6 minute read
florals, jazzy geos and lush metallics
from Sxzvcgv
Buy Ruth’s style… MODERN HERITAGE
Team an archive print with natural wood and lush greenery
Advertisement
RUSTIC VIBE
Add an industrial edge with raw oak and iron shelving. Oak and cast iron shelf, from £25, Garden Trading
Make a statement with a lively wallpaper. Morris Honeysuckle wallpaper in Green/Coral, £80 a roll, Wallpaperdirect Hang a longline light to highlight an island. Boyd 3 light bar in antique brass, £114, Dar Lighting
Style shelves with verdant greenery. Faux bracken fern with cement pot, £34, Audenza Go for fixtures and fittings in vintage-style brushed brass. Torc antique brass effect mixer tap, £42, B&Q
Display quirky plates and ceramics on a wall. Cabbage plate, £18, Rebecca Udall
Keep a stack of wooden boards to hand. Square Acacia wood paddle board, £18.99, Season Cook Shop Work extra elements of green into your colour scheme. Bubble glass jug, £12, Habitat
Choose dark wood flooring in classic parquet. Brecon Herringbone vintage oak, £45sq m, Woodpecker Flooring
‘We now have a spacious bathroom that I’m so proud of’
‘We managed
IDEA TO STEAL
COME ON IN!
ABOUT ME I’m Natalie Anderson, 41, and I have a vintage fashion business @elevenmillionclothes. I live with my husband, Scott, 44, a site manager for a house building company, and our children, Lucas, 11, Hamish, eight, Lila, five, and Heath, two, in a Victorian, five-bed terrace, built in 1890, in Tynemouth. We moved here in February 2018 from a house around the corner – we needed more space once our fourth child was born! MY CHALLENGE The bathroom was originally two small rooms, which we turned into one large space. The ancient pink bath and avocado washbasin and loo had to go! MY WISH LIST A walk-in shower and a roll-top bath were top of the list. We chose a vintage look to complement the sustainable, natural materials and products I am drawn to.
EARTHY TONES
‘The freestanding bath and the panelling are painted two contrasting shades to add interest to the relatively subtle colour scheme’
onatightBUDGET’
BATHROOM MAKEOVER
Rolling up their sleeves kept costs down when Natalie and Scott created Loveit theirvintage-style family bathroom
TOTAL £2,965
TURN OVER FOR MY SHOPPING LIST
We bought this house in February 2018,’ says Natalie. ‘We had been living locally in a smaller property, but with our fourth child on the way, we badly needed more space. We spotted this five-bedroom terrace and went for it.
It needed absolutely everything done to it, but we were able to take out a bridging loan, which meant we could stay in our existing home for three months, so that Scott could tackle the kitchen and the bathroom in the new house.
Fitting it in
Scott has a full time job, so he was working on the house evenings and weekends, but luckily he’s in the construction industry, and had help from a team of mates and colleagues to get the basics at least ready for us to move in as a family that summer. Our lives are extremely hectic with four children and both of us working, but we manage. Scott does almost everything himself, to enable us to afford to get things as we want them.
Major changes
Once we were confident that the house purchase was definitely going to happen we set about designing the space. The existing bathroom was cobbled together from two very small, awkward rooms. There was a horrific pink bath in one, that looked like it had not been used for 40 years, and a small avocado washbasin and loo in the other. We knew we wanted our family bathroom to be one large space, so we removed the wall between the two rooms and levelled the floor.
Wish list
A walk-in shower was a must-have. We chose a long, narrow tray to ensure the best fit. I also wanted a freestanding
IDEA TO STEAL
TIDY AWAY
‘I chose the washing basket from Next specially to add some texture to the decor’
bath; it was going to be a bit of a squeeze but with some careful jiggling there was just enough room. We chose traditional styling for all the sanitaryware as we wanted the room to have a timeless appeal. I hate waste and I am passionate about sustainability so an up-to-the-minute design that might easily date in 10 years’ time was not something I would go for. The wood-effect ceramic flooring is extremely hardwearing and it’s ideal for a bathroom, as natural wood can suffer from water staining with young children splashing around.
Colour scheme
We both felt that old-fashioned wainscoting was the ideal decorative backdrop, and Scott cleverly created this effect with painted MDF. I chose apple green as the colour for the panelling because I love it, and I painted the bath with a contrasting cream for a soft, soothing two-tone colour scheme. The bathroom is definitely somewhere I seek to relax – it is honestly the perfect sanctuary at the end of a hectic day.
Perfect result
Heath, our fourth child, was due to be born in September, so it all felt pretty urgent, but we were just finished in time, so it was definitely worth all the hard work. The bathroom ticks a lot of boxes, but still feels light and spacious thanks to the two windows and the high ceiling. This house was a step up for us, but we are so pleased that we managed it.’
IN THE FRAME
‘Framed retro pictures from vintage women’s magazines add a sense of fun to the room’
Doit!
CREATE A WALK-IN SHOWER
Install a shower tray and a shower into the corner of the room.
Add an IP-rated bathroom light above, as it will be an enclosed space.
Build a simple timber frame up against the edge of the shower tray to the ceiling.
Fix plasterboard on one side BATHROOM MAKEOVER and decorate in keeping with the rest of the room.
Line the shower area with waterproof tile backing board and tile the inside of the shower.
Add a shower screen to the front, or a folding screen for a spacesaving option. Natalie has used a rustic piece of timber as a support arm to secure the whole structure.
HEAT UP
‘The vintage-style towel radiator is from B&Q, and I love these Moroccan hammamstyle towels’
Buyit
Shop this classic country look
PAGE99 NEAT FIT
‘Choosing a long, narrow shower tray enabled us to include this must-have feature’
Wheretobuy Natalie’sstyle
Walls in Wevet estate emulsion, £49.50 for 2.5ltr, Farrow & Ball. Alberta Grey ceramic flooring, £39sq m, Porcelain Superstore. Milano freestanding bath, £479.99, Big Bathroom Shop, is similar. Camberley basin, £99; Camberley highlevel WC, £419; basin pillar and bath shower mixer tap pack, £189, all The Bath Co; Dulwich riser shower system, £389, all Victoria Plum. Pacific bifolding shower doors, £198; Mira Flight rectangular shower tray, £189, both Victoria Plumbing. Towel radiator, £219, Best Heating, is similar. Moroccan towels, £11 each; aluminium plant pots, £11.99 for 10, all Ikea. Stag towels, from £13; Porthole Croft Collection mirror, £120, is similar, both John Lewis & Partners. Appleby cubby shelf, £199, The Cotswold Company, is similar. Washing basket, £35, Next Home. White Amish barn star, £19.99, Live Laugh Love. Wooden angel wings, £55 ,Cox & Cox. Chest of drawers, £15, The Range
Find more tips on creating a traditionalstyle bathroom at
