Why we love bathrooms that feel like sitting rooms

Although the bathroom is one of the most used rooms in the house, it does have a tendency to be all function and no fun. Although it can be tempting to keep a bathroom pared-back with just the essential elements, the space has the potential to be furnished like any other room in the house and adding a mix of furniture and accessories will give it character. There are plenty of examples throughout the House & Garden canon of how soft furnishings, antiques, art and decorative lighting can achieve this – and you can find these at the bottom of this article. It’s practically de rigeur on our pages for designers to use wallpaper and panelling in bathrooms, to include antique storage and seating, to hang plenty of pictures on the walls, and to dress the room with beautiful blinds or even curtains. But before we get to those beautiful images, let three interior designers explain the design element which they find best takes a bathroom from soulless and sterile to characterful and comfortable.

Ben Pentreath on bathtubs

“I nearly didn’t have time to write about baths this evening, because – as usual – I was having a bath. I love a shower in the morning, but nothing beats a bath at night. There isn’t anything more relaxing before bed than lying in a hot bath, listening to Radio 4 (as long as it is not the news). I don’t think I could live in a house without a bath.

The golden rule of any bath is that it must be made of cast iron. Accept no substitute. Though cold to start with, the iron draws out the heat of the water and stores it, acting as its own radiator. Freestanding baths look beautiful, especially against panelling or in front of a window but are, in a sense, less practical than a built-in bath with a nice, easy-to-clean surround and plenty of places for the shampoo. No bath should ever be shaped like a slipper or an egg – those shapes should be reserved for slippers, or eggs.

In some projects, we are lucky enough to have original old cast-iron baths, or clients who want to buy them. For new, my normal specification is good old Aston Matthews, or Drummonds if something lavish and Edwardian-esque is required. Above all, go for as large a size as you can in the room available: a long, deep soak is the ultimate luxury.”

Jane Ormsby Gore on the controversial carpeted bathroom

“In the bathroom, carpet is very much out of fashion, but I absolutely love it. It brings warmth and comfort to the space, elevating a bathroom to a room in its own right. It’s also far more friendly on bare feet.

I put carpet into my bathroom 23 years ago and haven’t changed it since. It is stair carpet, which is hard-wearing, so isn’t marked by splashes from the bath or wet feet. If you want to use carpet but are anxious about getting water on it, I suggest placing the bath on a slab of slate, which you can then run the carpet around. However, water shouldn’t mark a well-made carpet – I recommend Gerratts Carpet Planners, who can source and supply anything you want. And as long as you’re careful with any bath oils you use and give the carpet a good vacuum regularly, there won’t be a problem with cleanliness.