ONE ROOM RENOVATIONS
Glamorous finishes elevate the look of this inviting space
Stephen O’Callaghan, a designer for iSteel, lives with his partner Lee Reed, a marketing executive for a bathroom company, in a four-bedroom 1970s house in South Yorkshire
How did you develop your design ideas?
I was looking for a light and uplifting look and planned to use marble-effect wall tiles. Originally, I thought I’d choose some with a subtle grey vein, but when I went to Easy Bathrooms in York, which has a huge tile showroom, I was blown away by the choice. The large-format porcelain tiles looked really impressive – just like the real thing – and I loved the high-density textured vein details.
You’ve gone for a very luxe look…
Yes, though I think that having too much marble can make a space feel sterile, so I chose a patterned floor that would work with the walls. I found a design I liked but it wasn’t the right colour, so I had the three-tile design recreated using the same tile as the walls along with a plain grey and black. My intention was to have a square, grey marble basin with walnut cupboards, but getting it made was going to be too expensive. It took a bit of searching but I found an Art Deco-style marble and gold vanity unit at Lusso Stone and it’s an absolute showstopper.
Were there any particular challenges?
The layout presented a bit of a problem. I had definite ideas about being able to include a bath and generous walk-in shower without making the room feel cramped. During the building work we took space from the landing and bedroom and managed to make it all work by planning out the room using SketchUp, a 3D modelling design program. Another tricky point was the window, which has lovely views but took up too much of the wall so we had to make it smaller.
Did you stay within your budget?
We based our original figure on previous bathroom projects, however my ideas were more extravagant this time! I decided to go for it wit
