A Manchester Period Property
A 130-year-old Manchester property taken through in full: formal lounge, kitchen, guest suite, and a basement holding a bar, a gym and a spa.
Bathrooms and spa rooms are the most technical rooms in a house and the least forgiving, because almost nothing can be moved once it is in.
Layout, lighting and ventilation are resolved before anything decorative is chosen. Surfaces are specified for how they behave wet rather than only how they photograph, and lighting has to work both for shaving at seven in the morning and for a bath at ten at night.
Tiling is where the character usually comes from: the same grey tile in two shades and several sizes will define areas far more effectively than a change of colour.
Specifying the room, not just the suite
Most of a bathroom is surface, so tiling is where the character comes from. The same tile in two shades and several formats will define a floor, a wet area and a feature wall without introducing a second material, and it is nearly always calmer than mixing three different tiles.
Grout colour changes a room as much as the tile does. Large format tiles with a matched grout read as a surface; small tiles with a contrasting grout read as a pattern. Neither is wrong, but it should be a decision. Underfloor heating goes under the tile, so it has to be settled before anything is ordered, along with waterproofing in any area that gets wet.
Lighting, mirrors and steam
Light from the ceiling alone puts your own shadow on your face at the mirror, which is why hotel bathrooms light the mirror from the sides. An illuminated mirror or wall lights at face height solve it. Downlights are better aimed at the tile than at the person.
Bathrooms are zoned for electrical safety, and fittings near a bath or shower need the right IP rating. Where there is a steam room or a jacuzzi the ventilation has to be sized for it, and the joinery and finishes have to be specified for constant humidity rather than chosen on looks alone.
What usually goes wrong
Nowhere to put anything. A beautiful room with no shelf within reach of the shower is a daily irritation. Storage for towels and bottles has to be planned in, usually as joinery, because it cannot be added afterwards without spoiling the tiling.
The other one is scale. Small tiles in a small room make it busier, not bigger, and a large mirror does more for the sense of space than any amount of pale colour.
Recent work
How it works
Schemes are put together in the showroom with real samples: fabric, wallpaper, timber and stone, in the light they will actually live in. Furniture and accessories are sourced directly from suppliers and manufacturers, and fitted joinery is designed here and installed by our partner workshops.
How our design fee works
A design fee of £300 is charged for one room. This fee includes all aspects of the interior design services provided. If we are unable to supply a specific item or provide a service, we can usually recommend a company we have previously worked with that can meet your specific needs.
We want to ensure that you fully understand our proposals and that the outcome is what you desire. To assist you in making the right decision, we will provide as much product information as possible, including images, drawings, photographs of similar projects, sketches and samples. We can also provide furniture layouts and floor plans, and where required we use AI to produce 3D visualisations of the proposed design.
We aim to provide you with a flexible design and products that suit your needs, ensuring you are happy to place orders with us. A 10% discount will be applied to any orders, up until the total of £300 has been refunded per room. Therefore, if you spend £3,000 or more on the room, the design is effectively free of charge. Please note that any unused balance from a design fee is not transferable between rooms.
A 50% deposit is required when placing the orders, and the balance is due prior to delivery or installation. This is outlined in our terms and conditions.
Questions we get asked
Do you project manage the installation?
We design the scheme and specify everything in it, and work alongside your bathroom fitter. Fitted joinery is made and installed by our partner workshops.
Can you do a wet room in an ordinary bathroom?
Often, depending on the floor construction and where the waste can run. It is the first thing to establish, because it decides the layout.
How early do you need the tile choice?
Early. Tiling decides underfloor heating, waterproofing and the position of everything fixed, so it is one of the first decisions rather than a finishing one.
A spa and bathrooms in full
A Manchester basement with a jacuzzi room and a steam room, designed as part of the whole house.