Dramatic dark décor takes centre-stage in Bangor renovation

With a flair for interior design and currently on their third renovation project in recent years, Jacqueline and Darren know a thing or two about what works well in home décor. Meanwhile, with three bathrooms in their latest house in Bangor, they also have plenty of experience when it comes to creating the perfect relaxing spaces.

Indeed, with two ensuites and a main family bathroom to fit out, they chose to source all their furniture and fittings from Bathshack, so we caught up with Jacqueline to find out about her inspiration for the designs …

Modern noir theme for trio of bathrooms

The first thing to note about the couple’s latest renovation project is the fact that, unlike the two which came before, this house is the first to fully reflect their personal interior design preferences. Indeed, Jacqueline said the other two properties were very much designed with someone else in mind, as she and Darren completed the work with the intention of selling them, before moving on to the next project.

Jacqueline’s home décor combines darker tones with pops of colour.

“The styles and colours we’ve used here have changed a lot from the last two houses,” she said. “With the last house, it had a more neutral look, with just the odd splash of colour. However, we did still incorporate lots of fixed features that we loved, like the open-tread stairs which we’ve included in our current home.”

“I love to experiment with designs and colour, so with this house I was a little bolder with my choices, knowing this would be our home for a lot longer than the previous two. I really wanted to put our own stamp on it.”

With this in mind, when it came to deciding a colour palette for their new home, Jacqueline was determined from the outset that the main feature would be a black accent colour running throughout the house.

Despite that, however, the first item she chose for their ensuite was, in fact, rose-pink tiles …

Spacious double vanity area in main ensuite

“I knew I wanted black throughout the house,” said Jacqueline. “We’ve done all our doors and doorframes in black and there’s black in the kitchen, so we wanted that theme throughout. Even with the ensuite, with the rose-pink tiles, we still wanted black in there somewhere, so we have it with the vanity trims. I love those sinks!”

The two vanity units – both Bathshack’s Croft Wall-mounted Unit and Basin in Wood-effect – include inset rectangular basins and have a light wood-effect finish which gives them a natural, organic look. The black drawer handles and matching black trim along the edges of the unit, including the floating shelf underneath, add a contemporary style and, of course, tie in neatly with Jacqueline and Darren’s black theme. They also chose Bathshack’s single lever-style Eliseo Ricci Exclusiv Mono Basin Mixer in Black for the basin, which continues the black aesthetic and completes the vanity unit look.

The Eliseo Ricci Exclusiv Mono Basin Mixer in Black.

Above each vanity there are also two large round mirrors – Bathshack’s Hudson Reed Round Illuminated Mirror in Black – which incorporates energy-efficient LED lighting, a stylish matt black frame and a decorative black strap for hanging them. Each mirror also features an in-built demister pad to keep the glass clear while showering or bathing.

The Croft Wall-mounted Units and Basins in Wood-effect, along with the Hudson Reed Round Illuminated Mirrors.

“I love the vanity space with the double sink,” said Jacqueline. “We had something similar in our last house. It was also a double sink, but because we had the space here to do the two individual ones, we went with that. It looks really luxurious. I wanted the two separate mirrors hanging above it rather than one big, long mirror, so it would be two separate areas.

The Hudson Reed Framed Wet Room Screen in black with matching shower tray in the ensuite.

“I wanted the ensuite to look more spacious. Although it’s quite a large ensuite, I just love that feeling of space on the floor. It just makes it feel more luxurious and open, so I went with the wall-hung furniture throughout the three bathrooms. I love that look and I don’t like anything that extends straight down to the floor.”

She added that, after choosing the tiling, it was “really looking at what matched in with that” and finding inspiration from online sources such as Pinterest and Instagram.

“I would be quite creative and arty but besides that, it’s just me searching the internet for ideas and seeing what styles I like,” she said. “I started out with the pink tiles for the ensuite and went from there.

“I did have to do some convincing Darren about the pink tiles, but I brought in the industrial-style sinks with the vanity units and the black so it didn’t look feminine and he loves it.”

The shower tiling contrasts with the pink around the vanity, using the same style but this time in white, with the recess shelf then in the same pink as the vanity tiles. The floor is also white, though this time in smaller hexagonal-shaped tiles, which adds texture and further visual interest to the space. (Bathshack has similar hexagonal tiles here).

The shower enclosure, meanwhile, is black-framed and is Bathshack’s Hudson Reed Framed Wet Room Screen, complemented by a slate shower tray. The shower kit is then Bathshack’s Black Triple Thermostatic Concealed Mixer Shower Kit with Ceiling Mounted Showerhead and Slide Rail Kit, which has a modern black matt finish and squared handle and showerhead design.

The ensuite further features a black wall-mounted towel rail – the Lazzarini Silea Straight Heated Towel Rail in Matt Black – along with Bathshack’s Ari Design Monaco Close-coupled Fully Shrouded Toilet and Slim Soft-close Seat, which has a sleek, minimalist design.

Moody vibes with brass accents in main bathroom

When it came to styling the main family bathroom in the house, Jacqueline’s dark and moody colour palette was given full rein, with large-format black tiles on the floor and continuing up the wall behind the bath. These are subsequently paired with dark green paint on the walls and ceilings, along with dark bathroom-ware and a deep green gloss shower tile. The darker tones are, however, interspersed with the brightness of brushed brass, which adds a touch of opulence as well as acting as an accent colour in the room.

