Owners of a thatched cottage in Alpheton, Suffolk wanted a new, low maintenance, shower room and cloakroom for their second home.
Challenge
Our client’s shower room and cloakroom was fitted many years ago and was in need of modernisation. The shower was in particular need of attention as the valves had seized up due to its age and it was therefore not functioning properly.
As this property was our client’s second home, they wanted a room that was easy to maintain and keep clean as it is often left for periods of time. Their cottage is a period property so they wanted a traditional design that would look in keeping with the age of their home.
Solution
The shower has a sunken, step-down tray due to the low ceiling height in the room. The first change made was to replace the shower tray with a hard wearing, steel, enamel sunken tray from Bette. A tray with extra strength was required as it sits directly onto the ground as the cottage has no foundations due to its age. We also updated the shower head and valves and replaced what had been a pivot door shower screen with a bi-fold shower door. The bi-fold door creates more space in the room as it folds into the shower rather than opening out close to the toilet as it had done previously.
We used Porcelanosa ceramic tiles around the shower in a large format so that there is less grout to keep clean and therefore would be easy to maintain. The addition of the ClearShield protection on the glass of the shower door also ensures that the glass remains hygienic, clean and sparkly.
The cloakroom furniture is from Mereway Bathrooms in ‘Pebble’ and provides a good amount of storage under the basin. The toilet cistern and piping is also now hidden which prevents dust accumulating while the client is not visiting. The worktops are made to order from Mereway’s Fusion range. The resin tops (get epoxy resin in Canada) with a matt finish are again easy to wipe down and maintain. The splashback behind the basin and onto the window sill are the same Porcelanosa marble effect tiles as used in the shower. The Crosswater Belgravia mixer tap adds a traditional finish.
The previous flooring had been cork and was in bad condition. We replaced it with a more hard wearing, wood effect flooring in ‘Country Oak’ from Karndean.
“The room now feels cleaner and brighter and up to date. The marble and oak effect materials in the room gives it a traditional feel so it is in keeping with the rest of the cottage, which is what we were aiming to achieve.”
– Rebecca Brown
