Design from top to bottom

Hayley Robson, owner of Day True in London, talks us through two of her more challenging bathroom projects

When dealing with awkward or interesting spaces, it’s key to come armed with proper, detailed knowledge about what the client wants to gain from the space, as it may not always be what it seems.

For example, a cloakroom may be less about storing coats and more about washing hands, thus we would make a feature out of the basin and brassware rather than the walls and storage.

Lots of companies design multiple products and ranges expressly for those with limited space – Rexa’s Unico line being one.

With the two projects featured here, we were dealing with fairly difficult spaces, but by ascertaining exactly what was required, we were able to make the rooms beautiful, as well as functional.

Lofty ideals

Loft en-suite bathroom, Queen’s Park, London

This bathroom was purpose-built to go with a loft bedroom and we had all the usual issues we have when working with loft space – sloping ceilings, small space, no natural light.

We installed floating furniture and sanitaryware, and bespoke lighting from below to complement it, as well as provide the illusion of space.

Storage is essential in a small space and came in the way of the unit and a towel rail, which also gave the bathroom a focal point. We used horizontal tiles in a light colour and bespoke mirror panels following the slopes of the ceiling to make the room seem wider and bigger.

The eye is drawn away from the floor and ceiling and towards the middle of the room thanks to the simplicity of the design – the key is to create as little fuss as possible.

Basement instincts

Basement conversion, Leicester

Here, too, the basics that we had to work with were on paper quite difficult – a long, narrow, awkward space that the client didn’t want to be just an afterthought, but something family and guests would take pleasure in using.

Dark colours often get short shrift when it comes to smaller rooms, but we actually enjoy using them to create drama when space is in short supply.

We matched the tiles with a lighter WC and unit and laid them vertically to give an illusion of depth.

Again, light from underneath the floating units adds atmosphere.

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