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Sophie Robinson
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05 Aug 20

Colour pop bathroom in my colourful signature style

When our podcast sponsor Geberit asked Kate Watson-Smyth and me to design a bathroom in our signature style, to celebrate their Inspiring Bathrooms campaign, we jumped at the chance! For all of you who listen to the show, you will already know that Kate and I don’t always agree on colour schemes, and this no-holes-barred brief was going to allow us to go head to head! It was a fascinating exercise in what different looks you can create given the same space and how to add personality to your bathroom.

Geberit Soana bathtub, Acanto basin, Acanto cabinet for basin, Acanto tall cabinet, Aqua clean Mera shower toilet, all Geberit.Gessi taps in black finish #299 by Gessi.

We were given the same layout, bathroom suite and storage cabinets from Geberit, but the colour scheme was totally up to us. My first hurdle was the Geberit Acanto storage was jet black and black is a colour I rarely use in my decorating schemes. I find it too heavy against my preferred palette of joyful brights. I did a few mood boards and none of them felt quite right, but then I struck lucky when I unearthed a sample of this Sky Candy wallpaper by one of my favourite print designers, Ottoline De Vries. Her playful design was perfect for the spirit of the ‘family bathroom’ brief that Geberit had supplied and the design combined black and white along with my favourite bright colours. Finding a fabric or wallpaper or indeed a piece of artwork is often how I springboard my colour palettes for room schemes.

Walls papered in Sky candy wallpaper by Ottoline De Vries. Walls painted in Angie and trim in Trumpet, Little Greene. Chequered vinyl floor by Tatlow carpets. Bex mirror and Vetro wall lights by Made.com. Kitsch candle holder, WA Green. Towels by Dunelm Mill.

From this, it was easy to spin off the design. I sourced cobalt blue for the tiles, as its very much my signature colour, from CDT Tiles. I only ran then three quarters up the wall as personally I personally don’t like too many tiles in a bathroom, it can make the room sound echoey. So I created a racing stripe of yellow all around the room with Angie Pink, by Little pink above, wrapping all the way across the ceiling. Pink is one of my favourite colours to decorate with as it feels like, soft and warm all at once. For this reason, I think it’s a great colour for the bathroom and helps to soften the black elements. Wallpaper is fine for the bathroom as long as you make sure your walls are prepped really well before applying, that the paper is stuck down securely and the room is well ventilated. If you still worry you can apply a coat of matt varnish to protect it from the moisture.

Reflections cobalt blue tiles, CDT Tiles. Mila pink ceramic stool, Blue and pink chubby egg plant pot, Pablo face pot, all WA Green.

A built-in bath with a ledge is a really practical option for a family bathroom, if space allows. It offers a place to perch and also a surface to keep toiletries close to hand. I paired the striking tiles with white grout to tie in with the floor and wallpaper designs and I love the graphic effect. A chequerboard floor is a classic but my signature style is all about clashing the patterns and floors are often an overlooked opportunity. It also helps to really integrate the black cabinets into the scheme. I broke up the geometric pattern with this glorious Daisy Flower rug by John Booth at Floor story. I personally love to use rugs in the bathroom, as a way to add more softness, pattern and colour. So don’t feel you have to just stick to tiny bath mats!

Daisy flower rug by John Booth at Floor Story.

On a practical level, a good looking bathroom falls flat on its face as soon as all the plastic toiletry bottles come out! Make sure you plan in enough storage and in my experience you can never have enough! The Acanto storage is ideal as it comes in plenty of different configurations. The tall and slender cabinet raised off the floor is ideal for a small bathroom, making the most of the wall space while not taking up much floor space. However I think it’s also lovely to have some open shelving for displays too as bathrooms can quickly become too clinical looking. I sourced most of the decorative objects from one of my favourite online shops WA Green. Their moniker is #dopamineforthehome and I’m signing up to that!

Glitter vice rainbow canister, Pride rainbow vice canister, utopian sun statue, kitsch candle holder, all WA Green. Cork plant pot, Mind the cork.

