‘we decided to ditch the bath’

Removing the tub created a gorgeous, girly shower room for Maddie’s two daughters

My husband, andy, and i chose this house because of its character and location, as well as its potential to become a lovely family home,’ says Maddie. ’it was ideal for raising our daughters, Lilia and Rosabelle, but we knew that it would take a lot of hard work to turn it into our dream home. We added a loft conversion and an extension, which created an open-plan kitchen and living space.

The family bathroom was at the bottom of the list. It was shabby and outdated, but when we discovered that water was seeping through cracked floor tiles and staining the ceiling below, we realised that it was a job that really needed doing.

The starting point

As well as updating the fittings, I had three main issues that I wanted to tackle: improving the layout, hiding all of the ugly, visible pipework and increasing the storage. Now they’re getting older, our daughters prefer showers to baths, so it was an easy decision to swap the tub for a shower. We also chose a wall-hung loo with all of the plumbing neatly boxed in.

Replacing the bath for a shower gave us more room to play with. We looked at different shaped enclosures and went for a pentagon design, which gave us plenty of space. We also chose a basin vanity unit and wall cabinet to keep the girls’ growing array of toiletries out of sight.

Choosing the style

I’d always had a Victorian-inspired scheme in mind, but wanted an up-todate twist. Brick format tiles with a flat rather than bevelled surface were at the top of my wish list, with dark grout to accentuate the design, and a patterned floor. We had floor tile samples all over the place, and the girls got involved in selecting the final look. Choosing the

wall colour took the longest time. I wanted it to enhance the neutral scheme without being overpowering. I tried mustard with grey but the combination didn’t work for me. An assistant at a local Farrow & Ball store suggested the deep grey/mauve paint – it goes so well with all the various elements.

Getting the work done

We asked a local company, David Cooper Design, to install the bathroom. David had designed and built our kitchen extension, and we liked his work. The girls don’t like it to be pitch black at night so we used to leave the bathroom light on – not practical for financial and environmental reasons. David suggested fitting a small additional ceiling light with a timer rather than a sensor light. It’s a simple solution and we can remove it when they’re older and no longer need it. Lilia and Rosabelle love their new bathroom and it’s a space that will grow as they do.’

‘USE stone offcuts to create mini corner shelves to go with the tiles and keep toiletries tidy’

Perfect Pattern ‘i spent ages choosing the floor tiles. Some were too fussy for a small space, but these are spot on’

Good idea ‘We chose an overhead shower plus a hand one for when the girls don’t want to wash their hair’

Pared-back space ‘hiding the pipework and moving the loo and basin away from the window makes the room feel lighter and less cluttered’ IDEA to steal ‘Decorative towels add colour to an understated scheme’

keep it tidy ‘the cabinet is both practical and stylish’

corner unit ‘the pentagon-shaped shower maximised the space. It didn’t jut out too far or block the door’

Warm hue ‘the wall is a rich shade of lavender and really lifts the grey tones of the cabinetry and floor’