Ensuite Bathroom - The Reveal
Sometimes, renovations are painless. Yes, there is still dust and noise and you have builders around your home and not much privacy, but they're out of your hair before you can say Shazam! So in today's post I am sharing the reveal of our Ensuite Bathroom that took place in Sep/Oct 2018.
In the first post in a mini-series about the ensuite and family bathroom renovations I am also sharing a detailed break-down of costs, to help you compare or plan. Labour costs vary depending on where in the country you are of course, so these should only be used as an initial guide. You should always ask for 2-3 quotes from various builders/ companies, before starting a project of any size.
And if your renovation includes work that should be undertaken by a local heating specialist, make sure you go to the pros!
THE BATHROOM RENOVATION SERIES
Ensuite Bathroom Renovation - Part 3, The Reveal (you are here)
Project: Warlingham Residential ensuite bathroom renovation
Designers: Jenny Kakoudakis & Melinda Kiss, Keyhole Interiors
Photography: Jenny Kakoudakis
Year: 2018
Cost: Under £10k
The Brief: Professional couple, Jenny & Anthony wanted to change everything in their ensuite bathroom. There was no storage, the room felt cramped, the furniture were dated and there was no mirror. They both wanted a new bathroom layout to make the space feel lighter, and a timeless design that would add long term value to the property. The focus should be on attention to detail and the 'little touches' of luxury.
BEFORE
The room featured both a bathtub and a separate shower cubicle. As a result, the sink was placed in front of the window, leaving no space for a good-sized mirror. Storage was non existent. It was a room that was out of line with the rest of the house and aesthetically not pleasing. AT ALL.
We considered a number of layouts (even as far as joining up this bathroom with the ensuite bathroom next door to create one long room) but, after consulting with the contractors, it became obvious that the position of the toilet needed to be very precise, which limited the choices and dictated the future layout.
When people think of Seasons in Colour, I feel that instinctively they expect abundance of colour and pattern to fill every room in our home, like in the living room and the guest bedroom but that's not something we can live with.
I think you can work with neutral colours too and have impact in a room. Besides, a black and white bathroom is a classic and that's what we decided to go for here.
I shared a number of pictures with Melinda Kiss of Keyhole Interiors asking for help to prepare mood boards to help put my thoughts in order. Melinda knew exactly what I was looking for.
While we did not strictly follow the schemes she came up with, this was more because of my collaboration with a numbers of brands (like Mandarin Stone, Methven, VitrA, Lusso Stone, Bathroom Village and Best Heating).
AFTER
The result is a space filled with light, where textures more than colour take over and where the materials used are high-end without being ridiculously expensive. Here's what Melinda wanted to share:
"This bathroom is all about contrast and for me, it’s what makes is so special. The contrast of the marble and wood effect tiles creates a really calm scheme which is elevated by the matt black fittings and the subtle brass accent in the niche trim and the pendants.
Your bathroom should serve as a relaxing haven. It’s the only place where you are truly alone, so it should make you feel comfortable and happy to spend time in. Jenny’s bathroom feels serene, inviting and cool enough to want to hang out in just for the fun of it!"
Melinda Kiss | Keyhole Interiors | Insta: @keyholeinteriors
PRODUCTS
TILES
Metro tiles - Alsace Honed Marble 150x75 tiles, Mandarin Stone
Cornice - Alsace Honed Marble cornice, Mandarin Stone
Herringbone tiles - Alsace Honed Marble herringbone Mosaic, Mandarin Stone
Wood effect tiles - Argento Maple Porcelain Tiles, Mandarin Stone
SANITARYWARE
Toilet pan - Sento short wall hang wc, VitrA
Toilet frame - Rapid Installation for Wall-Hung Wc Pans (Floor Mounted), VitrA
Matt Black Flush Plate - Loop R Mechanic Control Panel, VitrA
Vanity with Resin Stone Sink - PIANA 1000, Lusso Stone
Bathtub, Index Rectangular Shower Bath 1700mm x 750mm Carronite, by Carron
Bath Screen, Cadmium 18 10mm Top Hinged with black hinges, The Shower Lab
TAPS
Wall mounted tap - Breeze basin mixer black, Methven
Mixer Valve - Kaha Concealed Mixer Valve Matt Black (2 Outlets), Methven
Hand Shower, Krome Range, Methven
Shower head, Wall Mounted Shower Arm & Head - Black, Methven
Bath Filler - Overflow Bath Filler With Clicker Waste black, Methven
FINISHING TOUCHES
Radiator - Milano Alpha Black Horizontal Double Slim Panel Best Heating UK
Pendant Lights - Solo Suspension Lights by Intueri (via Clippings)
Mirror - Oval mirror 'Hub', Umbra
Small Mirror - Wall mounted Black LED Cosmetic Mirror, Lusso Stone
Toilet roll holder, MPRO in black Crosswater, The Bathroom Village
Robe Hooks, MPRO in black Crosswater, The Bathroom Village
Grout - BAL in 'Pebble', Topps Tiles
Trim - The Foundry Range, Topps Tiles
Bathroom products - Muji
LED Lights, Phoebe by Spectrum, The Electrical Showroom
Ceiling speakers, Screwfix
NEW LAYOUT
The toilet pan stayed at the same place but was replaced with a wall-hang toilet by VitrA, to combine aesthetics with functionality.
