Before and after – from cramped bathroom to spacious shower room

Despite its character and location, the owners always knew it would take a lot to turn it into a dream family home. 'First we added a loft conversion and an extension, which created an open-plan kitchen and living space, says the owner. 'The family bathroom was at the bottom of the list.'

'It was shabby and outdated, but when we discovered that water was seeping through cracked floor tiles and staining the ceiling below, we realised that it was a job that really needed doing,' she adds.

They had three main issues that they wanted to tackle: improving the layout, hiding all of the ugly, visible pipework and increasing the storage. 'Now they’re getting older, our daughters prefer showers to baths, so it was an easy decision to swap the tub for a shower,' says the owner. 'We also chose a wall-hung loo with all of the plumbing neatly boxed in.'

Check out our other bathroom ideas

'I’d always had a Victorian-inspired scheme in mind, but wanted an up-to-date twist,' says the owner. 'Brick format tiles with a flat rather than bevelled surface were at the top of my wish list, with dark grout to accentuate the design, and a patterned floor. We had floor tile samples all over the place, and the girls got involved in selecting the final look. Some were too fussy for a small space, 
but these are spot on.’

Get the look
In store only: Odyssey Grand Pentillie floor tiles, £99.95 per sq m, Original Style
Buy now: Similar white gloss brick tiles, £19.95 per sq m, Walls & Floors
Buy now: Burlington wall-hung loo, £169.95, Victorian Plumbing

Replacing the bath for a shower gave the owners more room to play with. They looked at different shaped enclosures and went for a pentagon design, which gave them plenty of space. ‘The pentagon-shaped shower maximised the space,' says the owner. 'It didn’t jut out too far, or block the door. We paired it with an overhead shower plus a hand one for when the girls don’t want to wash their hair.’

Get the look
Buy now: Simpsons Pentangle shower tray, £136, Bathroom Luxuries 
Buy now: Simpsons Design Semi-Frameless Pentagon enclosure, £675, Bathroom Luxuries
Buy now: Similar Burlington thermostatic shower system, £551, Victorian Plumbing

Love makeovers. See this! Before and after: this bathroom went from dated to statement

The wall cabinet is both practical and stylish, and keeps the room tidy. Stone offcuts create mini
 corner shelves that go with the tiles
 and keep toiletries to hand in the shower.

Choosing the 
wall colour took the longest time. 
'I wanted it to enhance the neutral scheme without being overpowering,' says the owner. 'I tried mustard with grey but the combination didn’t work for me. An assistant at a local Farrow & Ball store suggested the deep grey/mauve paint – it goes so well with 
all the various elements. '

'It would have been so easy 
to paint the room in an easy, neutral shade, but this sweet pastel lilac hue really gives the space personality while still keeping the scheme calm and clean.’

Get the look
Buy now: Walls painted in Farrow & Ball Brassica Estate emulsion, £43.50 for 2.5ltrs, Homebase
Buy now: Imperial Radcliffe Thurlestone vanity unit and basin in Stoneywell Slate, £1,368, Victorian Bathrooms 4U
Buy now: Burlington Claremont basin mixer, £160.80, Building Supplies Online

'We asked a local company, David Cooper Design, to install the bathroom,' explains the owner. 'David had designed and built our kitchen extension, and we liked his work. The girls don’t like it to be pitch black at night so we used 
to leave the bathroom light on – not practical for financial and environmental reasons. David suggested fitting a small additional ceiling light with a timer rather than a sensor light. It’s a simple solution and we can remove it when they’re older and no longer need it.'

'Lilia and Rosabelle love their new bathroom and it’s a space that will grow as they do.’