Changing the layout made space for a bath and a shower in this family bathroom
WORDS PAULA WOODS PHOTOGRAPHY PAUL CRAIG
The 1930s house that Jenny Thorpe, an interior designer, and her husband, Sam, an account manager, bought in 2021 was in desperate need of renovation.
‘Half of it had been annexed to create a separate living room, kitchen, staircase, bedroom and bathroom,’ explains Jenny. Their aim was to reunite the house into a single spacious family home.
Jenny and Sam are in their thirties and have two daughters, Sylvie, five, and Dora, three. The couple commissioned local architect David Walker to reconfigure the property, which he did by extending the kitchen and designing a loft conversion. As the work was so extensive, the family moved out for six months while the project was underway.
As well as the major remodelling work, they were also keen to improve their family bathroom, and asked designer Susan Roach of West One Bathrooms for help with the project.
Because the room measures 6.5sqm, the challenge was where to put a separate bath and shower. ‘Though there was a shower over the bath, we really wanted to have a generously sized freestanding bath and a walk-in shower,’ Jenny explains. ‘The tub also had to be deep enough for Sam to bathe in comfort.’
Susan’s solution for the layout was to position a double-ended bath along the wall beneath the window. The shower area takes up a corner space on the opposite wall, next to the entrance, which left enough floorspace in between the two for a back-to-wall loo. The remaining wall includes a vanity unit and a radiator.
In order to install the back-to-wall loo, Susan suggested constructing a full-height stud wall along one side of the room. ‘All of the plumbing pipework for the loo and the shower is concealed behind the wall,’ she explains. ‘It also has a handy built-in recess for keeping toiletries.’
The showering area was made completely waterproof and a drainage channel installed before it was tiled and fitted with a fixed glass panel. The watertight panel ensures the remainder of the room stays completely dry and as there is no shower tray the level floor provides easy access for Sylvie and Dora. The walls and floor of the walk-in are covered with durable porcelain tiles, and the couple opted to paint the exterior of the traditional-style boat bath black to tie in with the screen
