at home with Sarah Beeny - August 2012 - (Page 108)

‘I doubled Victoria Hill, 33, and Will Ireland, 32, moved into their two-bed property in north London ﬁve years ago. But the bathroom let it down badly. ‘The enamel was peeling off the bottom of the bath, the taps didn’t match and mould was creeping around the walls, bath and ceiling,’ Victoria explains. ‘The ﬂoor tiles were cracked and the exposed pipes made it difﬁcult to clean in the nooks and crannies. It was horrid.’ Will only had two requirements – that the suite was white and toilet seat had to be soft-close. Everything else was left to Victoria to decide. ‘I wanted a clean and modern look with a square basin. I also wanted a light grey ﬂoor,’ she says. my space’ VICTORIA HILL TRANSFORMED HER MOULDY OLD BATHROOM INTO A SLEEK RETREAT, ADDING VITAL STORAGE AT THE SAME TIME… COST MATERIALS £819 BATH: £80 TOILET/CISTERN: £120 BATH SCREEN: £50 SHOWER MIXER: £70 TAPS: £200 SINK WITH UNIT: £299 WALL TILES: £238 FLOOR TILES: £160 ACCESSORIES £67.50 TOWELS, BATH MAT, SOAP DISPENSER, POTS, TOILET ROLL HOLDER AND BRUSH. LABOUR: £2,700 TOTAL: £3,994.50 Shopping around ‘I trawled eBay and bagged a real bargain with our designer-style toilet – it cost just £120. It came with a soft-close seat, concealed cistern and ﬂush button. We splashed out on the porcelain ﬂoor and marble mosaic tiles but used cheaper tiles for walls. ‘Supermarket websites were great for accessories and we turned Tesco Clubcard vouchers into Topps Tiles vouchers, saving £165! We love the result – it’s a real transformation.’ 1 2 3 4 5 KEEP IT SIMPLE The white, neutral colour doesn’t date, makes the room look bigger and the matt tiles don’t show up dirt like gloss tiles do. TILING THE BATH White tiles create a continuous line and the illusion of space. DO YOUR RESEARCH The modern-style toilet and soft-close seat and cistern were bought from eBay at a discounted price. The simple design makes it look contemporary and it’s very easy to clean. KEEP IT TIDY Under-sink storage with push-release hinge and concealed cistern produces a modern and streamlined feel. HIP TO BE SQUARE Modern sinks and taps incorporate the cubist and curved elements of the modern bathroom. BEFORE (From left to right) Wonky mosaic tiles, mis-matched bath taps and peeling enamel. White tiles are in need of re-grouting mould around seals and tiles. Exposed pipes and lack of storage were a right turn-o 108 | AUGUST 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of at home with Sarah Beeny - August 2012

EDITOR’S LETTER
WELCOME FROM SARAH
NEWS
AWESOME AUGUST
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
TABLE TALK
THE THRIFTY FIFTY
TRENDS ON TRIAL
BEENY UNCUT
ESSENTIAL HOME-BUYING GUIDE
SURVEY SAVVY
WHAT’S THE SCORE?
THE NEW FACE OF PROPERTY?
SELLER SECRETS
LOCATION LOCK-UP
SOAP AND GLORY
OPEN UP
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
TOP SHOP
THE BRIGHT STUFF
GET THE JUNGLE LOOK
WARDROBE WARS
A ONE OFF
MOSAIC MAGIC
GLASS ACT
TAKE TO THE FLOOR
FRAME GAME
IT’S A BLINDER
SNUG AS A BUG
BURNING QUESTION
THE A-TEAM
QUICK FIX
BEAT THE BUILDING BLUES
LET THERE BE LIGHT
GOING DOWN
GARDEN GREATS
DIRTY DEALINGS
ALIEN INVASION
JUMP RIGHT IN
LITTLE WONDER
OUT OF SIGHT
PROFESSOR GREEN
ECO EXCLUSIVE
TALKING TRASH
PRO PLANET PROJECTS
HELLO, SUNSHINE
CARBON-NEUTRAL COVER
STAR GLAZER
EARTH HOUR
HOT TOPIC
MASS REDUCTION
WASTE NOT
SWITCHED ON
ETHICAL INTERIORS
YOU LIVE WHERE?
COMING SOON
WINNING SPOT
LUXE LINEN
CATCH-UP
STOCKISTS

at home with Sarah Beeny - August 2012