“Again, it was the tiles I started with here,” said Jacqueline. “I loved the dark green. Because I was going bright in the ensuite, I wanted to go really dark and moody in the main bathroom. I knew I wanted to bring the brass in to give it a bit of brightness, so I added that with the taps and included it in the trims and around the window.

“It all came together brilliantly. I love the little burst of brass throughout, as it really pops against the green. I think the round brass mirror against the green tiles really finishes that space, along with the floorstanding tap over the bath. It’s all exactly as I had envisaged it.”

A central feature in the main bathroom is the freestanding bathtub – Bathshack’s Viktor Benson Arabica Freestanding Bath in Black. This eye-catching bath has a dramatic black gloss finish with a contrasting white interior, along with soft organic curves to give it a thoroughly modern aesthetic. Paired with Bathshack’s Eliseo Ricci Vesu Floorstanding Bath-shower Mixer in Brushed Brass, the result is a luxurious look reminiscent of a spa or boutique hotel.

The Viktor Benson Arabica Freestanding Bath in Black is a focal point in the main bathroom.

Bathshack’s Brushed Brass Round Frame Mirror with Colour-change.

The main bathroom shower features Bathshack’s Kiimat Aqua Wet Room Panels in Brushed Brass, along with the Black Twin Thermostatic Concealed Mixer Shower Kit.

The black ceiling-mounted showerhead has a modern square design.

Classic monochrome look in second ensuite

With a second ensuite situated just off another bedroom, this features a similar look to the master ensuite. This time, however, a terrazzo tile with splashes of colour is used alongside a matching noir mirror and tap – Bathshack’s Hudson Reed LED Mirror and Eliseo Ricci Roda Mono Basin Mixer and Waste in Matt Black. These are contrasted with a dove-grey Josef Martin vanity unit with push-close double drawers for storage and a white inset basin (a similar design is Bathshack’s Josef Martin Roma Wall-mounted One-drawer Vanity Unit and Traditional Basin).

The roomy shower enclosure in this ensuite again features a slate tray, while the door is Bathshack’s stylish Nuie Pacific Sliding Shower Door in Black, which features a matching black T-bar handle, 6mm toughened safety glass and thick black frame. The shower kit itself, meanwhile, is the Black Triple Thermostatic Concealed Mixer Shower Kit with Ceiling Mounted Showerhead and Slide Rail Kit, which has a contemporary style with square handles and showerhead design.

The second ensuite includes a Nuie Pacific Sliding Shower in Black from Bathshack, along with a matt black Triple Thermostatic Concealed Mixer Shower Kit with Ceiling-mounted Showerhead and Slide Rail Kit.

The Josef Martin vanity unit from Bathshack and black-framed Hudson Reed LED Mirror in the second ensuite.

Bright textiles and art add pops of colour to interiors

The rest of the house subsequently combines more neutral-themed walls and ceilings downstairs with a large-format herringbone wooden floor downstairs which runs across the hallway and into the open plan kitchen/dining/living area. This is contrasted, however, by the bold black tones of the kitchen cabinetry, with pops of bright colours then brought in via soft furnishings and artwork on the walls.

“We moved in four months ago and it’s by no means finished downstairs,” said Jacqueline. “We still have a lot to do but to have the bedrooms and bathroom/ensuites all completed is great, as they’re the real personal spaces.”

Jacqueline’s kitchen has striking black cabinetry which contrasts with the neutral walls and floor.

In terms of her experience with Bathshack, she said it was a great help to have so many products to choose from, particularly as they needed to purchase items for three bathrooms.

“There’s a lot of variety,” she said. “I did search and price around, but I found that Bathshack had really competitive prices – they had what we wanted and at the best price. Jordan at clearance was also great in helping us source some things as well.

“I even got a follow-up phone call and messages from Bathshack to check that I’d got everything sorted, so the customer service was great.”

As for her knack for pulling interior designs together, Jacqueline said: “It’s tough at times, especially when choosing the big things like the bathrooms, tiles and kitchen, as that’s your starting point to work round and with those sorts of things you really don’t want to get it wrong. It’s even harder if you have a strict budget to stick to but if you put enough research in, you can do it.”

Jacqueline’s top tips for home renovators:

• “If doing a large renovation and not living on-site like us, visit the site regularly. I made some changes like adding curved walls which made a huge impact on the design.”
• “Research is key for choosing large fixtures like kitchens and bathrooms. Scroll the internet (a lot), go round showrooms and view prior to making those big decisions. Pin or screenshot your favourite designs and make a mood board, as this will help to narrow it down.”
• “Don’t rush into trying to get the décor finished. Live in it for a while and get a feel for things.”

The living area features bright pops of colour and artwork to counter the darker cabinetry and décor elsewhere.

You can follow Jacqueline on Instagram at @jax_reno_no3

If you’d like some help with choosing bathroom-ware or tiling for your home, just email our team at info@bathshack.com or call us on (028) 9077 0188. Alternatively, our online chat is also available if you have any queries – or visit bathshack.com for inspiration.