Photography: Darren Chung // Styling: Katy Smith

For Katy Smith, the driving force behind her Northamptonshire bathroom renovation was as much about respecting her Georgian farmhouse’s history as it was about injecting a fresh sense of luxury.

Her five-bedroom home, built in 1731, had seen little change in the bathroom for 16 years. “It was last renovated when we first moved in and, lately, I felt it had come to the end of its life, and looked dated.”

Working with trusted local builders, Smith kept the existing layout but reimagined the design. The starting point was a BC Designs roll-top Boat bath, chosen in acrylic for warmth and lightness on the old floors. Painted in Farrow & Ball’s Pitch Black, it ties seamlessly into the Amtico checkerboard flooring – a nod to the Grand Trianon’s iconic black-and-white pattern. “The use of pattern on the floor pulls the room together much like a patterned rug,” Smith notes.

Lighting was key for the north-facing space. Antique-style wall lights flank the vanity, while pendants hang from a striking exposed wooden beam above the bath. A serene window seat, original to the house, inspired the water-resistant MDF panelling, which wraps around the room.

“Panelling has a warmer feel than tiles and gives an instantly luxurious period look. It also conceals pipework, especially in old homes where the walls are thin,” she explains.

Perhaps the most dramatic feature is the large aged mirror above the bath – its cut-out accommodating the beam. Getting it into position was a logistical triumph. “It took six people to navigate the mirror up my narrow winding staircase, but it was totally worth the effort,” says Smith.

The build wasn’t without its technical challenges, from levelling a six-inch floor slope to threading pipework through joists without compromising structural integrity.

“I feel as if I am in a luxury hotel bathroom – apart from the fact that I’m the one who has to clean it!”

The finer details…

• Designer:  Katy Smith
• Bath:  BC Designs Boat Bath
• Brassware:  BC Designs Victrion range
• Flooring:  Amtico checkerboard

This case study project originally appeared in a recent issue of Kitchens Bedrooms & Bathrooms Magazine, kbbreview’s sister consumer publication.