REAL LIFE
“Mounting bathroom furniture on the wall is more hygienic and gives the illusion of space”
Ceramic guaranteed the colours and veining of the feature front on the island
of full-height double doors opening out to the private terrace, which floods the interior with light and is great when entertaining outdoors and for air flow. Heating is via an electric radiator should we ever need it. The terrace has an electric
awning, providing some welcome shade from the hot Provencal sun – and also helps to keep that all-important glass of local rosé wine cool.
Wall-hung fittings and a walk-in shower (leſt) replaced the ensuite's bath (right) The remodelled mastersuite (leſt) is pure decadence; before the work (right)
MIDDLE GROUND The middle floor has two bedrooms and a shower room. One bedroom is used as a guest room and the other as a study, which also houses the utility cupboard. The washing machine and dryer are mounted one on top of the other and the household linen is all housed in a wall cupboard with sliding doors, which keeps everything neatly shut away. Fortunately, the floors are
concrete which keeps the noise levels down, plus we’ve mounted the washing machine and dryer on soundproof matting. In this cupboard we also have a hot water cylinder supplying water to the two shower rooms. The shower room was
The new stove can rotate 180 degrees (leſt); the previous open fire (right)
in winter. We replaced the fire with a stove that rotates through 180 degrees, which was very useful as the living area is to the left of the fire. We also took down the
dividing walls between the kitchen and living area to create an open-plan layout. The existing WC was moved to the right of the stairs, giving us more room for the kitchen. A storage cupboard under the stairs now houses the water softener and a small boiler.
HEART OF THE HOME We installed a new modern kitchen. Apart from the
practical layout of the room, there were certain design elements I wanted to incorporate such as the ‘feature’ front on the island. To guarantee the colours and veining, we used ceramic – using more natural products like marble or granite wouldn’t have allowed this. We also used ceramic for the kitchen worktops and splashbacks. The ground-floor WC is a
small space, but the addition of a large wall mirror with integrated lighting has opened out the area and given the illusion of space. The ground floor benefits from two sets
46 FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: March/April 2023
completely refitted in a contemporary style; it
originally had a corner shower with shower curtain, WC and floor-standing vanity cabinet, which made the room feel very cramped. Now it has a glass shower cubicle, wall-hung WC and vanity sink, with a storage unit below and a tall wall-hung storage cupboard. Mounting bathroom furniture on the wall wherever possible is more hygienic and gives the illusion of space.
TOP TIER The top floor is pure indulgence, devoted to the master suite with plenty of storage and dual-aspect windows. We’ve divided it into two areas: a comfortable bedroom and a tv/reading lounge or winter lounge – very decadent I know, but then why not! There’s a walk-in wardrobe with shelving, hanging space and a large drawer unit. The master ensuite was
previously fitted with a bath and overhead shower, WC and floor-standing vanity cabinet. The shower room was completely refitted with a large walk-in shower, wall-hung vanity sink with storage unit and tall storage cupboard. The refurbishment kept us
out of mischief and now it’s all finished, we’re so happy with our decision and are enjoying the fruits of our labour. ■
LORRAINE’S TOP TIPS FOR DESIGNING AND DECORATING A SMALL SPACE
Think about your space and architectural layout and decorate accordingly. For our townhouse, a contemporary style was the best solution.
Choose furnishings carefully; freestanding furniture in a small space could make it look cramped.
Small spaces benefit from well-thought-out lighting at different levels – i.e. floor, tabletop and ceiling.
When designing your kitchen, think about how many people you could be catering for on a normal day; if it's a three- bedroom house then I would allow for a minimum of six people.
Keep your colour palate to a minimum and introduce some texture instead.
In the current climate where prices are going up weekly, don’t delay making decisions – procrastinating could cost you money.
© LORRAINE GOBLE
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