After overcoming the challenges of planning a small space, Laura Hall has infused her bathroom with Art Deco-inspired style and colour
Feature & stylingLISA MOSESPhotographyKATIE JANE WATSON
WHAT WAS WRONG WITH YOUR ORIGINAL BATHROOM?
The walls were covered in backgammon board wallpaper that reminded me of a casino, the lino floor was peeling, the shell-shaped sanitaryware looked old fashioned and the door didn’t lock because the frame had swollen. I could go on, but it was all pretty grim. As a quick fix I put down black and white lino and gave the room a lick of paint, but during our renovations elsewhere the builders cracked the bath, and then the room got seriously neglected.
DID YOU HAVE ANY BIG IDEAS FOR THE NEW DESIGN?
A roll-top bath was top of my wish list, and although the space is small, I wanted to avoid a tub with an overhead shower and have the luxury of a walk-in shower instead. I would have loved the bath to be under the window but because of where the soil pipe is, and because the room narrows towards the end, it wasn’t possible. As a compromise, I chose a small-sized bath to go opposite the basin and then a compact quadrant shower, which fitted perfectly into the corner.
HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON THE OVERALL LOOK?
I wanted a touch of luxe, but it was also important that the room feel fun, so creating a moodboard on the Canva app helped hone my ideas. We live in a quirky, hexagonal-shaped house and the rest of our home is colourful, so I wanted the bathroom to reflect that. I love the colour schemes of the thirties and forties, but wanted a modern feel, and the current trend for pinks and greens straddles both looks. After initially searching online for vintage sanitaryware, I decided to go for a more classic vibe and discovered the Burlington Bespoke collections of colourful classic designs, which hit my brief perfectly.
WHAT SORT OF BUDGET WERE YOU WORKING TO?
As nothing had fit the bill when hunting for reclaimed sanitaryware, taking the leap to go for a bespoke basin and toilet definitely wasn’t the cheapest option. But after waiting so long for my dream bathroom I didn’t want to compromise, and we’d had plenty of time to save.
WERE THERE ANY CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME?
There was a moment when we had the bath in place but the sink wouldn’t fit because the room isn’t a perfect rectangle. The plumber had to move the already-installed radiator a couple of inches so we could shift the basin to the wider part of th
