VICTORIAN BATHROOM DESIGN

Awkward bathroom - no problem!

Have you got an awkward shaped bathroom and think that means a sumptious period bathroom is impossible? Well, it doesn't, and we have an elegant Victorian style bathroom created inside some converted farm outbuildings to prove it.

Mazamboni Farm is an award-winning upmarket development of luxury apartments in a late Victorian estate in Pirbright, near Woking in Surrey. The development takes in the main house, cottages and also the once working farm outbuildings where our apparently difficult bathroom is situated.

XAt first glance, the room choosen for the bathroom looks unpromising: it is much longer than it is wide, and has a steeply sloping roof at one end. In practice, the shape of the room proved no obstacle at all to the creation of the elegant traditional style bathroom illustrated left.
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"There were slight constraints with the sloping ceiling, and there were no windows so we put in veluxes to let in the light and for ventilation. But really, there was no problem at all. The sloping ceilings give the bathroom character" explains developer Simon Hollis.

Sympathetic but not slavishly authentic

Elements in this bathroom that are typical of the late Victorian era include the cast iron bath, although probably not with the handsome metallic finish, the standalone basin, the high-level cistern and the tiled floor. Floor tiles did tend to be patterned though, and although the Victorians did have showers, they would be found inside the bath and not in a separate enclosed unit. The colour scheme is also too light for a truly authentic Victorian bathroom.

No matter. Simon Hollis wasn't looking to replicate Victorian bathroom design. The aim for the development as a whole was to create luxury interiors that would be sympathetic to the age of the property without sacrificing one iota of modern convenience.

Drummonds' classic designs were perfect for the task. "The baths look the part and they are properly enamelled but they are also comfortable" explained Hollis.

He singled out the nickel-plated taps used at Mazonboni Farm as "looking traditional" but also made from durable modern materials. Mull tap-heads from Drummonds' Classic taps range are particularily suitable for styling as Victorian taps. According to Hollis, "Drummonds is unique in providing products of this quality that look so good in a Victorian style bathroom".

The bathroom includes a Spey freestanding bath, Drummonds' beautiful marble vanity unit, as well as the Casseley low level cistern, Dunnett WC Pan and an elegant walnut toilet seat. Hollis also requested a six bar heated towel rail as he found the ladder-like look so appealing.

The moral of this story

So the conclusion? Don't assume that a difficult bathroom is unsuitable for period luxury. Creating a lavish traditional bathroom in an awkward space may be simpler than you think.

Award

The Mazombomi Farm devlopment by Simon Hollis Homes won the bronze award for Best Luxury House in the What House Awards for 2006.

Site links:

• Roll top baths
• Heated towel rails
• Victorian style taps
• Toilets
• Marble vanity units

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