This renovation of a seventy’s family home was partial, in that some items in the wet rooms were kept in place; namely the bath in the ensuite, with jets (a favourite of the owner), the vanity in the ensuite (although the door fronts were changed), the laundry cabinetry which was sound and in good order and the bathroom vanity (we changed the doors on it also).

Existing Tiles were old fashioned (Granny style) and already to the ceiling so, we advised to go full height again with tiles. This is always the more expensive option, but we are aware of what happens when removing ceiling height tiling- the walls are left worse for wear. I explained that what happens is that you are left with a rough (unpaintable) wall after tiles are removed along with old plaster and render. Then that requires a plasterer to rectify the walls, or you can just tile to cornice height again.

The client chose a large format grey tile in 600 x 600 for floor and walls and a gorgeous Subway tile in 3 tones for each room. The stand-out feature is the whole back wall of Subways in the ensuite laid “Herringbone”, in a ninety-degree angle. This is quite a tricky lay pattern, so getting it right was crucial to the finished project. Luckily for us, Essence Interiors’ Tiler team is meticulous and very accurate, which was very much appreciated by the client.

It was decided that both vanities would have new door fronts fitted in vinyl wrap in a more modern, flat profile instead. So, these were ordered with our cabinetmaker. Otherwise, the vanity top and tap were in good order and left as is.

The boy’s bathroom had a shower with a very low ceiling, which was removed, and the ceiling was tiled to stop mould re- occurring. This bathroom was smaller, so one wall was tiled with Subway tiles in a soft green that were laid in a vertical offset pattern. A new toilet suite was added to finish off.

In the Laundry, all the cabinets and the trough were staying put, so we re- tiled and took the new subway tile on the splashback higher, to behind the washing machine/ dryer stack.

In the Ensuite, the client liked the arch window and arch mirror, which were kept. Along with the bath and vanity, the rest was re- tiled completely, with a niche in the shower and new tapware. The new shower screen was frameless and with no hob or step down.

New lighting was installed in all rooms and a heat lamp for the ensuite at the client’s request.

The result is two modern updated, fresh bathrooms (without the granny tiling) and some fresh new tapware and vanity doors to add that gleaming ‘just renovated’ look. Now the family is happy to use the fresh new wet areas and we made sure one bathroom was complete before doing the next. Little disruptions to family life are always a win/win for us.