Another visual trick you can play to help your bathroom feel more spacious is with a wall-hung loo. It also makes it much easier to keep this area clean, and as a Mum of boys, this is a real bonus! This Geberit Aqua clean Mera shower toilet even has a no-touch open and close lid so win-win! I also love the way the chrome detail reflects the floor pattern, very snazzy. The devil is in the detail as they say and I’d say this is especially important in small bathrooms were I think it’s important that you create a coherent thread with regards to the finishes. I selected a Geberit Sigma 20 matt black flush plate to match the black Gessi taps, which all tie in with the black Acanto cabinets. Because I’m being playful with pattern it’s then important to keep the materials limited, otherwise, the whole look can start to become messy and incoherent.

Cork plant pots, Mind the Cork.

In your bathroom you’ll want to create a level of privacy and I’ve done that here by fitting glass shelves and a collection of pots and plants. This will obscure the view looking in during the day and then you can drop a blind at night. A selection of decorative pots and plenty of plants also help soften the overall look. And ‘soften soften soften’ is my mantra when designing a bathroom. There are so many hard surfaces and practical elements you need to add softness wherever you can. You can do this with plants and textiles and tactile materials like cork. I love the brand Mind the Cork, not just for the gorgeous contemporary designs but also their sustainable credentials.

Meanwhile, Kate styled her bathroom in an uncharacteristically colourful way! She’s notoriously always been very rude about the colour yellow but lockdown has obviously messed with her mind as she’s become very experimental with this Pretty in Pink bathroom. I personally think the saffron yellow ceiling is genius, harnessing a warm glow over the room. However, it’s pretty scalloped decorative detail that crosses from the tiles and into the painted border around the room that I particularly love. You can see more of Kate’s bathroom over on her blog here. 

For more information on the Inspirational bathroom campaign, you can hop over to the Geberit web page here. For more bathroom inspiration check out the hashtag #inspiredbyGeberit

This feature is part of a paid collaboration with Geberit. Photography by Stewart Rowen.

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Catch Sophie In All Her Colourful Glory On Instagram

DAY 18 of #easywininteriors and I’m getting the DAY 18 of #easywininteriors and I’m getting the paintbrush out! Giving old and unappreciated brown furniture of coat of colour is not just easy but quick too and you get ooodles of satisfaction giving something a new lease of life. Since the sun is starting to poke it’s head out it’s the perfect opportunity to fling open the windows, roll out the dust sheet, and calm your senses with the therapeutic strokes of a paint brush. I transformed these battered old Ercol chairs that I found at a car boot sale with an undercoat of Zinsser and a top coat of eggshell so they really can withstand the knocks. ( here’s a tip, use a sag brush for spindly furniture) I love how the pink legs pick up on the pink in the wallpaper. I’ve got a couple of pots of chalk paint waiting in the wings. This just might be the weekend to tackle the bedside tables at last! Have a wonderful weekend  and I hope the sun shines on you wherever you are! 

CREDITS Reclaimed terracotta tiles @ca_pietra_  Borastapeter Rubarber wallpaper @wallpaperdirect Clock @newgateclocks Doors painted in Rose Ash Light @sanderson1860 Everything else is vintage 

#easywininteriors #kitchen #countrykitchen #upcycle #upcycledfurniture #countryliving #countrylivingmodernrustic #countrykitchen #greenkitchen #greenandpink #interiorinspo #interiordesign
DAY 17 of #easywininteriors is all about making do DAY 17 of #easywininteriors is all about making do with what you’ve got and making it work. For most of us, decorating our home and choosing all the things we want to go with it is a long if not a life time journey and there are plenty of compromises along the way. One of the ways I make do with things I’m less happy about is with distraction. You can use colour to draw the eye and highlight the bits you do like and similarly blend away the areas that need to fade into the back ground. For me joinery, radiators and my unattractive windows all get painted in the same colour so they fall to the background and then the cushions and artwork can come to the fore and catch your eye. I painted these lovely old solid wood doors bright yellow on a whim with some left over paint. It was a quick and easy way to inject a burst of  colour joy. So don’t discount doors and architraves as a fun way to play with colour, but only if you have nice ones. 
On the PODCAST today @mad_about_the_house and I discuss more ways you can make do. I interview leading interior designer and queen of colour and pattern @nicolahardingandco who has amazing insights on how to go about planning your schemes, conjure mouthwatering colour palettes and work with what you’ve got. And our style surgery is from Callum who finds himself stuck with a shiny blue green sofa which he doesn’t love and doesn’t know what to put with. Obviously cover it with cushions and distract the eye with A bright yellow door Callum! 