The cistern was boxed to the ceiling and tiled with wood-effect porcelain tiles to create a focal point and warm up the room. Luxurious bronze trim was added on the corners and the grout was colour matched to the tiles.
To continue with the black theme around the room, a matt black cistern dual flush plate was added. This provides easy access to the cistern for when things go wrong.
Tip: Toilet frames like the VitrA Rapid Installation Floor mounted concealed cistern frame can be adjusted to 3 different heights. So remember to ask your fitter to put the height to where it feels most comfortable to you!
STORAGE
And if storage was a problem before, it is no more. The Piana 1000 freestanding vanity from Lusso Stone features double drawers (with a cut out inside the first drawer to make way for the bottle trap) as well as a full resin stone sink on top. This comes complete with a pop up waste, a little touch that makes it look even more expensive.
The vanity has an internal cut out inside the first drawer, to accommodate the bottle trap under the sink. Depending on your design you can also change the basin waste with one in matt black (we chose not to go for black to avoid to many contrasting points around the room. We calculated the space down to the last centimetre and so the vanity looks like it was made for this space.
The sink came without holes, and that was a perfect excuse to...
TAPS
...add a fantastic single lever wall mounted tap by Methven. I am reliably informed by Mary Middleton, interiors journalist and blogger who writes the popular Hello Pea Green, that single lever taps were a big thing in Salone del Mobile this year, so tick that box for me someone, will ya! The elegant flowing lines, organic curves and an easy to use solid handle in our tap, are both functional and beautiful.
Methven is a market-leading designer and manufacturer of showers, taps and valves. Their business is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand where they design, develop and manufacture many award-winning products and technologies that are sold in Australia, China, UK, Middle East, USA and Europe in addition to their home market of New Zealand.
TILES
Lusso Stone did not have great photos of this vanity on their website. I took a gamble there and it paid off. The colour of the vanity works great with the marble tiles from Mandarin Stone.
The herringbone mosaic is the piece de resistance here. As it is natural stone it has a beautiful finish with 3D effect. The colours range from almost translucent white to dark grey. The veins in the marble are obvious in some places and in others not at all.
To make the wall behind the sink more interesting, a marble cornice was added between the two different types of the marble. It makes the design feel more luxurious.
THE SHOWER BATH
Once the shower cubicle was out of the room, it became really obvious that a shower bath would solve the space problems we previously had but it needed to be the right one. Check out this post which explains the process we followed to find the perfect shower bathtub, with easy to follow infographs.
On top of the tub, a 10mm bath screen from The Shower Lab sits proudly. It was the only one we could find in the market with black hinges. It opens outwards to allow us to access the handset and clean the bathtub as needed or to access the bath filler and run a bath.
Methven's 3 outlet valve is another winner here. You will find very few options for a 3-way outlet in matt black in the market, and Methven's complete series of black products complements it. The handset comes with 3 different settings of spray and the bath filler has its own pop up waste, both black.
We added the same bronze trim around the recess and if you saw my Instagram stories, we had a last minute change of heart about adding a light in there.
The reason for that was because the lights in the ceiling are dimmable and can go completely off while the little halo around them stays open in a colour of your choice (all controlled through your phone) and the light in the recess would be right in our eyes while sitting back for a bath with the lights dimmed. But it is definitely worth considering.
THE FINISHING TOUCHES
There was a lot of thought that went in the room, I can tell you that. From adding a marble like trim around the tiles close to the bathtub, to tiling the front panel of the bathtub, adding a slim black radiator that is both on trend and will deliver excellent heat output (Best Heating UK) and a magnifying mirror with LED light (the only one in the market currently) as well as the black toilet roll holder and robe hooks (both by Crosswater via The Bathroom Village).
Inside the vanity, Muji boxes hold our his and hers products (although I have to confess, I have 3/4 of the vanity to myself and it feels GREAT!).
EXPERT VIEWS
Interior Designer Sarah Mailer says of the scheme:
"This beautiful en-suite bathroom artfully combines materials and textures, creating harmony, interest and depth. The use of black accents grounds the design and balances the lighter elements. I love how the textural wood-effect tile has been incorporated into the scheme as an accent. This gives the space added warmth, alongside the brushed brass details, and softens the monochromatic palette."
Interior Designer Melinda Kiss says of the scheme:
"I love black AND gold and depending on the project, I would consider both options. But for the Kakoudakis residence black is definitely the winner! The Methven taps are every homeowners dream and I just don’t think the same effect would have been achieved had they been gold."
Interior Designer Daniela Tasca York says of the scheme:
"Jenny's stunning new bathroom ticks all the boxes for me. By using the clever mix of wood with marble, Jenny has injected warmth and character to the room that otherwise could have been a little too minimal. I can see that 4 different types of tiles have been used in this one fairly small space - this is genius - I think most people would think to stick to one or two styles per room but this demonstrates that with a little thought you can bring a high end bespoke feel to any space."
CREDITS
I want to thank all of the sponsors who provided products or discounts on products for this makeover and their PR teams, who were fantastic; some of these collaborations were months in the making and we managed to stay on track.
Jenny Kakoudakis likes to blog about interiors. She launched award-winning Seasons in Colour in 2014 and the luxury interior design blog All The Pretty Homes in 2024. When she is not chasing criminals out of the financial system (her day job), she gets creative by redecorating her own home.
Download her free bathroom renovation guide here.
