through them to lay the soil pipe. So we thought about where all the pipework would go from the start.”
The owner requested some pink in the bathroom – her favourite colour. Janet designed a tongue-and-groove panelled half wall that conceals the toilet cistern and bath pipework, and painted it in a warm rose tone.
The toilet flush is a neat button fitted into the wooden panelling. “I love simple little toilet flushes like this,” Janet says. “It’s not too showy.”
Panelling and shelving painted in Crimson Red, Farrow & Ball.
The owner requested some pink in the bathroom – her favourite colour. Janet designed a tongue-and-groove panelled half wall that conceals the toilet cistern and bath pipework, and painted it in a warm rose tone.
The toilet flush is a neat button fitted into the wooden panelling. “I love simple little toilet flushes like this,” Janet says. “It’s not too showy.”
Panelling and shelving painted in Crimson Red, Farrow & Ball.
Janet’s design combines contemporary elements with hardwearing and rustic materials, including these zellige tiles. “They’ve been in vogue for a few years now, but they are really quite timeless,” she says. “They’re handmade and naturally irregular, with a long, rich heritage behind them.”
There are two basins on the vanity unit, both teamed with brass taps. “It was an aesthetic decision to wall-mount the taps,” Janet says. “It looks more contemporary and streamlined.
“I like adding a clean element alongside vintage touches, such as the mirror above,” she continues. “I’m never going to go full vintage – I’ll always add some contemporary details – but I like that combination. I think anything that looks too new can quickly date.”
Zellige tiles, Mosaic Factory. Alape basins, Superfront. Bayor brushed brass taps, The Cast Iron Bath Company. Mirror, Graham & Green.
There are two basins on the vanity unit, both teamed with brass taps. “It was an aesthetic decision to wall-mount the taps,” Janet says. “It looks more contemporary and streamlined.
“I like adding a clean element alongside vintage touches, such as the mirror above,” she continues. “I’m never going to go full vintage – I’ll always add some contemporary details – but I like that combination. I think anything that looks too new can quickly date.”
Zellige tiles, Mosaic Factory. Alape basins, Superfront. Bayor brushed brass taps, The Cast Iron Bath Company. Mirror, Graham & Green.
The floor tiles are another example of the authentic, rustic materials Janet favoured for this bathroom design. “They are cement tiles, not printed but hand-poured with made-to-order colours and all created individually,” she says. “I used tiles and materials that can take a few knocks.”
Vanity unit, Harvey George. Solid brass Bow handle, Beata Heuman. Ledbury ribbed glass bathroom wall lights, Fritz Fryer.
Vanity unit, Harvey George. Solid brass Bow handle, Beata Heuman. Ledbury ribbed glass bathroom wall lights, Fritz Fryer.
Concealing the toilet cistern behind panelling naturally created room for shelving above, providing storage and display space.
The painting is a vintage piece that Janet found in a local market.
Easily find and hire bathroom designers on Houzz.
The painting is a vintage piece that Janet found in a local market.
Easily find and hire bathroom designers on Houzz.
Janet sourced a slightly smaller than standard size bath so the room didn’t feel cramped. “The owner really wanted to be able to lie back and relax in it, so this one has quite a slanted interior, so it feels nice to lie against,” she says.
A freestanding tap stands alongside the tub. “The other option would have been to fit one into the panelling, chased into that wall, but a tap can get a bit wobbly mounted on timber cladding,” Janet says.
Viado bath, BC Designs. Freestanding tap, The Cast Iron Bath Company.
More: How to Plan for a Bathroom Renovation
A freestanding tap stands alongside the tub. “The other option would have been to fit one into the panelling, chased into that wall, but a tap can get a bit wobbly mounted on timber cladding,” Janet says.
Viado bath, BC Designs. Freestanding tap, The Cast Iron Bath Company.
More: How to Plan for a Bathroom Renovation
A Roman blind hangs at the window and softly filters the light. “It’s a lovely linen stripe with a bit of texture,” Janet says. “It really suits the scheme.”
Redesigning this bathroom was the first part of a total home renovation, and the owners remain thrilled with it. “[It] perfectly reflects who we are as a family in terms of both style and practicality,” they say. “We are so delighted with the results.”
Tell us…
What do you think of Janet’s redesign of this family bathroom? Let us know in the Comments.
Redesigning this bathroom was the first part of a total home renovation, and the owners remain thrilled with it. “[It] perfectly reflects who we are as a family in terms of both style and practicality,” they say. “We are so delighted with the results.”
Tell us…
What do you think of Janet’s redesign of this family bathroom? Let us know in the Comments.
Sponsored
Who lives here? A couple, their three children and a dog
Location Loughton, Essex
Property A detached Victorian house with five bedrooms overlooking Epping Forest
Room dimensions Approximately 3m x 2.5m
Project year 2021
Designer Janet Hanson of Studio Lunet
Photos by Lisa Cunnane
By the time Janet was asked to redesign this bathroom, it hadn’t been touched for decades. “The owners had lived here for a year or so,” she says. “This room, as well as an en suite and the guest bedroom, was the first work they did on the house.”
There was a bath, toilet and basin in here, all looking dated. “It was quite Eighties – white tiles with a bit of royal blue thrown in and the bath panel falling off,” Janet says. The owners wanted a shower installed and specified a freestanding bath, plus some storage.
Moving a huge water tank into the attic made room to fit in a shower (which can be glimpsed in the photo of the new vanity unit.)