The Ultimate Guide to Interior Design

The bathroom

with RITA KONIG — Internationally renowned interior designer. AD100, House & Garden Top 100, Elle Decor A-List.

Lesson 21 of 36

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Bathrooms can easily become sanitised and utilitarian spaces. In this lesson, Rita explains why she often uses wood, standalone furniture and vintage pieces to soften the bathroom, and then gives a tip on which materials work best for tongue-and-groove.

From the Lesson Workbook

The Bathroom

"I always love using wallpaper in the bathroom and I would suggest being as bold as you dare"

Just like the kitchen, your bathroom needs to feel like a room rather than the property of the bathroom shop. Add a table, some pictures, wallpaper and rugs. If budget is an issue, use tongue and groove in a bathroom rather than tiles.

Take the wall all the way up over pipes, as this gives you recesses for cupboards and shelves. Put a glass splashback over a basin, to allow the wallpaper to be seen. You don't have to use tile. Make sure you draw your tile on a plan for your tiler or builder.

For budget's sake, use expensive taps and cheaper sanitary ware. Built-in baths are fine, especially if they are boarded on either side. Replace a heated towel rail with simple hooks. Furniture and pictures give bathrooms life.

Choose where you want to spend your budget in a bathroom, whether it's on tiles, a statement tub, or a shower. I am a big lover of wallpaper in bathrooms. Hinson & Company, situated in the United States, makes outstanding luxury wallpaper that is great in bathrooms.

Place a bath mat rail at the end of the shower in a wet room. Shower controls are best at the entrance end of the shower.

Bathroom Flooring

Engineered hardwood is great in a bathroom. It is easy to clean, and very warm. Since the bathroom is a space where you are barefoot this warmth is great. With engineered hardwood, you can opt for underfloor heating which is great in a bathroom.

Discover More

For sanitary ware, taps and hardware I recommend: Burlington, Lefroy Brooks, Waterworks, Water Monopoly, Drummonds, Willow & Stone. For tiles I recommend: Lapicida, Popham Designs, Ann Sacks, Made a Mano, and Balineum.

Key Question:

Can you tell me if there's a way of avoiding having a visible shower tray when your builders are saying a wet room design is not suitable?

Answer:

A flush-fitting or low-level shower tray is a great alternative to a visible shower tray. Having a low profile tray creates a sense of space in the room as well as the fact that it is nice not to have to step up into the shower. However, low profile trays can only be fitted where there is access to suitable drainage and the drainage runs in between floor joists.

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Rita Konig

Your Instructor

Rita Konig

Internationally renowned interior designer. AD100, House & Garden Top 100, Elle Decor A-List.

Rita’s effortless style has made her one of today’s most sought after interior designers, with her writing and work a staple of Vogue, The New York Times, House & Garden and The Wall Street Journal. She is an expert at bringing refined, relaxed comfort to a home, and is passionate about sharing her expertise and empowering people to decorate and design their homes themselves.

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