Why we love bathrooms that feel like sitting rooms
Although the bathroom is one of the most used rooms in the house, it does have a tendency to be all function and no fun. Although it can be tempting to keep a bathroom pared-back with just the essential elements, the space has the potential to be furnished like any other room in the house and adding a mix of furniture and accessories will give it character. There are plenty of examples throughout the House & Garden canon of how soft furnishings, antiques, art and decorative lighting can achieve this – and you can find these at the bottom of this article. It's practically de rigeur on our pages for designers to use wallpaper and panelling in bathrooms, to include antique storage and seating, to hang plenty of pictures on the walls, and to dress the room with beautiful blinds or even curtains. But before we get to those beautiful images, let three interior designers explain the design element which they find best takes a bathroom from soulless and sterile to characterful and comfortable.
Ben Pentreath on bathtubs
"I nearly didn’t have time to write about baths this evening, because – as usual – I was having a bath. I love a shower in the morning, but nothing beats a bath at night. There isn’t anything more relaxing before bed than lying in a hot bath, listening to Radio 4 (as long as it is not the news). I don’t think I could live in a house without a bath.
The golden rule of any bath is that it must be made of cast iron. Accept no substitute. Though cold to start with, the iron draws out the heat of the water and stores it, acting as its own radiator. Freestanding baths look beautiful, especially against panelling or in front of a window but are, in a sense, less practical than a built-in bath with a nice, easy-to-clean surround and plenty of places for the shampoo. No bath should ever be shaped like a slipper or an egg – those shapes should be reserved for slippers, or eggs.
In some projects, we are lucky enough to have original old cast-iron baths, or clients who want to buy them. For new, my normal specification is good old Aston Matthews, or Drummonds if something lavish and Edwardian-esque is required. Above all, go for as large a size as you can in the room available: a long, deep soak is the ultimate luxury."
Jane Ormsby Gore on the controversial carpeted bathroom
“In the bathroom, carpet is very much out of fashion, but I absolutely love it. It brings warmth and comfort to the space, elevating a bathroom to a room in its own right. It’s also far more friendly on bare feet.
I put carpet into my bathroom 23 years ago and haven’t changed it since. It is stair carpet, which is hard-wearing, so isn’t marked by splashes from the bath or wet feet. If you want to use carpet but are anxious about getting water on it, I suggest placing the bath on a slab of slate, which you can then run the carpet around. However, water shouldn’t mark a well-made carpet – I recommend Gerratts Carpet Planners, who can source and supply anything you want. And as long as you’re careful with any bath oils you use and give the carpet a good vacuum regularly, there won’t be a problem with cleanliness.
While carpet in the bathroom is admittedly less practical for families with young children, who tend to splash more vigorously than adults, it can often be a far safer choice underfoot than slippery tiles. Carpet also looks wonderful when it is combined with antiques, which can sometimes appear rather austere in a bathroom with a wooden floor.”
Nicola Harding on personal effects
“Think about how you can make your bathroom personal to you – perhaps with art, books or a riotous mix of family photos. In my own bathroom, I have a framed poem by an anonymous 17th-century nun. It’s about the art of ageing gracefully and was given to me by my parents when they moved house, so has a double meaning for me. Find something that makes you smile and points your mind in the direction you want it to travel.”
Below are some of our best loved examples of how to create a bathroom that feels like a sitting room.
Sophia Spring1/13The bathroom in interior designer Anna Haines' London house, featuring walls in Edward Bulmer Natural Paint’s ‘Cuisse de Nymphe Emue’ and a freestanding bath from English Salvage.
Dean Hearne2/13Marin Montagut clever concealed the water damage in the bathroom of his quaint 19th-century live-work cottage in the Normandy countryside by hanging large, sturdy tapestries on the wall. The bath is elegantly raised, with one neat step leading up to it that gives it another level of luxury.
