Maureen Whitemore
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designers and stockists and access to several international manufacturers. Browsing their websites and showrooms – as well as the stands at the Cumbria Life Home & Garden Show – has given me a few ideas for my clients’ projects and for yours too.
Storage is often a problem, especially in a family bathroom. If you’re starting from scratch with a new bathroom or planning a complete refurb, one of the best ways to create storage is within the walls. This can be done with cabinets set into the stud wall. They can even incorporate lighting and a socket for charging an electric toothbrush or razor.
In the same way, tiled recesses within the shower area provide great storage for toiletries and are easy to clean. Add a small downlighter (must be IP44 rated – I recommend IP65) and you have an extra light source, creating a warm and calming atmosphere.
When tiling or re-tiling, an innovative bathroom brand called LoooX has several great storage ideas. Its shelves are
Shelving and storage can be built into tile grouting lines to hide any fixings
A place for everything….our interiors expert on creating a luxurious and practical bathroom
e’re very fortunate in Cumbria to have great bathroom
Add personality through colour, a vibrant picture or even a living panel of greenery
fixed into the grouting of the tiling, giving an invisible join and keeping lovely clean lines. The range is available from Alexander & Sancto in Kendal.
Washbasins tend to fall into three categories – some sit on top of a unit, others form an integral part of a drawer unit, and the third more traditional type are freestanding. These either sit on a metal frame or a ceramic pedestal. If storage is high on your list of priorities, it’s worth considering the type of basin unit and its storage potential from the start.
As well as practicality, it’s also worth considering style. Ultra-modern bathrooms in older properties can look amazing and by using a clever mix of fittings, you can stamp your own personality on a predominantly white room.
So you’ve created plenty of storage, made your bathroom both luxurious and practical
– so what’s the final piece in the puzzle? I would say that lighting in your bathroom is really important because it needs to do several jobs well at
different times.
You need light that is bright
but not harsh, especially around any mirrors, and you want something much more subtle for that soak in a bubble bath at the end of your working week. There are plenty of ideas about how to achieve it from wall lights to lamps around mirrors, and from LED strips at floor level to ceiling lights. My advice is to use Cumbrian designers, look at the finer details of their showroom displays and don’t be afraid to ask about your options.
Changing a bathroom is something you’ll only do once or twice so it is worth taking your time to plan it to get it right for now and for the future.
Maureen Whitemore runs Whitemore & Thwaytes interiors in Penrith. She has been in the interiors design trade for nearly 50 years and is on the Board of the Association of Master Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers. Maureen’s
new website is at www.white- moreandthwaytes.co.uk.
Problem solved
How do you go about adding character and creating an individual look in a traditional bathroom? One of my clients solved this conundrum by taking an antique – though not especially valuable – piece of furniture and asking her joiner to cut it down, restore the marble top and install it in her newly refurbished bathroom with a sit-on washbasin. A perfect mix of modern and traditional.
CUMBRIA LIFE / APRIL 2018 / 73
ALEXANDER & SANCTO, KENDAL
ALEXANDER & SANCTO, KENDAL