The Extremely Dated Bathroom

Marc and Virginia’s home

We had worked on a number of smaller projects around Marc and Virginia’s lovely family home in leafy Hampstead Garden Suburb before they asked us to redesign and renovate their extremely dated bathroom.

From the Swedish wooden panels to the dated bathroom suite, the poor lighting that made the room feel lifeless and claustrophobic to the chill that dominated this room’s personality in winter, this was a bathroom stuck in a bygone age, in desperate need of refurbishment.

Beyond the aesthetic changes Marc and Virginia asked us to make, a rethink of the functionality of the room was also needed. The bath was being used just a handful of times a year as both Marc and Virginia preferred showers, so this meant their largest piece of bathroom furniture had become superfluous to requirements. Significant changes were needed and some clever design required to transform this dark and unwelcoming room into the relaxing haven it should be.

The Brief

The design brief was, therefore, to open up and completely renovate the room, replacing the bath with an easy access walk-in shower area and to maximise use of space. To save some time and cost we decided to keep the wooden panelling and matching storage, softening their appearance by decorating them white so they blended in, while replacing and updating everything else.

Our Solution – three weeks from start to finish

The bathroom suite was the first thing to go, followed by the upper half of a wall behind the bath that was blocking out some of the light. The old vinyl flooring was ripped up, and new plumbing installed for an additional radiator to keep the room toasty warm in winter and support the under-tile floor heating system that we introduced.

A clean, calm contemporary look and feel was created with the help of beautiful large grey Checkalow tiles on walls and floor, a 1700 x 900 Crosswater shower tray and screen, even bigger than the bath it had replaced, a stylish Hudson Reed shower head and chrome thermostatic shower controls, and new LED downlights and ceiling skylights.

15% Saving

Because of our strong supplier relationships, we were able to save Marc and Virginia approximately £500 off the retail cost of their shower room products and accessories on this project, equating to a saving of around 15%.

Design Tip

If the arrangement of your shower room is such that the sink, WC, or other furniture may be splashed while showering, a half-height wall may be the answer. It will minimise splashing and maximise the open space feel of the room.

“Excellent advice and always helpful and willing to do what it takes to give us what we wanted.” 

To ask any questions you may have, or to book an appointment with one of our designers to discuss your bathroom, shower room or wet room, call 01707 861 444 or email [email protected]

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