Bespoke by Nature
Restoring period charm to this six bedroom Queen Anne property in London was a prerequisite of the renovation. ‘The previous owners had designed it in a very contemporary way that didn’t bring out the beautiful character of the house,’ explains Clair Harris, co-founder, along with Abigail Heanly, of interior design practice Heanly Harris. ‘Our brief was to bring some of those more traditional features back, with undertones of green throughout the whole project.’
The house is being renovated in phases, from the top down, and the bathrooms are on the first floor with the main sleeping quarters. The brief was to create something timeless that was part of the flow from the bedrooms. ‘A lot of bathrooms are designed as clinical spaces that have the same floor and wall tiles, and are generally white marble with white sanitaryware. Our style as interior designers is to bring warmth into bathrooms and treat them like other rooms,’ notes Abigail.
Heanly Harris were keen to create sanctuary spaces in each of the bathrooms. ‘They are a really important space to relax in, not just for the practicalities of day to day,’ says Clair. ‘There were lots of ensuites in the house that needed care and attention, so we wanted to make them as different as possible but still with a thread of green running through.’
To create sanctuary-like spaces, the introduction of soothing colours and natural materials was pivotal. ‘We wanted the bathrooms to be really fluid and calming with soft colours, and not too much pattern,’ explains Abigail. Natural stone was a key ingredient and stones and tiles by Ca' Pietra were used in three of the bathrooms.
Long Island Marble was chosen for the bath surround and vanity and cistern tops in the family bathroom. ‘We needed something that complemented it and that wasn’t the hero of the space, even though it has become the focus because it’s such a beautiful piece,’ reveals Clair. Long Island was also used on the windowsill and slips inside the windows to tie everything together. ‘Long Island is a lot warmer than a lot of the calacattas that are out there. They can be very stark with an ice white background and mid grey veins running through, which just wasn’t the look that we wanted, but Long Island has a slight warmth to it and it brought it all together beautifully.’ Long Island also emphasises the richness of the handmade warmed oak washstand. ‘It brings an artisan feel to it, which I think is part of how we design. We love using artisan products,’ says Abigail. Part of Heanly Harris’ signature style is to mix in modern elements so the washstand features a contemporary basin with very traditional tapware in unlacquered brass. ‘We’re drawn to natural materials and that’s why marble factors quite heavily in our bathroom design because it’s so versatile,’ explains Clair. Pale Ecru ceramic tiles were used on the walls complementing the serene palette.
The main ensuite features an elegant rolltop. Folio Marble cladding was used on the walls for a sumptuous feel. ‘It’s pared back luxury, it’s not heavily patterned or outrageous. It’s very subtle but there aren’t any joins in it and a beautiful patina runs across all the walls evoking elegance. It’s also got a really lovely tiny edge detail, a stepped Roman cap, on the top, which finishes it off nicely,’ notes Abigail. To keep the look harmonious, floor tiles in Folio marble were laid. The shower enclosure features Folio marble tiles custom cut in a statement leaf shape. The shower tray is also made from Folio marble and is carved with a slight indent where the water falls. Drama was added with beautiful Fior di Bosco grey marble on the fumed oak double washstand, designed by Heanly Harris. ‘There is Folio marble on the wall and Fior di Bosco marble on the washstand splashback, creating a layering of marble. The shaped upstand makes all the difference and gives the vanity more presence,’ says Clair. Soothing tones complete the look with walls painted in Portland Stone Dark by Little Greene and Portland Stone Deep on the bath.
The guest bedroom ensuite features a floating caramel oak wooden washstand. The colour was specially stained as Heanly Harris wanted a shade that was more buttery than regular oak to warm through the dark olive green of the ceramic glazed wall tiles. Calacatta Vagli marble completes the washstand worktop, upstand and shower niche. It was chosen for the green element in the vein running through it and works beautifully with the wall tiles. Clair observes, ‘It just made them pop and really enhanced the scheme.’
