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WHO LIVES HERE?
Ben Hillman, his wife Gaby and their two young children.
THE PROJECT
Gutting a small bathroom and knocking through to the adjoining shower room in a 1930s semi-detached house in West Sussex
TOTAL COST
£8,000
Ben and Gaby Hillman bought their house nine years ago with plans to gut the rooms and extend. One of the projects was to tackle the family bathroom, but the job went on the back burner when building work costs overran. Six months ago, the bathroom update came back on the agenda.
‘We’d somehow hobbled through with the old bathroom for years,’ says Ben, a presenter on Channel 4’s A Place in the Sun and an interior designer from ITV’s 60 Minute Makeover (@benhillmantv). ‘The main issue was lack of space and light. But what bothered me most was opening the door and being faced with a blank wall – the dream was to see right through to the garden.’
The update got going when Ben and Gaby began converting the loft above. As part of the project, Ben designed 3D drawings for the new 2.4x3m family bathroom layout, made bigger by extending into the adjacent shower room. The doorway was moved back onto the landing, an up-and-over window added above a bath, and a walk-in shower placed on the old shower room footprint.
Infinity stone shower tray 900x1500mm, £597; Luxe shower set in Matt Black, £497, both Lusso
‘We briefly considered an open wet room by tucking the WC into the old shower void,’ says Ben. ‘But it wasn’t really practical in a kids’ bathroom.’
‘The shower is in almost the same place as when it was a separate room,’ says Ben. ‘I brought the tiled wall out to conceal the pipework.’
Builders gutted the spaces, knocked through, blocked up the side windows, built new internal walls and fitted new windows. A plumber and electrician came on board, and Ben used his DIY skills to level the floor, lay underfloor heating and do the tiling. Although terrazzo has experienced a revival in recent years, Ben says the pretty stone had made an impact on him long before.
‘I remember being fascinated by a seamless terrazzo staircase in a shop when I was a kid,’ he says. ‘As my aim was to create a lasting bathroom scheme in a palette with a relationship to the garden, terrazzo with honey brown flecks was perfect as it’s timeless and natural.’
'I didn’t want a print, but real stone flecks running through the whole tile,’ says Ben. ‘I was able to cut and create a smooth polished edge that doesn’t need a trim.’
‘A plain white rectangular tile doesn’t compete with the terrazzo, and the structured vertical arrangement makes a pleasing contrast with the random stone flecks,' he adds.
A fluted oak vanity and a tactile oak window reveal followed, bringing warmth and texture while leafy plants thrive in the light and warmth.
‘I was looking for an interesting wood vanity and thought the fluted style was perfect for the girls,’ says Ben. ‘Curves nod to Art Deco and hint at the age of the house and steered my decision to curve the edges of the terrazzo splashback.’
‘I made the oak reveal as it was an opportunity to add another natural material to the room and I’m really pleased with the detail,’ he adds.
‘The design of the house means the bathroom projects out a little at the back, prompting the idea of a conservatory feel. I designed the up-and-over window.’
‘The whole window wall and the view out is my favourite feature. The reality is even better than my ideas.’
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