1. START WITH A DETAILED PLAN
You could say this for any project, but when it comes to small bathroom ideas, or awkward spaces, a meticulous outline is essential. 'Time spent planning is never wasted; a lesson we learned the hard way on previous projects,' Jessica says. 'When you’re dealing with unusual architecture, it’s even more important to plot out every inch and consider all the options.'
2. CONSULT AN EXPERT ENGINEER
Unlike in a living room, say, when the majority of questions tend to revolve around paint choices and furniture placement, bathrooms need a bit more indepth expertise. Often, en suite ideas can be enhanced with a bit of professional wisdom from someone who understands the requirements of pipework and the limitations of a house.
Bathrooms are not known for their natural light, but adding in as much as is possible will help the room feel less awkward, opening it up to the eye. 'The next game-changer was adding outsized skylights,' Jessica says. 'Going as large as possible helped to draw the eye up and made a feature of the high-pitch (12 foot) ceiling, rather than trying to disguise it.'
4. CHOOSE A MINIMAL PALETTE
We spend a lot of time thinking about bathroom color ideas but, when wondering how to design a bathroom in an awkward space, simpler is often better. 'When choosing materials, reducing the palette to just a few finishes served to blur out some of the angles and distract from the fact that, being Victorian, the ceiling beams are neither straight nor symmetrical,' Jessica says.
5. USE FUNCTIONAL PIECES AS DECORATIVE ITEMS
Because there is only so much that can fit into an awkward bathroom, and some things you definitely need to include, as with small bathroom layout ideas each functional piece needs to double up with decorative value, too.
6. CHOOSE LARGE-FORMAT TILES
When it comes to bathroom tile ideas, larger tiles can help to reduce the busyness of a space. With its crisp white base and beautiful blue-grey veining, Mandarin Stone’s Arena porcelain tiles faithfully mimic Brazilian Invisible Blue marble but are low maintenance and harder wearing. The large format tiles reduce grout-lines which have the overall effect of calming the space down, and enhance the authentic, slab-like finish.
7. HAVE BESPOKE MIRRORS MADE
A bespoke floor-to-ceiling mirror in one corner has a widening effect and helps reflect light from the skylights above into the space. Custom cut around the remainder of the old chimney breast, and bisected by a chunky double basin, the mirror is a simple but clever move that really lifts this side of the room and gives it more presence.