If you have a question for our style surgery do please send it in as we are lining them up for the next series and we’d love to hear from you! Drop us an email to thegreatindoorspod@gmail.com.You can here all our ramblings and insights on today’s show The Great Indoors and thankyou to @katetaylorldn for producing the show. 

#thegreatindoors #bluesofa #yellowdoor #banthebeige #interiorspodcast #podcast #interiordesign #interiorinspo
DAY 16 of #easywininteriors and I’m extolling th DAY 16 of #easywininteriors and I’m extolling the benefits of an occasional chair. I’ve always loved occasional chairs primarily for their decorative function. I’m a patterned fabric addict and so an occasional chair I’d another opportunity to add more pattern, more colour and another cushion to boot! But during these extended periods of lock down and staying at home I’ve appreciated the quiet little corners they offer. I’m lucky enough to find a space for one here on my landing but they can also find a home in a bedroom, a home office, under the stairs or indeed #lifegoals in the bathroom. So rather than playing second fiddle to THE SOFA put your occasional chair in pride of place and grab yourself 5 minutes solitude! Most of mine are junk shop funds bought back to live with my hoarded stash of remnant fabrics. So it’s time to raid grannies attic and  create a seat that makes you smile . 🥰  use the hashtags #easywininteriors to share your favourite corners of escape.

#easywininteriors #vintagearmchair #armchair #occassionalchair #colourlover #banthebiege
DAY 15 of #easywininteriors and I’m having a re DAY 15 of #easywininteriors  and I’m having a reshuffle on the bookcase to celebrate the happy Back To School vibes! 🙌 YES! This one is a work in progress because sorting your books as to the spine colour can be really meditative! I’m excited for you guys to share your colour coded bookcases using the hashtag #easywininteriors because I’ve seen some amazing examples on here! This idea can also include colour coding your ornaments or glassware collection too. Somehow grouping them in blocks  just intensifies the colour and I love the 🌈 effect. Happy faffing! 

#interiorinspo #interiorstyling #colourlover #banthebeige #faffthegaff #bookshelf #shelfie #shelfiestyling #rainbow #rainbowstyle #mycolourfulinterior #colourfulhomevibe
DAY 13 of #easywininteriors and Sundays here are o DAY 13 of #easywininteriors and Sundays here are often the day I get the house in order before the week starts again. It’s laundry day, the on-line shop gets done and if I can be bothered I might do some batch cooking. 💪 But the garden is also pulling our attention at this time of year and I spent yesterday picking up twigs that have littered the garden after the high winds and piled it all up for kindling. Satisfying! I’m not a naturally tidy or organised person  but I do feel like I’m winning at life once chores have been done and everything is in it’s place. And here lies the easy win. If you have systems in place it makes it so much easier! This shoe storage was game changing. Before the hall was littered with shoes and bags that I was always tripping over. So planning your storage and then using it is key to creating order and an element of calm. And once the storage is fit to bursting, it’s time to have a declutter. How do you keep the house feeling orderly and calm and do you use Sunday as a Sort It day too? #sortitsunday 

CREDITS walls in Lazuli and woodwork in Perfect white @zoffanyfw . Havana Bauta cement Tiles @claybrookstudio . Fabrics are vintage and @thestripescompany . Stair runner @roger_oates 

