An elegant en suite

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Vicky and Adam Booker shared their ideas with a bathroom designer to transform their uninspiring bathroom into a luxurious space.

Our previous en suite didn’t look as if any thought had gone into the layout,’ says Vicky. ‘It was an inefficient use of space, with everything positioned around the walls – plus there was no door between the WC and our bedroom.’

When Vicky and her husband Adam moved in, they had already planned major renovation work as they were looking to transform their dated property with plenty of wow-factor.

‘Updating the master bedroom, adjoining en suite and dressing room was our priority,’ Vicky explains. ‘I love reading interiors magazines and had a large file of pictures and cuttings for inspiration.’

The only problem was that the couple had too many ideas, as Vicky explains: ‘We had visited several showrooms and were beginning to feel overwhelmed by the amount of choice. It was hard to know where to start, and nothing inspired us.’

Undaunted, they continued looking for inspiration and were shopping in Chichester when they came across a Ripples showroom (ripples.ltd.uk).

‘They had exactly the sort of fittings we were looking for – and the designer told us they would bring all our ideas together to create our dream en suite,’ Vicky explains.

The couple started working with designer Zac Reynolds, who made a home visit to assess their bathroom space and see how he could reconfigure the layout.

‘We told Zac that we often need to get ready for work at the same time, so he came up with ideas to make the space work efficiently,’ says Vicky.

Zac suggested positioning a stylish basin in the centre of the room – the idea being that the couple would be able to move freely around this focal point without getting in each other’s way.

As Adam prefers to shave while he is in the shower, the new layout included a heating element positioned behind a mirror, which stops the mirror misting up.

‘It sounds small – but it was such an innovative idea,’ says Vicky. ‘We’d already asked Zac to include a spacious shower enclosure with twin showerheads and contemporary lighting in the new layout.’

Confident that Zac fully understood their needs and style, the couple gave him free rein to design the rest of their en suite.

‘We didn’t really work to a budget. We’d picked up an inexpensive suite for our last bathroom, so we felt we could justify spending more this time round,’ says Vicky.

A few weeks later, the couple returned to the showroom to look at the final design.

‘The minute we saw Zac’s finished plan we were thrilled with it. It looked fabulous and the space was packed with eye-catching yet practical features. We couldn’t wait for it to be installed,’ says Vicky.

Zac’s new design involved lowering the height of the ceiling and raising the floor level to create a more intimate feel. Using a mix of contrasting floor tiles and mosaic detailing for style and interest, he added clever lighting effects to enhance the mood.

The couple had some ideas of their own. They wanted the en suite‘s small window replaced with a full-length design to draw more light into the space and act as a second focal point. Two glass doors were also installed to create a private space between the en suite and the bedroom.

The bathroom project took around 10 weeks to complete. Luckily for Vicky and Adam, they were able to keep down costs by employing Vicky’s father Ian, who owns a building company, and his business partner, Tony, to fit the new en suite for them.

‘I’m happy to say the project went really smoothly – Dad and Tony did a brilliant job, producing a high quality finish to match the fittings,’ says Vicky.

‘The only difficulty Dad encountered was cutting the tiles,’ she adds. ‘The tiles were porcelain and extremely tough – they ended up breaking three tile-cutting machines.’

Vicky and Adam love the stylish new look of their contemporary en suite. ‘It has exceeded all our expectations,’ says Vicky. ‘Whenever we stay at a hotel we compare the bathroom with ours – and our en suite always wins hands down.’

WORDS JANET MCMEEKIN PHOTOGRAPHS PHILIP RABY
Featured in the October 2011 issue of Real Homes