Vibrant wallpaper, deep green units, and Art Deco fittings have transformed a dated bathroom into a luxuriously dark and dramatic design with a bold and contemporary twist.
In 2004, Julie Penn and her husband Alan built an extension to create a new kitchen and bathroom in their Grade II-listed lodge house. When the time came to replace the bathroom nearly 20 years later, Julie was keen to stick with a traditional style but to add a modern twist. Here, she explains how the Art Deco-inspired look came together with the help of the team at Easy Bathrooms…
The brief
We read a lot of magazines and deliberated for a long time on the look that we wanted, but we knew we were keen to keep the traditional feel but add a modern twist.
We had a few ideas, but also wanted to be guided by the design team at Easy Bathrooms. And they had some great suggestions. They came up with the bath, which is gorgeous – they brought it out of nowhere, as it wasn’t on display in the showroom.
Art Deco bathroom: the design process
How did you choose your colour scheme?
The bathroom was designed around the Graham & Brown wallpaper, which we found and just really loved. We took it into the showroom and the staff were brilliant at showing us ideas and suggestions to match it.
By chance, one of the designers knew somebody who worked at Graham & Brown and even managed to organise a discount on the wallpaper. We chose Forest Green for the furniture and then we had the wall and ceiling paint custom made in B&Q so it complemented the wallpaper. The ceiling is very high in the bathroom, and we decided to paint it dark green rather than white to make it feel lower.
How did you choose the furniture?
We needed more storage and wanted everything to have a place to create a sleeker look. The modern Shaker style keeps the traditional feel and is in keeping with the property’s age and style. We felt brushed brass handles would work better than chrome. We could also see from magazines that the swing to other materials was becoming popular and decided to keep ahead of the trend.
Click here for bathroom wallpaper ideas
Can you tell us about the brassware?
The taps we chose only came in a chrome finish as standard, but because they were from Easy Bathrooms’ own brand, they were able to custom design them and plate them in brushed brass. We went for the Rainford basin mixer and bath filler and the shower is from Grohe with a chrome finish.
And the accessories and tiles?
To keep the design sustainable, we retained the floor tiles from our 2004 extension, plus the ceiling light, toilet roll holder and towel ring. The wall tiles are new, and they came from Easy Bathrooms. We spotted them in a traditional bathroom setting in the showroom and really liked the look.
What do you love most about the completed space?
I love every part of the bathroom, but I particularly like the freestanding bath. The Art Deco design is an unusual shape and creates the wow factor we wanted.
Enjoyed this post? Click here to tour Linda Barker’s green kitchen
As originally told to: Nicola Hanley | Photography: James French
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