This Designer Found a Way to Make the Four Bathrooms in Her Family Home Feel Completely Distinctive, yet Cohesive

For all the character and beauty provided by a period property, there are some drawbacks too. And in this updated Victorian home, the outdated bathrooms were the last remaining hurdle to jump over.

Untouched for over 20 years, it would be fair to say these bathrooms were in pretty desperate need of a little makeover. While the period features of this Victorian townhouse provided character and charm to the rest of the home, in these rooms, the lack of modernisation wasn't exactly working in its favor. "They felt quite dated and didn't really reflect the grandeur or character of the house," explains interior designer Laura Low.

Having worked as an interior designer for over twenty years, tackling a blank slate renovation project was nothing new for Laura; what was novel, however, was the opportunity to design something according to her own tastes, rather than the desires of another. Taking on the role of both client and designer, Laura was able to completely reimagine these four bathrooms, bringing them into the modern day, aesthetically and practically.

These four bathrooms acted as a project in exploration for Laura, allowing her to fully flesh out the idiosyncrasies of her style, finding a way to create four distinct spaces with one shared aesthetic, and what she landed on was something a little bit retro, a touch playful, and undeniably chic.

The Brief

With over twenty years of build-up and damage, there was no salvaging any part of these bathrooms — it was going to be a complete renovation, leaving Laura with a blank slate to work from.

The only confines she had were of the physical variety, needing to work within the limited proportions typical of Victorian homes. However, while the age of the property does come with some potential for complications, it also carries its own unique benefits, too, carrying the unique architectural features and level of craftsmanship you can only find in homes from this era.

There's a tricky balance to be found in period homes as a result of this, with homeowners having to establish how to maintain as much character as possible, while ensuring their home is up to modern living standards. In homes of a certain era, be it Victorian, Edwardian, or Georgian, there will always be some unique, distinctive characteristics, specific to that time, and finding a way to protect and maintain those can often come into conflict with the desire for a luxurious, trendy bathroom design.

This was the challenge Laura faced with this project: "I wanted to make the most of the proportions and architectural character of the original rooms, but give them a completely new lease of life," Laura tells me. "It was important that the new designs felt in keeping with the age and elegance of the townhouse, while bringing a fresh, more contemporary and playful feel."

While for many, the bathroom doesn't exactly inspire feelings of great excitement, for Laura, the opportunity to blend creativity with functionality makes these rooms uniquely enjoyable to work with. "Bathrooms are my favorite spaces to design," she says, "so the initial brief was to create something truly special and give each room the attention it deserved."

With over two decades of experience as an interior designer under her belt, Laura had grown accustomed to catering her designs to the specifications and tastes of others, making the level of control she was given over this project all the more exciting. "It was a chance to be a little more adventurous, to trust my instincts and create something completely unique for me and my family."

With no clear, strict interior design style to follow, Laura was able to follow the lead of the home itself, finding inspiration in the original architecture of the space, and allowing this to inform the rest of the design.

"I wanted to be creative and adventurous with the design, while remaining sympathetic to the grandeur and architectural character of this beautiful Victorian townhouse," she explains. "The aim was to create bathrooms that felt luxurious, individual and full of personality, yet complemented the elegance and history of the property."

The Process

There's always an element of fear when embarking on a renovation, especially in a period property. The suspense of the unknown and the potential for what you may discover along the way.

Luckily, in this project, the renovation process was surprisingly smooth-sailing.

"The house had very good bones, which certainly helped, and things generally went pretty smoothly," explains Laura. Of course, there were the slight shifts and little adjustments that become an inevitable part of any project, but without any major surprises or setbacks, Laura was able to focus her attention almost entirely on the creative side of things, fully immersing herself in the process of bringing her vision for the home to fruition.

Although the bathrooms were tackled as a project in and of themselves, Laura didn't want this reality to bleed through into the design. "I wanted the bathrooms to feel very much part of the home, rather than spaces that had been designed in isolation," she explains.

The home already had a clear, cohesive visual language, characterized by an emphasis on color, material and character, so the challenge lay in finding a way to translate that existing aesthetic into these bathrooms.

However, alongside this desire for cohesion, Laura was also grappling with the idea of these rooms as an opportunity to introduce a little more playfulness into her home. For many, the bathroom presents the perfect space to step outside your comfort zone, opting for something a little more bold than you would otherwise consider.

"I love the idea that each room can have its own identity while still feeling connected to the rest of the house," says Laura. "For me, it was about creating a home that feels cohesive but not predictable."

The Design

"I wanted to create a bathroom that felt a little different — somewhere with personality, color and a real sense of joy," says Laura.

It was with this in mind that she found herself drawn to the colorful fittings of Water Monopoly's Rockwell range. Having paid the London showroom a visit towards the beginning of the design process, it was love at first sight for Laura; "The colors were just so uplifting, and there was something wonderfully playful about them," she says.

And it wasn't just her who felt this way about decorating with color; Laura's son was equally enamored with the bold and bright toiletware, and in her family home, finding a way to make these spaces feel as special for the whole family as they did for her became an integral aspect of the design process.

They also offered another way to bring that extra touch of playfulness to the space, showing that design doesn't have to take itself too seriously to look good. "I was drawn to the idea of bringing that sense of fun into a space that could still feel luxurious and beautifully designed," she explains. "I think bathrooms can sometimes be a little too safe, and I wanted to be a bit braver and have some fun with it."

Other design decisions came from a more logistical place. With limited proportions to work with in these small bathrooms, Laura had to find a way to squeeze in as much functionality as possible, without making the space feel cramped. "One of the decisions I made was to leave a loo out of the main bathroom, which allowed us to make much better use of the space and create a more generous, relaxing feel," Laura shares.

From there, Laura made thoughtful choices to help introduce as much light as possible, creating the illusion of a greater amount of space. Mirrors played a key role in this, introducing more reflective surfaces to help the light bounce around the room.

The bathroom tiles also played a significant role in developing the aesthetic, with a set of marble tiles acting as the starting point for the designs. Laura explains, "I came across a beautiful marble mosaic range and absolutely fell in love with them, so I knew I wanted to use it in both the main bathroom and the powder room."

The addition of a natural stone finish helped to elevate the feel of these rooms, bringing that gorgeous spa bathroom atmosphere to the space. "I've always loved the marble tiles from Mandarin Stone, and wanted to create a really luxurious feel by cladding the entire shower room in them."

For the downstairs bathrooms, Laura wanted to go for a more playful vibe, fitting with the toilets' proximity to the playroom. For this, the checkered tiles felt like the perfect choice, introducing a bit more personality and boldness to the designs.

"My aim was to keep a few common threads running through the spaces." By sticking with the same unlacquered brass hardware and similar tiles, Laura created visual links to the bathrooms spread across the home, while still establishing four distinctive designs.

Shop the Look

These bathrooms do a beautiful job of blending traditional bathroom features with a more modern, contemporary design spirit, making for a finished result that feels both true to the character of the home and the style of the homeowners.

For more inspiring design ideas for your home, subscribe to our newsletter.