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With delicate gold detailing, pretty florals and soothing pastel tones, stepping into Louise Mair’s utility room – which also doubles up as her new flower arranging space – is akin to entering some sort of fairy land.
Louise’s new utility room has a pastel pink, strawberry-inspired theme.
“Pretty but functional” was the inspiration behind the design and it’s fair to say that Louise has achieved the look she wanted. Well known amongst her family and friends as someone with a flair for and love of interior design, Louise – who previously worked as an independent wedding stylist and in merchandising – has an eye for curating beautiful interiors.
Her signature style takes inspiration from a French-inspired palette, with more muted pastel tones being her preference over bolder, brighter hues. A frequent visitor to Paris – she’s been there 15 times and counting – influences come from places such as her favourite patisserie in the French city, Maison Ladurée.
“I would probably describe my style as quirky,” she says. “Sometimes I look on Instagram and think there are a lot of homes which have very cutting-edge interiors. That’s not what I am. I take a lot of inspiration from French interiors, which have lots of greens and blues. Maison Ladurée is decorated in pastel pinks and duck-egg tones. They’ve been in Paris for more than 100 years and have a really lovely style.”
With her utility room, Louise’s chosen colour palette is rooted in a pretty pastel pink, the theme of the space having emerged from the wallpaper choice, which was the starting point for the concept as a whole. Indeed, with any interior design project, Louise’s advice is to always have a clear starting point and then to build the look you want from that initial inspiration.
“My own starting point would usually be colour, but in the utility room, that wasn’t so much of a thing – it was more the wallpaper,” she says. “I would always advise choosing one thing as a starting point, though, and then going from there.
“My advice is to go with your first instincts because, otherwise, you can overthink. You worry that you have to get it right, but if you don’t go with your first instinct, you usually regret it.”
The strawberry vases which inspired the overall look of Louise’s utility room
Once she found her ideal strawberry wallpaper, Louise used this as her starting point for styling the rest of the room.
Having already acquired a pair of strawberry vases from the Netherlands – one in pink and the other in red – Louise wanted strawberry wallpaper to match these. An online search then unearthed a British block print designer whose ‘Strawberry Wallpaper Grass’ décor immediately caught Louise’s eye. Although she did shop around for others, her first instinct was, of course, what she went with in the end.
“The strawberry vases I had were a big trend from last summer,” she says. “I then Googled strawberry wallpaper, but the one I loved was almost £200 a roll, which I thought was a bit pricey. I just wanted one wee feature wall though, so we managed to do it with the one roll.”
Once the wallpaper was decided upon, next came the sink, which is where Bathshack came in. Keen to have this as a feature within the room, Louise quickly decided upon a golden one and was delighted when she found exactly what she wanted – and for a very reasonable price – at Bathshack.
“Originally, I was thinking of a Belfast sink, but the kitchen fitters said it wouldn’t work with the worktop I had and then I thought of a gold sink, because I didn’t have a large space to work with and I thought a wee gold sink would make a great feature in the room without being too over the top,” she says.
The Elite Single Bowl Inset Sink in Gold Finish.
“I just love gold fixtures and I love colours and patterns. The gold theme is influenced by the French style as well. Even when I did my kitchen a few years ago, I knew I wanted gold. With the utility room we were dealing with a smaller room, so I wanted something to be a feature but not huge in size. Something cute and different. My husband suggested Bathshack, as we got our ensuite bathroom there last year, which I loved.”
Louise ended up choosing Bathshack’s Elite Single Bowl Inset Stainless Steel Kitchen Sink & Waste in Gold Finish, a compact, deep square sink which was perfect for her smaller space and combined practicality with aesthetic appeal. Available as either an inset sink or undermounted into the kitchen cabinetry, Louise opted for the inset style, pairing the sink with Bathshack’s Olona Kitchen Mixer Tap with Swan Neck & Swivel Spout in Gold Stainless Steel Finish.
“We got the tap and sink together from Bathshack and I was absolutely delighted with them,” she says.
“Sometimes it’s difficult to get things delivered here in Northern Ireland but that wasn’t a problem with Bathshack at all. The whole process was very straightforward – and the price was fantastic.”
With a brushed gold finish, both the sink and matching tap add an elegant, gilded look to the room, giving it a touch of decadence without being overpowering. Both products also have an antibacterial coating which is scratch-resistant, so are both practical and stylish.
The tap also has that elegant swan-shaped neck, which gives it a sophisticated look, while the brushed finish adds contemporary charm, the swivel spout adding to the overall functionality of the piece.
Continuing the golden theme in the room are dainty floral-inspired cupboard handles, which Louise sourced from Etsy, fulfilling her desire for something ornate to complement the strawberry wallpaper design. As the utility room also backs out onto the garden, she also wanted something that gave a hint of the outdoors – and they tied the look together by continuing the gilded undertone within the space.
The golden sink and tap from Bathshack add a touch of opulence to Louise’s utility room.
“I wanted the utility room to be functional but also, a very pretty space, because I love flowers and have always liked having them in the house and arranging them,” she says.
Louise added subtle floral detailing with her cupboard handles.
“So, this wee room is also going to be my flower arranging room as well as laundry.”
Originally from Ayrshire, Louise was visiting Scotland while the utility room was being renovated, so when she returned, she was able to start styling immediately.
“I just love styling,” she says. “That’s always my favourite part. I think my style is very individual and a bit eclectic – I do love pastels and things which are a feature in the room. I love my house to be very welcoming. I have quite a lot of visitors and they love to look at everything. For example, I have a glass cloche with different books in it and a wreath made out of 1950s brooches.”
Although it’s expertly styled and looks stunning throughout, Louise is, however, firm on the fact that her house is not a show home and is very much lived in and used by everyone. It is a homely space where her grandchildren, friends and other family members come to relax.
“I think it’s nice for people to come in and enjoy my home,” she says. “It’s a little bit of an experience. I love that.”
Louise’s completed utility room, with its pastel pink and gold colour palette and strawberry-inspired décor.
View our range of kitchen sinks and taps in your local Bathshack showroom or online. Alternatively, if you’d like to chat to our team, email us at info@bathshack.com or call (028) 9077 0188.
