A Certain Victorian Charm

Victorian houses were built with a certain confidence in scale, and this substantial six-bedroom family home in Bowdon, Cheshire, is no exception. When The SpaceMaker Interiors was invited to renovate the property, the brief was to create a home that felt warm, welcoming and full of character, while remaining entirely practical for family life.

The owners were not afraid of colour, either. Bold shades already featured in their entertaining rooms, and their appreciation for handmade materials and a sense of history offered fertile ground for the designers. Given considerable creative freedom, The SpaceMaker Interiors embraced this decorative spirit, bringing together rich colour, natural textures and traditional detailing in a way that feels sympathetic to the house's Victorian origins without being overly reverential.

The resulting interiors are wonderfully individual. A mustard-yellow boot room, with its brick flooring and practical built-in storage, brings a cheerful note to the everyday business of family life. In the kitchen, a deep burgundy island anchors pale cabinetry and natural stone, while the sitting room takes a more playful turn with blue-painted bookshelves, patterned upholstery and an eclectic assortment of objects.

The principal suite, meanwhile, required a more fundamental reworking of its layout. An eccentric arrangement of wardrobes and multiple basins had left the bathroom feeling crowded and disjointed, with the joinery occupying rather more attention than its function warranted. The owners wanted something more refined, with better storage and a greater sense of space, but equally important was its relationship with the adjoining bedroom. The two rooms were reconsidered together, with a palette of natural materials, soft neutrals and carefully chosen decorative details establishing a sense of continuity.

Calacatta Viola marble provides the bathroom's most expressive gesture. Its extravagant veining, a dramatic tangle of burgundy, charcoal and grey against a creamy white ground, gives the generously proportioned bath an almost sculptural presence. The stone continues across the surrounding floor before meeting walnut parquet laid in a chevron pattern, an unexpected transition that lends the room a more domestic character. In the adjoining shower, the marble wraps the lower walls and forms a substantial built-in bench, while small handmade white tiles above introduce a gentler, more tactile quality.

The wardrobes, once the room's most awkward feature, have become part of its decorative appeal. Their fronts are dressed in Iksel's EDO Wisteria wallcovering, its delicate botanical imagery unfolding across the cabinetry like a painted screen. The surrounding paintwork has been matched to the paper's neutral ground, allowing the joinery to settle into the architecture rather than stand apart from it. It is an elegant sleight of hand: storage remains generous, but its presence is altogether more discreet.

Against this richly layered backdrop, Drummonds' Mull fittings bring a certain classical poise. Their elegant proportions sit comfortably within the Victorian architecture, while the simplicity of their forms allows the more expressive materials to take precedence. Unlacquered brass was a particular favourite of the owners, who appreciate the warmth of the metal and the subtle patina it acquires with use. Rather than retaining a pristine finish, the brass will gradually mellow and deepen, becoming part of the room's evolving character.

There is something particularly appealing about the way this bathroom balances its more theatrical gestures with a sense of ease. The marble is unapologetically expressive, the joinery richly detailed, yet the room feels neither formal nor overworked. It is a space that belongs naturally to the house around it, sharing its affection for colour, craftsmanship and the pleasing irregularities that give an interior its personality.