Before and after: a bathroom overhaul worth losing a spare room for

Take one spare bedroom and two tiny bathrooms, knock them all together and what have you got? A beautiful, spacious bathroom, that's what.

With two small bathrooms located one next to the other, but neither really suitable for a busy family home, the couple who own this house knew they needed to do something to fix their bathroom woes. They had big plans to extend out on to a flat roof, but when planning permission was denied they decided to do something drastic – sacrifice a spare room, and knock that together with the two miniscule bathroom areas.

They chose the bath first, then found traditional-style basins and a loo, followed by a shower fixture and enclosure that worked with all of the other elements. Period details – such as the wall panelling and metro tiles – add texture and fit beautifully with the Victorian house’s heritage, while a vintage corner cabinet provides storage and character.

Shopping list

Bath, £649

Mixer taps, £209

Radiator, £329

Shower enclosure, £649

Basins, £139 each, all Bathstore

Metro tiles, £32.50 per sq m, Topps Tiles

Paint, £55 for 2.5l, Farrow & Ball

Mirror, £195, John Lewis

Floor tiles, £39.89 per sq m, Topps Tiles

Maximising space was at the forefront of the design decisions here, so every advantage is taken – the under-sink towel rails and vast wall mirror, are a perfect example.

As the first item that the owners chose for their new bathroom, the claw-foot bath influenced the way that the rest of the space was decorated and finished. Raising the bath on claw feet does more than add a classic period touch, it’s also a great design trick that enhances the feeling of space by increasing the visible floor area.

Two basins give the couple who own this house a vanity area each. Slim shelves have enough space for the essentials, but not so much that they look cluttered. The neat chrome rails keeps everything in place, too.

Blue metro tiles were used to zone the shower area while toning in with the dark colours used throughout the rest of the bathroom space – chosen because the room was now large enough to handle deep heritage tones without appearing smaller. A barely-there shower screen means that the chrome heritage-style fittings stand out.