A Simple Bathroom Gets a Lift From Warm Wood and a Flower Mural
Traditional style and modern functionality combine to create a bathroom that’s both cozy and elegant
When it comes to designing a bathroom for guests and kids, the main priority is often practicality, but how do you ensure that the space is both hardworking and stylish? By combining beautiful design, durable materials and ample storage in a bathroom in her house in Canterbury, England, designer Michelle Johnson managed to create a space that’s fresh, elegant and functional.
Before: Johnson asked her builders to remove the large walk-in shower that filled the entire wall to the left of the door. They relocated the plumbing and replastered the walls.
The ceiling had been boarded up and plastered a few times over the years, which made it necessary to redo the entire surface.
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The ceiling had been boarded up and plastered a few times over the years, which made it necessary to redo the entire surface.
Find a bathroom designer near you on Houzz
The cast-iron bathtub was in another bathroom, which had been converted from a bedroom. Johnson moved it back to its original spot in this bathroom.
The tub was in good condition, but Johnson repainted the blue underside and feet in Farrow & Ball’s Off-Black. The door trim and baseboards are painted the same shade to give the space a harmonious look.
“I’ve used the same color on the front door and on a large mirror in another room,” she says, “as I wanted to give the house some continuity.”
The durable slate floor tiles are protected with a sealant. “They’re quite large, and we wanted to add underfloor heating,” Johnson says. To avoid forming a 2-inch step into the room that the children could trip over, the builders removed the floorboards and releveled the floor.
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The tub was in good condition, but Johnson repainted the blue underside and feet in Farrow & Ball’s Off-Black. The door trim and baseboards are painted the same shade to give the space a harmonious look.
“I’ve used the same color on the front door and on a large mirror in another room,” she says, “as I wanted to give the house some continuity.”
The durable slate floor tiles are protected with a sealant. “They’re quite large, and we wanted to add underfloor heating,” Johnson says. To avoid forming a 2-inch step into the room that the children could trip over, the builders removed the floorboards and releveled the floor.
Find slate floor tile in the Houzz Shop
Johnson used a simple palette for the fixtures and finishes to showcase a beautiful botanical mural on the wall. The mural goes up like wallpaper and is protected against splashes and fingermarks with decorators varnish.
“I think plants really lift a room,” she says. “I wanted this to be the centerpiece and for everything else to complement it.”
The bathroom wall light casts a warm glow for relaxed bathing.
Browse nature wall murals
“I think plants really lift a room,” she says. “I wanted this to be the centerpiece and for everything else to complement it.”
The bathroom wall light casts a warm glow for relaxed bathing.
Browse nature wall murals
The previous owner had removed the wall between the bathroom and the adjacent room to form an L-shaped space. “I made the most of this extra area with a separate shower,” Johnson says.
“I sold the old shower tray and unit and the old basin online,” she adds. “This meant they didn’t go into landfill and the proceeds paid for the wall tiles.”
Near the hinged-door shower enclosure are a traditional-style sink and toilet.
Johnson had the original sash windows restored and the broken panes replaced with textured glass.
How to Donate or Recycle Home Remodeling Materials
“I sold the old shower tray and unit and the old basin online,” she adds. “This meant they didn’t go into landfill and the proceeds paid for the wall tiles.”
Near the hinged-door shower enclosure are a traditional-style sink and toilet.
Johnson had the original sash windows restored and the broken panes replaced with textured glass.
How to Donate or Recycle Home Remodeling Materials
Before: Although there was a long vanity in the bathroom, it took up space and didn’t provide functional storage. Johnson decided to remove the low units and maximize the built-in cabinet instead.
The cabinet housed an old water tank, which Johnson replaced with a more efficient model in the attic.
The cabinet housed an old water tank, which Johnson replaced with a more efficient model in the attic.
She commissioned a wood restoration expert to strip the cabinet and restore it. He also installed a door just above the floor to open up the bottom of the cabinet, which wasn’t accessible before.
“We now have plenty of storage for laundry, towels and toiletries,” Johnson says. “The inside looks beautiful too, with floor tiles, plastered walls and even coving.”
More
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Bathroom
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Shop for bathroom products
“We now have plenty of storage for laundry, towels and toiletries,” Johnson says. “The inside looks beautiful too, with floor tiles, plastered walls and even coving.”
More
Homeowner’s Workbook: How to Remodel Your Bathroom
Read other stories about bathroom makeovers
Shop for bathroom products
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: Michelle Johnson of Michelle Shakallis Interiors, her husband and their two children, ages 6 and 3
Location: Canterbury, England
Size: 81 square feet (7.5 square meters)
The L-shaped second bathroom in Johnson’s detached three-bedroom Victorian home felt a little cramped before its revamp. “It didn’t have a bath in it,” she says. “There was just a massive shower and a big built-in unit that housed the loo and basin — both of which made the room feel smaller.”
Her plan was to make more of the space and incorporate a separate shower and a tub the kids could use.