Interior DesigN: bathroom - hILDENBOROUGH - kENT

The Project

We have been steadily working our way through this handsome Edwardian home on the edge of Hildenborough, with a bold family room and a formal sitting room recently completed. Throughout the design journey our clients have become even more adventurous with colour, and the house is starting to tell a wonderful personal story. The next room on the list is one of the most hardworking rooms in any house - a first floor bathroom.

THE BRIEF

The brief for this project came from a very discerning member of the family - a young lady who was diligent enough to create a beautiful moodboard for us as our starting point. The first floor bathroom is adacent to her bedroom, so by default has become a space mainly used by this teen. The brief was to create a space that blended practicality with a touch of glamour. Emerald green was to be a key feature, paired with brass for a touch of luxury.

A key consideration was to be layout: when the family purchased the property the toilet was situated on an internal wall, and there have been several plumbing issues with leaks from the shower and 90 degree bends in pipes not helping. Revisiting the floorplan and ensuring all the hidden components of the bathroom would function perfectly - and for a long time to come - was our first port of call. Not the most exciting part of the project, but certainly the most essential.

WHAT WE DID

We rotated the toilet by 90 degrees, relocating it onto an outside wall. Moving to a wall hung model meant no issues with the window and frame. We worked with our plumber to select a shower tray that would deliver a steamlined sihouette but still protect against leaks and splashes.

Blessed with space in this bathroom, we had the opportunity to provide plenty of storage (essential for any teen!) so we commissioned a statement wooden vanity from Holly Oak House. This beautiful dark oak piece provides deep, soft-close oak drawers which means absolutely everything can be tucked away out of sight, keeping the space neat and elegant - in line with the original vision. Quality products in beautiful bottles can then take centre stage, and provide touches of luxury and glamour.

Tile choice was going to be a key design decision in this room, as the large walk-in shower takes up a good portion of the floorspace so the tiled area had the opportunity to be hugely impactful. Our final choice of tile - “Wightwick” - was chosen to deliver the emerald colour that our client loved, but the varied and mottled pattern was important for practicality and longevity. It also stops the shower zone feeling too much like a hard block, and the brown mottling gives a nod to the dark oak of the vanity, the sandy “chunk chip” of the floor tiles and the Oxford Stone walls. Brass hardware acts as jewellry for this room, and the swirls of the fun Lee Jofa blinds infuse water-like movement.