'We wanted an ART DECO VIBE'

Helen took her bathing space from cramped and dated to family-friendly, with a classic retro-inspired look

- STEPHANIE SMITH

Inheriting a typical 1930s layout of rectangular bathroom and a separate loo along the corridor wasn't really suitable for us,' says Helen. 'And with a teenager and a younger child, we knew we had to change things quickly after moving into our house in April 2022.

As part of a larger renovation project, while still respecting the history of the house, we wanted to change the current bathroom to fit in a shower-bath, a loo and a vanity unit. We also planned for a single-storey rear and a double-storey extension at the side, plus adding a downstairs shower room and an en suite.

Design process

The house is a classic architect-designed E and L Berg property in a development described in its original marketing as "two estates of exceptionally fine artistic houses, chosen for their position surrounded by low hills and a beautiful expanse of Surrey countryside". And I'd always been interested in owning one. These 1930s-era houses don't come onto the market very often, and many of them have had their insides ripped out, sadly.

I dropped leaflets along this particular road, saying we were keen to buy a house and to preserve its features, and we managed to secure this one. Then it was a question of improving the house, while staying true to its period character.

New layout

The bathroom was badly laid out. The bath felt crammed in; there was a chunky vanity unit squeezed in at the end and a large cupboard with an old boiler taking up lots of space near the door. There was also lots of dated pine panelling, which all had to go. We realised we could reduce the size of the cupboard by two thirds and turn it into a shelved airing cupboard accessed from the landing. The new boiler was moved to the office/playroom, which had been the old garage, and this gave us a lot more room to play with.