FOR Steve Hills, hotel visits used to be bliss. Not for the mini- bar, room service or change of scenery... but because he could make a beeline for the bathroom.
Wherever he travelled it was almost always more luxurious and full of inspiration than the dull black and white suite he had at home.
Steve, 49, says: "I was always looking for ideas on how to improve our boring bathroom.
"With its plain walls and black and white floor tiles, my bathroom felt very stark. And as for the pink walls in the loo..."
He had only had the bathroom installed a couple of years ago, but already tiles around the shower had started to blow and lift from the floor.
He said: "I'd bought everything from a DIY store, who also did the installation. But they did such a bad job, I discovered that water had been leaking through the tiles for ages and soaking the floor. It was out of the guarantee period so that was it. I had to get a new bathroom."
Steve - a film-maker with his own company, Green TravelGuides.tv - went for an art deco look with added luxury, in keeping with the rest of his 1930s Hertfordshire house. And he wanted the wall-to- wall tiling he had admired in hotel bathrooms.
He fell in love with BC Sanitan's Highgrove collection, particularly the free-standing bath, a modern twist on a classic shape.
He says: "I could just imagine myself in that bath. It's made in the UK and I like to buy British. In the brochure it was shown with natural-coloured marble floor tiles. I decided to splash out but to reduce the expense I bought my tiles from The Tile Depot. I found similar ones, Applestone, and chose a classy rectangular shape to tie in with the elegant suite."
You don't get cold feet in hotel bathrooms, so Steve also bought underfloor heating from The Tile Depot. He went for the Dove Eco shower from Triton - which cuts water flow from 12 litres to 6 litres - and a Roca Fusion L2 enclosure.
Steve used the website Rated People to search for a qualified tradesman he could rely on.
He says: "Within 20 minutes of posting the ad I received a response. A local bathroom specialist, Lukasz Wisniewski, was round the same day and his quote was acceptable.
"Not only has he done a fantastic job but he was also very tidy and went the extra mile to make sure I was happy. I can't believe it's the same room, it feels so much warmer and altogether more beautiful. I have peace of mind knowing that the fitter I've used can be trusted.
"As for the bath, well I feel like a king relaxing in my tub. Now there's no need to go on holiday."
FLOOR Applestone 30.5x45.7cm matt tile in natural pounds 39.94 per pack of 6 (47 needed), Fila Stone Plus tile protector pounds 44.99, 10TD underfloor heating cable set pounds 269, all The Tile Depot (wwwthetile depot.co.uk, 08000 740720).
ACCESSORIES Bamboo collection: soap dish pounds 5, tumbler pounds 7.50, duck board pounds 29.50, bathroom scales pounds 9.50, all from Marks & Spencer (www.
marksandspencer.com, 0845 603 1603). Hydrea Honeycomb sponge pounds 9.99, Facial brush pounds 1.99, Nailbrush pounds 1.49, handmade soap pounds 2.99, loofa pounds 2.99, bath massager pounds 5.99, bamboo storage, from pounds 4.99 all Dunelm Mill (www.dunelm- mill.co.uk, 0845 165 6565). Grasses in a Small Planter pounds 39 Bloom (www.bloom.uk.com, 0844 482 2332). Hotel Collection towels in ivory from pounds 9.50, set of three nature votives in green, pounds 15, all from M&S (www.marksandspencer.com, 0845 603 1603).
FITTING pounds 4,500 by Lukasz Wisniewski, found through www.ratedpeople.co.uk.
SHOWER Sliding doors and built-in shelving niches are a clever design feature. Fusion L2 shower enclosure pounds 1,224, Roca (www.roca-uk.com, 01530 830080). Unichrome Dove Eco Mixer Shower pounds 130, Triton (www.tritonshowers.co.uk, 0844 980 0750).
BATH Caddy and bath bridge keep accessories handy. Bamboo four- tier caddy pounds 44.95 Howards Storage World (www.howardsstorageworld.co.uk, 01506 530366). Bath bridge pounds 25, M&S.
From this..
.. ..to this Highgrove freestanding bath pounds 1,450, bath/ shower mixer and floor-mounting legs pounds 545, 610mm basin and pedestal pounds 340, three-tap hole basin mixer pounds 210, towel ring pounds 55. Matching toilet, cistern and seat available from pounds 655. All BC Sanitan (www.bcsanitan.co.uk, 01782 717175).
Author: ANDREE FRIEZE
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