Neither the family bathroom nor the ensuite bathroom in Billie and Iain’s home had changed since the house was built in 1998 and things were starting to show their age. There were aspects that Billie had never been happy with, such as bidets that took up space and were never used, ugly patterned tiles, and a lack of storage. After a couple of leaks and other issues, she and Iain agreed it was time for upgrades. Visiting a large bathroom showroom, Billie found the myriad styles and options quite overwhelming, and came away feeling quite out of her depth,

“I had no idea where to begin,” she says, “As I already knew of Gardiner Haskins, I just decided to pop in one day to see the bathroom displays. I got chatting with a lovely staff member there, and explained how bewildered I felt. She introduced me to Daisy, one of the bathroom design team, and then things started to fall into place.”

Billie & Iain's Main Bathroom

Daisy talked Billie through the process from initial discussions and draft designs to final plans and installation, leaving her feeling reassured and much more confident about the whole enterprise. In the following weeks Billie and Iain met with Daisy to talk over their ideas and her suggested designs and product choices. She also came to see the existing bathrooms, taking photographs and measurements,

“That was very helpful, as I’d have been concerned about getting the dimensions exactly right,” says Billie, “I also liked the fact that there were no costs for us until we were ready to commit and go ahead.”

Billie & Iain's En-Suite Bathroom

As both bathrooms are quite compact and have slanting ceilings, there was little scope for changing the layouts. After listening to Iain and Billie’s requirements, Daisy focussed on making them more comfortable and enjoyable to use, giving each room a fresh, modern feel and improving showering and storage options. For continuity and simplicity, she proposed similar or matching products in both rooms, but with an injection of blue tones in the ensuite, and greens in the family bathroom to give each a distinct personality.

Poor storage meant both bathrooms had suffered from cluttered surfaces, with eye-level shelves and a cabinet adding to the cramped feel. For a more streamlined effect, Billie wanted built-in furniture below an integrated handbasin. She and Iain chose mid-blue cabinetry for the ensuite, and deep green for the family bathroom. In both rooms, the colour breaks up the mid-grey walls, and is echoed in a fully-tiled feature wall that lends interest and texture to each bathroom,

“I knew I wanted good-sized, rounded basins, too,” she says, “Daisy encouraged us to go for single-lever, monobloc basin taps, which I was a bit unsure about, but I’m very happy with them. They’re modern and give more space around the basin.”

Billie was keen to minimise dust-traps, so the bath sides are completely tiled to match the walls, and pipework behind the WCs is concealed. Another ‘must-have’ was a more powerful shower in the family bathroom, and Daisy sourced a large, fixed drencher showerhead combined with a smaller hand-held spray, useful for rinsing the bath. The old shower-curtain has been replaced by a nifty glass screen that folds vertically in half when not in use, helping the space feel more open and inviting.

Billie had initially expected to keep the existing radiators, but Daisy introduced the idea of heated towel rails. These have since become one of Billie’s favourite features,

“We had a wooden rail standing in front of the radiator before, but it took up space and the towels usually felt damp,” she says, “It feels so luxurious to always have warm, dry towels,”

Another of Daisy’s suggestions was the large wall-mirror above each basin. As well as boosting light and making the rooms feel more spacious, the slick, touch-activated lighting is very appealing,

“The mirrors have a heating element, so they don’t steam up,” says Billie, “That’s proved particularly useful in the ensuite where there’s no window.”

Installing each bathroom took between one and two weeks. Billie and Iain were highly impressed by our recommended fitting team, headed by Ben,

“The fitters were fantastic,” says Billie. “They did all they could to minimise disruption, kept to their schedule, sorted any snags without a fuss, and left us with two beautifully-finished bathrooms.”

Having started out feeling very unsure about how to achieve the bathrooms they wanted, Billie and Iain are now delighted with the results, and pleased they brought their project to us,

“We really appreciated Daisy’s expertise, and she was so helpful, calm and patient throughout the whole process,” says Billie, “I feel confident in the products we chose and the quality of the installation. I’m really happy with everything.”

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