Converting a bedsit into an en suite bathroom

Click on gallery images to view larger picture.

Charlotte and Euan Carlisle have converted one of the nine bedsits that originally made up their Victorian home into a relaxed but elegant en suite bathroom.

‘When Euan and I bought our Victorian home in 2010 we knew we were taking on quite a challenge as it was divided into nine bedsits, which were arranged over five floors,’ says Charlotte.

The couple planned to turn the once grand property back into an elegant family home. They had plenty of scope to reconfigure the existing layout, especially when it came to choosing the floors for the bedrooms and bathrooms.

Charlotte and Euan wanted their own private space on the first floor, which would include the master bedroom, an en suite and a dressing room.

‘You can imagine there’s a lot of coming and going in a house with three grown-up children, so we needed our own retreat,’ says Charlotte. ‘As the house was having a total refit, it was the ideal opportunity.’

The couple rented a house nearby for a year during the renovation work. They had already chosen one of the former bedsits for their en suite. It was a large room, with basic plumbing in a corner for a kitchen sink as the original shower room was in a separate space off the hallway.

As it was such a large space, Charlotte and Euan decided to divide it in two with a stud partition wall and create a dressing room with access from the bathroom. However, the only problem limiting their new plan was the door into the en suite from the adjacent bedroom and the one in the centre of the opposite wall leading into the dressing space.

‘It was obvious that the bath needed to fit along the longest wall, while the shower cubicle would be built against the wall facing the window,’ says Charlotte. ‘But where could we put the WC? I didn’t want to see it directly from our bedroom, but I wasn’t keen on squeezing it next to the vanity unit.’

That left them with only one real option, which was to put the WC next to the bath, so the builders constructed a false wall partition to screen it off. They also built another partition wall in order to house a wetroom-style shower.

With the structural work complete, Charlotte and Euan could start choosing their new bathroom fittings.

‘As we were renting a house nearby, I project-managed the build, visiting the site most days,’ says Charlotte. ‘I would bring samples and hold them against the walls, or discuss their suitability with the builders.’

The couple settled on contemporary white fittings and chrome brassware. The only problem was whether there would be enough storage space, especially as Charlotte didn’t want anything on the walls other than a painted shelf and a vanity unit. The solution was a vanity unit with two large, deep drawers.

‘I wanted it to be the focal point, so I was thrilled when I spotted a black vanity unit made from rubber – it was perfect for the en suite as I wanted to make a style statement,’ says Charlotte.

She wasn’t keen on a neutral shade, such as beige or white, for the tiles, because of the en suite’s large proportions.

‘I thought we could go for something bolder as it wouldn’t make the space seem too small,’ she says. ‘On the other hand, I didn’t want floor-to-ceiling tiles as that would have been overwhelming.’

A perfect compromise was achieved with the floor and half the walls tiled in grey/brown/black marble-effect travertine tiles, with neutral walls above the tiles. Although Charlotte is a great fan of the colour pink, she was mindful that the en suite would be a shared space.

‘I didn’t choose anything girly that Euan would hate, so our en suite is elegant with its black, brown and cream tones,’ she says. Their bathroom project took around three weeks, without any major problems.

‘We love our new en suite,’ says Charlotte. ‘It was our sanctuary while the rest of the building work progressed – and it’s still the perfect place to retreat.’

WORDS STEPHANIE SMITH PHOTOGRAPHS COLIN POOLE
Featured in the February 2012 issue of Real Homes