Modern monochrome look for new-build ensuite
With a love of monochrome and quirky design, when it came to decorating her ensuite last year, Dromore-based Steff Dillon had a clear idea of what she was looking for. It was only after visiting the Bathshack showroom on Boucher Road, however, that she decided exactly how she would achieve the look.
Having since completed her ensuite and enjoyed the use of it for the past number of months, we caught up with Steff to have a chat about her design choices and how the final décor came together.
The Palm Striped Hexagon Décor Tiles in Steff’s shower have an eye-catching monochrome look.
Striking starburst pattern for shower enclosure
The shower is the main focal point in Steff’s ensuite and has a striking contemporary look, featuring Bathshack’s Palm Striped Hexagon Decor White Porcelain Tile, which is paired with black grouting. The resulting monochrome effect with starburst pattern creates a dramatic aesthetic which immediately draws the eye when you enter the room – just as Steff intended.
With a white background, the Palm Striped Tiles have a geometric pattern of four black stripes which originate from a single point and then fan out over each tile. The tiles can subsequently be styled in a variety of ways to create different patterns, depending on how they’re laid. Along with the monochrome look, this instantly appealed to Steff and she knew they would be perfect for her shower enclosure.
“I first saw the tiles in the showroom and really loved them,” she said. “You can do so many things with those tiles – create so many patterns. When the tiler started laying them though, I panicked, as you were relying on someone else to get the design right. It took him about three days just to tile the shower because of the pattern. He got about halfway through and I couldn’t imagine it coming together. When I saw it finished with the black grouting, though, it was great.”
Steff has added pops of pink colour to her monochrome bathroom through accessories like towels and artwork.
While black, white and grey are Steff’s go-to colours when it comes to interior décor, she said that, in recent times, she’s started adding a pop of pink to her rooms. For instance, her living room has a hot-pink wall and she’s also introduced pink details into her ensuite, with pink towels and a large pink picture frame hung over the toilet.
“When I went into Bathshack’s Boucher showroom, I said I wanted all black and white for everything,” she said. “Originally, I looked at other colours but I thought if I wanted to sell the house again then I maybe couldn’t have bolder colours. So, I decided on black and white and then thought I could accessorise with pink.
“I had leafy wallpaper in the ensuite originally and I wanted to make the walls plain and without wallpaper, making the shower the centrepiece. That’s why I was looking for something funky for the shower tiles. I was looking online for ages before I went to the showroom. I kept changing my mind and then when I saw those tiles, I thought they were really cool and quite classic.”
Having arranged the shower tiles in a striking starburst pattern reminiscent of an Art Deco style, the overall look is indeed one with classic appeal. The darker walls subsequently contrast with the monochrome look of the shower, which also features Bathshack’s Eliseo Ricci Roda Bath-shower Mixer in Matt Black and has a contemporary style, with a separate handset and hose for added convenience. The shower kit is then the Eliseo Ricci Exclusiv Round Handle, Head and Mounted Bracket Riser Shower in Black from Bathshack, while the shower tray is the slate-grey Square Shower Tray and the door, Bathshack’s Nuie Pacific Pivot Shower Door in Black.
The Elsieo Ricci rainfall showerhead in Steff’s shower.
The shower tiles, meanwhile, are also used for a splash-back behind the basin, tying the whole look together. This Minimalist Thin-edge Basin is paired with the Nuie Arvan Basin Mixer and Waste in Matt Black – both from Bathshack – and has a modern aesthetic which is complemented by the noir lever-style mixer.
Floating vanity unit
Steff brought the natural look of wood into her bathroom with the Urbano Space-saver floating vanity unit.
The basin is inset into the Urbano Space-saver wall-mounted two-drawer vanity unit, from Bathshack, which has a willow-grey finish and two deep drawers for storage.
“I loved bringing the wood into the bathroom,” said Steff. “I didn’t want to go with a painted vanity because I thought it would be too much. I wanted character and the wall-mounted style also saves space. The storage is great too – in the bottom drawer I’ve got all my cleaning products and shampoos and then the top drawer has smaller toiletry items.”
Steff also chose matt black handles for the vanity, to continue with the monochrome theme and keep everything matching. She then opted for the Noir Hanging Halo Colour-changing LED Mirror in Black to hang above it. This round mirror features energy-efficient LED ambient lighting and has a black strap for hanging which matches the black frame surround of the mirror.
“The LED mirror is amazing – it’s unbelievable,” said Steff. “I have it on all the time and would very rarely put the main ensuite light on. When you’re having a shower it’s more relaxing as well, with the warm-white glow.”
The floating vanity is complemented by Bathshack’s Noir Hanging Halo Colour-changing LED Mirror.
Space-saving bathroom-ware
As the ensuite is a narrow room, using space-saving bathroom-ware like the floating vanity unit and the Linea Comfort-height Rimless Close-coupled Toilet and Soft-close Seat helps to maximise the use of space. With a hygienic rimless design, the Linea toilet also has the more convenient comfort-height style, while the close-coupled design makes cleaning easier, as the toilet is positioned flush against the wall.
A matt black heated wall-mounted towel rail is also placed to one side of the toilet, again saving on floor space and continuing the monochrome theme.
The final element of Steff’s ensuite is the flooring, which seamlessly brings the whole ensuite look together and creates a cohesive aesthetic with its grey patterned design. The tiles – Bathshack’s Trazos Graphite Matt Glazed Porcelain Wall and Floor Tile – have a square shape and include a mixture of lighter and darker grey tiles, each featuring a subtle geometric-inspired design. This complements the bolder design of the shower tiles, without detracting from their impact.
The floor tiles also have a modern satin finish, with a slight sheen and are rectified, the precise edges allowing the tiles to be laid closely together with minimal grout lines. As a result, this creates a more seamless look which also helps with the overall flow of the room’s interior design. The grey further complements the dark grey paint on the ensuite walls.
“I wanted to go for a dark tile on the floor, but also something kind of different,” said Steff. “There’s a very faint pattern but it’s all different shades of grey and gives a wee bit of ‘pop’ on the floor, helping everything flow together.”
The Linea Comfort-height Rimless Close-coupled Toilet and Trazos Graphite Matt Glazed Porcelain Tiles.
Simple and straightforward ordering process
More than happy with how her ensuite turned out, Steff added that the entire process with Bathshack was great from start to finish – from the initial visit to the showroom to receiving the products.
“It was good to be able to ask about what I needed,” she said. “Bathshack was very helpful and I was shown different options for products, going through all the pricing options as well. We went through everything I needed – there were things I wouldn’t have thought about, for example, not knowing that the toilet flush button could be ordered separately in a colour of your choice. The process was all very easy.
“I’m really happy with all the products and the whole process. Everything worked out amazingly and the ensuite is brilliant.”
Steff Dillon.
You can follow Steff on Instagram: @bewareofthehippy
If you’d like some help with choosing products for your bathroom or ensuite, 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.
