UK Bathrooms Design Awards Winner 2020
The winning space of the inaugural UK Bathroom Design Awards has been crowned, a bold room designed to stand the test of time and passing trends, made up of monochrome tiles, tactile surfaces and, perhaps the year’s biggest bathroom trend, statement black brassware.
The space is one of the first rooms completed in the new home of textile designer Sian O’Doherty in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, which is being built so the family can live alongside to the herd of alpacas that contribute their wool to Sian’s sustainable modern knitwear business. Sian is an award-winning textile artist and designer creating beautiful and unique, ethically produced colourful fashion pieces, homeware and accessories with a modern Welsh twist.
Sian, her husband Mike, and three-and-a-half-year-old Ava have been living in a one room static caravan for two years while they wait for the house to be finished and baby number two to arrive in January. ‘The new bathroom is just amazing – especially after having had such a tiny shower for so long!’ Sian tells us. ‘I wanted it to be simple, timeless and practical, but also to have a designer edge.’
Large format white tiles meet a tactile slate floor and are finished with slick black brassware and accessories. ‘We kept things as simple as possible, with clean lines, and a monochrome palette – I was mindful of creating a space we could live with for a long time’ Sian explains.
The combination of longevity and effortless industrial style is what drew the judges to the space. ‘I love natural materials, and the slate floor is a wonderful contrast to the slick white walls,’ Sian says. ‘I paired it right back because I wanted it to last, but we pushed the boat out with the large shower head to make a modern statement and give it an industrial edge’
While the space looks beautiful, it’s based on the requirements of real life. ‘I chose each element to be as practical and easy to clean as possible,’ Sian explains ‘I kept referring back to what we needed as a family’. Thus, larger tiles mean less grouting, grout is grey for quick maintenance and surfaces are matt to show fewer small finger prints.
‘Pretty much everything came from UK Bathrooms which I hadn’t planned but just made sense – they guided me to good models in the price range I could go for, and because I bought so much, delivery was free,’ says Sian. ‘UK Bathrooms just made life more manageable, such as making sure I had the things that you don’t think about, like water traps and plugs. The bathroom includes luxury brands such as Crosswater and VitrA, and it was so easy getting them from one place.’
‘The bathroom is exactly what I was hoping for; clean lines, open space, and practicality; I take great pleasure in using it and will do for years to come’ says Sian, who won £500 worth of Love2Shop vouchers gifted by VitrA Bathrooms. ‘I’m absolutely thrilled to have won the UK Bathrooms Design Awards, and it’s been a massive help with finishing off our new home.’