The deVOL Journal

The Bathroom

21st September 2015

By Kathryn Collins

Andy and I moved into our house in May 2014 and got married in November the same year, so 2015 was meant to be ‘project house’. We now know we were being massively optimistic and after spending five months renovating a bathroom it is safe to say we realise every year will be project house for the foreseeable future!

Whilst we fell in love with the house itself, a 1930s detached property on a corner plot, just a 5 minute walk from Loughborough town centre, we knew it needed a lot of work. The previous owners taste didn’t exactly match ours, with dark reds and purples taking over most rooms and dark wooden floorboards throughout. It definitely had character, which we want to retain, but we intend to put our own stamp on it and freshen it up.

We began with a new boiler to replace the ancient one that was on its last legs, a costly job but a good one. We decided the first room to tackle would be the bathroom, it was truly dire and embarrassing when people came to visit, so with the help of our brother in law, a plumber, we began to rip it out.

 

The suite came out and the tiles came off the walls, along with all the plaster, so the plasterer came and worked his magic.

Andy was adamant he was going to tile himself, so he went about securing the floorboards and over boarding to give a secure, level surface to work on. He had never tiled before so I was a little nervous but he at least looked like he knew what he was doing and I now know he can tile very well, slowly, but very well!

We had discussed colour schemes, tiles and bathroom suites and spent hours trawling Google images and Pinterest for inspiration before starting the project. We had our heart set on Floors of Stone’s very own Aged Oak Porcelain, well actually, I chose the Vintage Oak and Andy chose the Reclaimed Oak but we plumped for the Aged in the end. The Aged Oak is a neutral wood effect tile which looks just like the real deal but with the practicality of porcelain, perfect for a bathroom environment.

 

Whilst we loved the patterned, decorative tiles that are on offer we just felt it was a trend which wouldn’t stand the test of time. As the bathroom was our first project of many, it has to still look good in years to come while we spend all our money on windows and other exciting stuff! We don’t think you can go wrong with ‘wood’ or at least the wood effect. The simplicity of a neutral wood floor against a vintage white, crackle glaze metro tile with Victorian style bathroom suite we hope, and feel, will still look good for years ahead.

We chose a green, grey paint for the walls which added colour to the room and a nice contrast against the light wall tiles and bathroom suite. We also felt it would be easy and cheap to update with a lick of paint should we decide to choose a different colour way in the future, but for now we are thrilled with the results and will enjoy showing it off!