Real Homes magazine feature courtesy of Real Homes magazine (article by Jo Messenger and photography by Stewart Grant)
Our Fulham Town house project has been featured in this months Real Homes magazine (full article below). You can see the whole project in our gallery here
An elegant bathroom transformation
The owners: Daniella de Vigne, an interior designer, lives here with her husband Piers
The property: A four-bedroom Victorian terraced house
The location: South-west London
What they spent: The couple’s bathroom project cost around £23,000
‘When we bought this house we knew it would be a major renovation project, with its dark, dated fittings and unusual small courtyard,’ says Daniella.
Although it needed to be refurbished from top to bottom, Daniella could see past all the negative elements, knowing instinctively what she could achieve. Working with a team of local builders and an architect, she and her husband Piers planned to renovate it as a whole house project once they had obtained planning permission.
‘I was itching to get started, but as we had so much work planned it seemed to take forever before we were given the go ahead. There was a lot to do, but we wanted to tackle it in one go,’ says Daniella.
The couple didn’t think it would be practical to live on site while the project was ongoing, especially as much of the renovation work was scheduled during the winter months. They decided to rent a place nearby.
‘It was the best option for us as progress would have been much slower if we had been living there,’ says Daniella. ‘I’m glad we did – at one point there was no rear wall on the house, and it was freezing.’
Daniella had definite ideas about how she wanted to redesign the upstairs space – she planned a relaxing master bedroom.
‘We were not happy with its small en suite bathroom, which was reached by walking through an equally small dressing room,’ she explains.
They decided to knock through the en suite and dressing room to make one spacious bathroom. Although they wanted a stylish contemporary look, it also needed to be sympathetic to the style of the Victorian property.
‘As this would be the en suite to our bedroom, I envisaged a luxurious room with a decadent feel,’ says Daniella. ‘On a more practical level, it had to look timeless. I didn’t want a scheme that would date too quickly, or clash with our bedroom décor.’
The couple decided on a classic marble scheme with a contemporary bathroom suite and shower. Daniella visited a local marble showroom for inspiration. ‘I was looking for a cool white finish but with a little bit of character too. I didn’t want a marble with a beige or yellow tone,’ Daniella explains. ‘The choice seemed endless, but I found the perfect finish with a beautiful grey vein running through it – subtle without being too dominant, it adds interest and texture.’
Although a roll-top bath would have suited the Victorian property, Daniella chose a contemporary model. ‘I had planned a simple design, with all the pipework concealed, so a traditional style wouldn’t have worked,’ she says. ‘I also wanted a more individual bath.’
There was plenty of space for a walk-in shower too at the opposite end of the en suite from the bath. ‘Piers and I did consider a wetroom, but because the shower would be near the door, we decided to choose an open walk-in design, fitted with a single glass screen,’ Daniella explains.
The builders fitted a complete wetroom system below the floorboards of the shower area, with a waterproof membrane and concealed drainage. ‘The shower floor is sloped towards the centre on all four sides, so that the water drains away very quickly,’ says Daniella.
‘Our builders also fitted underfloor heating, which we’ve discovered is great for drying the shower area.’
Daniella had already been shopping around for a large vanity unit but couldn’t find one she liked – they were either too traditional or too contemporary, and she wanted a design with plenty of space for toiletries and spare towels.
‘There was only one solution – I chose to have it made bespoke by the company that had crafted our fabulous new kitchen units,’ she says. ‘I was looking for a piece of stylish freestanding furniture rather than a simple wall unit, and they made exactly what I had in mind.’
Although Daniella tends to favour contemporary design, she was determined not to lose any of the house’s period character or features.
‘Any fixtures that didn’t originate from the Victorian era had to go,’ says Daniella. ‘I loved all the original big windows and ornate coving and had them restored where they were damaged, or replaced if they were beyond repair.’
As a large window tends to be an unusual feature in a bathroom, Daniella didn’t want to cover the en suite’s window with a blind, so she opted for bespoke plantation shutters.
‘It took a lot of hard work to restore this house, but I’m thrilled that the original features and redesign work beautifully in the en suite,’ says Daniella. ‘It’s the perfect retreat at the end of a busy day.’