Published in the October 2017 issue of Homes & Gardens, Dream Bathrooms this beautiful award winning Grade I Listed Georgian Hall found in Lancashire & built in 1740 is of great architectural & historical interest. It originally had 9 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, it now has 7 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms.

With ample space and exquisite furnishings, this imposing bathroom doubles as an elegant dressing room and a place to relax. Now in the hands of a local family, who’d patiently waited several years for it to come on the market. “By the time, they got the keys it had fallen into disrepair” says KW Interiors, who worked alongside Mason Gillibrand Architects on the three-year restoration. “English Heritage stipulates all alterations to be totally reversible, with minimal damage to the existing fabric of the building. For this bathroom, the delicate plastered ceiling of the room below needed extra care”

Originally a bedroom, the bathroom fittings were positioned together, nearest the window with the best views, to confine the new plumbing to one area and reduce disruption. An original fireplace and redundant doorway was then concealed behind false panelling. “It wasn’t an easy decision but paring back provided a calmer space, leaving more room for the built-in dressing area requested,” explains KW Interiors.

The client wanted a ‘old Hollywood style glamour’ brought into modern day times in a luxurious, classic, contemporary way. It needed to feel calm, classy and elegant with no heavy drapes as the views were not to be obstructed in any way. The space had to incorporate bathing and dressing and be a private and relaxing area.

An island unit in a combination of painted and walnut finishes, helps to separate the dressing and bathing zones. Storage is split to house towels and toiletries on one side, and drawers for clothing on the other. The adjacent wardrobe elevation, featuring a mix of open and closed storage, has the same Georgian-inspired door and cornice design.

The client has been fortunate enough to stay in some lovely hotels and this is where the inspiration derived from. It is a sumptuous, calming and elegant room yet is fully functioning with all modern-day facilities, i.e. underfloor heating in the shower area, demisting behind the mirror, pressurized water system, good ventilation, copious amounts of hot water, dual purpose heated towel radiators, LED lights in the wardrobes and many more.

Arabescato Corchia marble was chosen for its timeless elegance & the availability of large format slabs to reduce the number of fixings to the wall. It has been raised to conceal the plumbing as well as a steel support that helps protect the ceiling below from the weight of the stone and fittings. “The owners like the softness of carpet in bathrooms, but its use here also responds to the total ‘reversibility’ edict. Carpet is much easier to remove than tiles.”

While mid-range brands have been used elsewhere in their home the owners wanted the best for this bathroom. “Drummonds offers superior quality & finish, and the fittings we chose are slightly oversized so they work particularly well with the grand proportions of the space.” “All bathroom fittings were selected from Drummonds and the stone was from The Thomas Group. The client wanted a step up for the Master bathroom and Drummonds offered this level. Again, due to the ‘total reversibility’ aspect the bath needed to be as free standing as possible, this bath suited the space and created a sense of ‘drama’. The colour used on the bath is Farrow and Ball’s Dead Salmon.”

Other Suppliers:

• Wall Lights Original BTC – Narrow Pillar Light
• Stone Thomas Group – Arabescato Corchia
• Carpet Jacaranda – Natural Weave Hexagon
• Paint Colour on Walls/paneling Little Greene Mid Pearl 168
• Roman Blind Fabric Laundered Linen – Ralph Lauren, Hannah Border Trimming Samuel and Sons
• Pendant shades – White Company – Deco Chandeier Light Shade
• Chair – Oka – Nicolai Chair

K W Interiors – Interior Designer

Mason Gillibrand – Architect

Meldale Building Services – Builders

Simon Herrema – Photographer