Room of the Day: A Sunny Bathroom for Twins
http://www.decor-ideas.org 06/09/2015 20:13 Decor Ideas
A bathroom used by children is a busy space. Bath time involves lots of play, splashing and people, since parents need to supervise. So with three young children — twin boys and a girl — the owners of this Berkshire, England, home called in Karen Beecroft of InStil Design to refresh their dated bathroom with the kids in mind. “The challenge was to fit everything into the narrow room, create plenty of storage and choose a great color scheme to link it all together,” Beecroft says. She created a design that rocks a gray and yellow scheme, is super functional and is packed with clever details that make it safe and enjoyable for the children to use.
Room at a Glance
Who lives here: A young family with twin sons and a daughter
Location: A village in Berkshire, England
Size: About 17 by 6 feet (5 by 2 meters); part of a 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom house
Designer: Karen Beecroft of InStil Design
The bathroom may be narrow, but it has a high ceiling and gets lots of light. “The room was painted horrendous colors when I first saw it, and the wooden ceiling had a dark orange stain, so it felt gloomy and oppressive in here,” Beecroft says. “Painting the ceiling white transformed the space right from the start.”
When it came to the walls, Beecroft paired white with bold yellow. “The owner said she wanted to use a really bright color,“ Beecroft says. “She was thinking of yellow on one wall but was not sure where to go from there. I came up with the gray to complement it. They are a good combination and look cheerful for children, but also quite contemporary.”
Feature wall paint: Lemon Chiffon 2 in matte emulsion, Dulux
A double vanity unit means there’s plenty of space for the kids to brush their teeth at the same time, making the morning rush easier to manage.
“The little girl will eventually use what is now the guest bathroom, and this space will be for the twins, so two basins make it handy,” Beecroft says.
Vanity units and mirrored cabinets: Svedbergs
The bathroom had a dark pine floor when Beecroft first saw it. “It was not practical for children, as wooden floors can get slippery,” she says. Instead, she used anti-slip porcelain tiles. “They have a slight texture, so if the kids do decide to run around when wet, they will be safer.”
The bath has a handheld shower attachment that can be pulled out from the side, making hair washing simple. “It also makes cleaning the bath a lot easier,” Beecroft says.
There was a corner bath in the room originally, which was awkward to use. “Bathing was an issue,” Beecroft says. “The owner was finding that quite frustrating.” In its place is a standard-size double-ended bath, allowing two children to share the tub without either bumping into faucets. Neat valves sit at the far end, and the water flows in at the side.
The owner wanted lots of storage built in so plastic bath toys and various products could be neatly stored out of the way. In addition to the double vanity units, a cupboard hangs above the toilet.
Bathtub: Cleargreen
Beecroft added a strip of yellow mosaics in the shower enclosure. “I wanted to tie the shower in with the yellow wall without going over the top,” she says. “I also wanted the splash of color to be visible from the door as you walk in.”
Beecroft chose a dark gray radiator. “It picks up the gray in the room and breaks up the yellow wall,” she says. “We tend to use colored radiators over chrome — their finish helps them to give off more heat.”
Radiator: Bisque
“I love to build a recess in a shower,” Beecroft says. “It makes a really nice feature. Unlike those wire baskets you can install, which can get rather gunky, it’s neat and clean. There’s also nothing to bang into while you’re showering.”
Shower: Hansgrohe; shower screen: Kermi
Mirrored cabinets contain storage for bathroom essentials. “The door can pull right out to about a 45-degree angle to the cabinet,” Beecroft says. “It’s a really useful feature.”
Mirrored cabinet: Svedbergs
The storage cupboard alongside the toilet contains all the underfloor heating pipes. “I ordered the vanity unit and the wall-hung cupboard above the toilet, then the fitter made a cupboard for the pipework to match,” Beecroft says.
She chose a boxed-in toilet. “It’s easy to clean and has a neat, streamlined look,” she says. “It also means you can have a shelf above, which is a nice detail.”
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