‘These colours LIFT MY SPIRITS’
Lucy Tiffney gave her unloved bathroom a new look with sleek fittings and wallpaper she designed herself
Having been brought up around Colchester and with relatives still living nearby, I was keen to return to the area after living in London for 20 years. We spotted this neglected Edwardian house, with lots of original features, and bought it nine years ago.
My background is in textile design, but I love a challenge and was looking forward to making my mark on somewhere new. Some people might remember me for being a finalist in the BBC’S The Great Interior
Design Challenge show in 2016. Since the show, I’ve become a fully fledged designer.
WORKING IT OUT
We tackled renovating the house room by room, with the bathroom being the last thing to be done, and on the smallest budget. It’s not a big space, so we knew we wouldn’t change things radically, layoutwise. The bath had to stay on the left-hand side, with the airing cupboard on the other side of it. The loo was the only thing that was reasonably new and in good condition, so we kept it, but everything else had to go, especially the cork floor tiles.
GETTING STARTED
First, we installed a new bath with a solid glass screen, which looks much sleeker than a shower curtain. I spent a long time choosing the shower, because the old one had been so feeble, so I knew we needed something more powerful. The new shower has a large round head, but the wide screen gave me confidence that splashes would stay inside the bath.
SLIMMING DOWN
When it came to the sink, I was really pleased to find the grey Edwardian-style vanity unit with a built-in basin at Soak. It looks great, it was a good price and there’s plenty of room for storage. The
‘IT’S NOT A BIG SPACE, SO WE KNEW WE WOULDN’T CHANGE THINGS RADICALLY’
old sink was big and it stuck out into the room, with no storage at all, so we’d had to chuck all our toiletries and towels in a box in the airing cupboard.
TOTALLY TROPICAL
Once all the basics were in, I wanted to add lots of colour. I thought about hanging loads of real plants, but decided that wallpaper would be more practical. I designed the palm wallpaper at the same time as I was thinking about the bathroom. I’m inspired by tropical greenery and I just love the combination of pink and green. It’s more like a mural, really. I’m very pleased with the way it’s turned out – it lifts my spirits every time I walk in here. Now I love showing people my bathroom, rather than hiding it!’