Lucas Allen3/13We adore this bathroom in the home of interior designer Joanne Burgess of The Curious House. Blending contemporary elements such as the Water Monopoly bath with antique finds, it strikes the perfect decorative balance. The walls are painted in Cromarty by Farrow & Ball, and Joanne created a bright stripe on the floor using its ‘Mizzle’ and ‘India Yellow’.
Paul Massey4/13Cath Kidston has mastered the art of the decorated bathroom in her west London house. Walls in Paint & Paper Library’s ‘Plaster II’ showcase artwork collected by Cath over the years. A rug from Caroline Marcq Interiors tones with the holland linen blind from The Blinds Company.
James McDonald5/13When it came to restoring his Bruton house, the antique dealer Jack Laver Brister was careful to remove incongruous additions and source exquisite historic pieces to create an inviting home. Jack’s collection of seashells and coral is displayed in an Edwardian case on walls in ‘Euphorbia’ by Paint & Paper Library. A Victorian pot cupboard stands beside the salvaged bath.
Paul Massey6/13A 1940s gilded rope-framed mirror, which came originally from a Cannes hotel, and a woven lampshade and rustic baskets add characterful touches to this pared-back space, in an Arts and Crafts-style cottage, which has its original door.
Simon Brown7/13With a clear colour palette lifted by occasional pattern and an eclectic mix of furniture, interior designer Victoria Gray has created a Cotswold retreat for her family that marries rustic charm with minimalism, and transcends modern trends. In the bathroom, curtains in ‘Ete Moscovite’ from Décors Barbares draw the eye to the window, with views of the garden, while a CP Hart bath painted in ‘Hague Blue’ from Farrow & Ball nestles under the beams – which look different in this newer part of the house. A rug picked up in Istanbul and a chair from Robert Langford, with a cushion also from Istanbul, complete the scheme.
Christopher Horwood8/13Tongue and groove panelling painted in Edward Bulmer's ‘Milk White’ covers the walls and ceilings in this house by Emma Ainscough, which features sanitaryware by Burlington Bathrooms. The bath is painted in Farrow & Ball's ‘Olive’, with a shower curtain (and sink skirt) by Aleta Fabrics. Antique mirrors hang over the double vanity alongside wall lights by Rose Uniacke. A striped vase from Petersham Nurseries stands on a side table by Zara Home.
Owen Gale9/13The ensuite bathroom in Lucinda Chambers’s colourful west London home is a decorative extension of her house, filled with trinkets that mean something to her. The roll-top bath is painted in a joyful Little Greene yellow, with contrasting feet in Sanderson’s ‘Bengal Red’. A French macramé lampshade and an eclectic display of plates on the wall above the bath give the city house a particularly charming rustic look.
Owen Gale10/13Angus and Charlotte Buchanan of Buchanan Studio wanted the bathroom of their north-west London home to feel like part of the living space; to achieve this, they opted for wooden floors and put a vintage armchair upholstered in sheepskin in the corner of the room. The Edwardian bath – which matches the house’s Edwardian architecture – was so heavy that it required six men to move it into place. The pendant light is by Mullan.
Tim Beddow11/13Popham Design supplied the floor tiles in Sarah Vanrenen's home, which create a warm and welcoming feel in the bathroom, heightened by the pink curtains and freestanding storage. Sarah topped a walnut commode with marble to create a basin unit.
12/13In Carlos Garcia's Norfolk house, Robert Kime’s ‘St Abbs’ wallpaper complements panelling painted in Edward Bulmer’s ‘Jonquil’. The basin is from Burlington and the slipper chair offers a place to perch, as does the window seat.
13/13In Robin Muir's Cotswolds house, panelling in ‘Salvador’ oil eggshell by Paint & Paper Library is paired with Robert Kime’s ‘Sunburst’ wallpaper in green and curtains are in ‘Sari’ linen by Raoul Textiles. The combination helps the paintings on the wall stand out and brings a lovely personal element to the decorated space.
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