#easywininteriors #colourlover #banthebeige #hallwaydecor #hallway #interiorinspo #declutter #storageideas #shoestorage
DAY 12 of #easywininteriors and I’m back in the DAY 12 of #easywininteriors and I’m back in the bedroom and enjoying a well earned lie in this morning! My morning routine has been really important to me during lock down. In  his brilliant book ‘think like a monk’ @jayshetty talks about how a positive morning ritual sets you up for the day. Similarly a good night time ritual sets you up for a good nights sleep. Styling up your bedroom  to support these ideas really helps! I’ve taken to setting my wake up alarm an hour before the rest of the house so I can enjoy some quiet solitude before the day gets going. I make my coffee in my favourite mug and spend a while reading or exercising. But no phone scrolling! My bedside is laid out with everything I need including a big pile of books and a dish for my watch and specs. I charge my phone in the kitchen to keep it away from temptation! Admittedly I’ve never had a problem sleeping but I was hardly what you’d call a morning person. Now it’s my favourite time of the day! Have a gorgeous lazy weekend folks x

CREDITS wallpaper @mollymahonblockprinting bedside table is vintage. Lamp @pookylights Vases and dishes all vintage. Pillows and duvet @cocoandwolf Flat sheet and bedthrow @societyofwanderers 

#easywininteriors #bedroomdecor #countrybedroom #colourfiedhomes #colourstylehome #colourlover #banthebeige #patternclash #interiorstyling #interiordesign #interiorinspo #faffthegaff
DAY 11 of #easywininteriors and we are over half w DAY 11 of #easywininteriors and we are over half way there! Whoop whoop, March is  just nine short days away! And I can feel the Spring vibes! It’s getting lighter, the bluebells are coming and the birds are singing! But back to it, we’ve got work to do! Today I’m sharing how I switch my home from working day to home time, without leaving the house. It’s so important for our mental health that we can make that transition. I’ve worked from home for years so I’ve always done this, but I find it essential to tidy my desk/kitchen table at the end of everyday and get it out of sight. This often means piling up all my paper work, laptop, pen pot and putting it all into a tray. And if you don’t have a deep tray a cardboard box does the job. Then hide it in the cupboard, pop it on a shelf or slide it under the table. The key is that you can’t see it and it doesn’t encroach on your non-work life. Out of sight out of mind kind of thing. 
And you might notice in the back of this shot is my 2021 vision board. I keep this in my view everyday as it helps keep me focused, uplifted and motivated. Im hosting a live webinar next Tuesday on how and why I create vision boards for every aspect of my life, including my interiors. If you’d like to join me it’s 7pm 23/02/21 and I can promise a fun, creative and enlightening evening! Link to book is up in my bio if you fancy getting a boost of inspiration towards creating your dream home. 

Happy Friday and have a lovely weekend 😍

#workingfromhome #myhomeoffice #interiorstyling #visionboard #interiorinspo #interiorinspiration #homeoffice #creativeworkspace #colourlover #colourcolorlovers #banthebeige
DAY 9 of #easywininteriors and I’m going to make DAY 9 of #easywininteriors and I’m going to make it super easy after yesterday’s kitchen cupboard love, which I’ll be honest, felt a bit strenuous! So today is all about creating as simple but effective styling moment; a trio of vases. Three seems to be the magic number when it comes to styling your objects and I have a few tips . I like to make sure there is a mixture of sizes, colour and textures but all held together with a theme. These three work because they’re  all vintage, Picked up from various car boot sales over the years! You can create little trios all over your home from the sideboards, book shelves, worktops, bathrooms and side tables. Push the tall one to the back and bring the small one to the fore but it’s the lack of symmetry that makes it pleasing. And you don’t have to stop with just vases, a trio of objects works with picture frames, ornaments and candle sticks too. 

#easywininteriors #vintagestyle #howivintage #myvintagehome #interiorstyling #interiorstyle #interiorinspo #colourlover #banthebeige
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