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Louise Mair’s ensuite is a dreamlike fusion of pale blue and gold tones.
With a love of gold tones and a quirky style which incorporates a mix of pastels and a French-inspired colour palette of pale blues and greens, Louise Mair’s signature style at The Vintage Room is instantly recognisable. When it came to designing her ensuite last year, it was therefore a given that this blend of tones would be incorporated into the room to create a stunning effect.
As always, Louise approached styling her interior with an initial base colour – in this case the dominant tone being a pale blue, specifically, the ‘Gentle Sky’ hue from paint brand, Little Greene. Her love of all things golden was then woven throughout the rest of the interior to add texture and visual interest, working as the perfect accent colour within the room via brushed brass accessories and a warming Wiliam Morris wallpaper.
The ensuite décor subsequently continues that of the bedroom, with both spaces featuring blue wall panelling and those all-important gold details.
“We got our ensuite done towards the end of last year and it was Bathshack who did it all for us,” said Louise. “I love it. I wanted my bedroom and ensuite to make me feel like I was in a hotel and to have a French theme, as I take a lot of inspiration from French interiors, which have a lot of greens and blues.
“I usually have something that I know I’m going to carry through the whole interior design. This time, it was the blue and the gold (brass) finish for the taps and shower. Blue would be my favourite colour in decorating and that’s the colour scheme I wanted for the bathroom and ensuite. But in the bedroom, I was scared in case it would be too cold, so I painted lots of different blue stripes on the wall and spent a lot of time researching the colours. I discovered that the ‘Gentle Sky’ shade was recommended for bedrooms because it’s soothing and restful.
“I’ve always loved gold as well, as I find it very warm and rich. The blue works perfectly with that and ties everything together.”
Louise’s bedroom features the same French-inspired colour palette as her ensuite.
Initially attempting to source everything for the ensuite herself, Louise quickly discovered it wasn’t as straightforward as she’d thought. “I ordered a shower, but it wasn’t right,” she said. “It was hard to get hold of plumbers, too, and then I was told I couldn’t have the shower I wanted. I really didn’t know how to proceed with it.”
The Josef Martin-inspired vanity unit designed bespoke for Louise’s ensuite by Bathshack.
Having seen an Instagram reel from Bathshack online, Louise was then inspired to visit her nearest showroom in Ballymena to see if she could find what she needed there.
“We went to Bathshack and it was absolutely amazing,” she said. “I was delighted because I’d been starting to lose heart. But whatever I said, Colleen from Bathshack was like, ‘No problem, yes, you can have that.’ I was so relieved because I had been told by the plumber that I couldn’t have what I wanted.”
To achieve her ensuite vision, Louise told Bathshack exactly what she was looking for, with Colleen then explaining how it could all be done. Top of her list was having a gold shower which ran flat across the floor, unlike the previous mounted shower. She was also keen to continue the blue tone from her bedroom into the ensuite and to have a countertop basin for her vanity unit.
“Colleen was fantastic, because I’m the sort of person who has something in my head which doesn’t necessarily exist,” said Louise. “I wanted a vanity unit in blue with a basin to set on top. What I was looking for wasn’t available in the catalogue, as all the basins were inset, but Colleen said, ‘not a problem’ and she got me one made bespoke.”
Louise subsequently chose a style she liked from the Josef Martin range, which was then adapted to suit her specifications, including a white worktop and that all-important countertop basin. The unit, being crafted bespoke, is therefore one of a kind, but took its inspiration from the Josef Martin Shandon range, while the basin is the Ravak Uni 400mm B Slim Countertop Basin in Ceramic from Bathshack. The worktop, meanwhile, is the Solaris Slab 12mm solid worktop.
“I had my own ideas and Colleen understood right away,” said Louise. “She got the vanity unit painted in the same paint as my bedroom, so it was an exact match. There were lots of wee details she sorted out for me like that.”
The shower was another key feature in the rom which Lousie was determined to get just right. With the previous corner shower raised above floor level, she was keen to install something contemporary and sleek which ran straight across the floor. Although initially told she wouldn’t be able to have this by a plumber, once she went to Bathshack, Louise realised she could get it after all.
“When I mentioned it to Colleen she said, ‘Oh, not at all. The plumber will be able to do that.’ And he managed it no problem, so that was another big tick – another thing she sorted out for me. It had been a real worry for me because I didn’t want another corner shower raised from the ground.”
The shower is Bathshack’s Eliseo Ricci Exclusiv Round Rigid Riser Shower in Brushed Brass and is paired with the Kiimat Aqua 1100mm Wet Room Panel in Brushed Brass.
The shower tray is then the Elements 1600mm x 800mm Rectangle Slimline Shower Tray, which is complemented by frost-white shower panelling – the Multi-panel Classic Collection Frost-white Tongue & Groove Panels.
The ensuite includes a luxury walk-in shower with a rainfall showerhead in brushed brass.
“I wanted a walk-in shower and Colleen got all that organised as well, which I was delighted with,” said Louise. “I got a rainfall-style showerhead and the panels, which have a little pearlised finish on them. The vanity unit and the shower are my favourite things in the ensuite. I asked Colleen if Bathshack could recommend a plumber and they did that as well.”
With the shower located opposite the doorway, the wall to the right subsequently features the toilet and bespoke vanity unit, along with the blue half-wall panelling, with William Morris floral golden wallpaper above. The toilet has a sleek, minimal style and is Bathshack’s Ari Rimless Close-coupled Fully Back-to-wall Toilet and Soft-close seat, fitted with an Objekt Ceramica Dual-flush button in Matt Brass to bring in more of that warming gold detail.
Brushed brass accessories in the ensuite include the basin mixer and waste (from Bathshack) along with the vanity unit handles.
A pair of brushed brass wall lights also sit on either side of a brushed brass mirror – Bathshack’s Morvah One-light Wall Light in Brushed Brass – while the ensuite doorhandle is also in brass, along with the towel ring and shower trap.
“When I’m thinking about doing something to the house I have a folder on Instagram, where I keep photos of things I like,” said Louise. “I had saved the lights we liked best and it turned out they were actually from Bathshack. I was so chuffed when I realised that, because when I saved them at the time, I had no idea that’s where they were from. That was a nice coincidence.” (NB Louise’s wall lights are no longer available but other similar styles can be viewed here).
The Wingrave Straight Multi-rail in White.
There’s also a white towel rail in the ensuite – the Wingrave Straight Multi-rail in White – these white elements complementing the floor tiles, which also have white detailing. The tiles are the Mijas Celeste Pattern Tile in Blue Ceramic and feature a pale blue background with a delicate bohemian-inspired white star-effect pattern.
With everything finished by Christmas Eve last year, Louise said she was “chuffed” with the end result and for getting everything from Bathshack at such a reasonable price.
“It all came together and was just a hassle-free process with Bathshack all the way, because Colleen was so helpful with helping me achieve my vision,” she said. “I got everything delivered at the same time, as well, within a reasonable timeframe. It was definitely all worth it.
“As I said to Colleen – ‘I’m so happy. You’ve made my bathroom dreams come true!’”
You can follow Louise’s lifestyle and interiors content on Facebook at The Vintage Room or on Instagram @thevintageroom.
If you’d like some help with choosing products for your bathroom or ensuite, just email our team at info@bathshack.com or call us on (028) 9077 0188. Alternatively, our online chat is also available if you have any queries.
