When Petra Rebekova bought her home, the previous owners had done work in some rooms, but other areas hadn’t been touched. ‘The WC had been beautifully revamped with a heated towel rail, ivory brick tiles and dark wood plank vinyl flooring, but they hadn’t got round to the shower next door, which was terribly dated. This had an avocado shower tray and tiles, a wooden ceiling and shower curtain on an extendable pole that was always falling down!’ explains Petra. ‘I lived with it for a while and almost got used to the 1980s look, but when some tiles became loose and I discovered that the grout had failed and the partition wall was disintegrating I knew it was time to act!’ she exclaims. ‘The water leak had been going on for a while and the wall was rotten so I would need to either rebuild or remove it and it seemed obvious to take the wall out to make one bigger room. In doing so I could block up the existing shower door and use the WC door instead, this would then leave enough space for a new shower enclosure, as well as a basin by the window.’ Petra had the foresight when buying the house to ask the previous owners for a list of products they’d used in their renovations. ‘As they knew I was hoping to finish the house off, as well as notes on flooring and paint, they even gave me all the tiles they had bought for the shower but hadn’t got round to using so it would be easy for me to get the rooms looking as one,’ she smiles.
Local builders did the work in a matter of days, removing the wall and ripping out the dated shower, blocking up the doorway and replastering the ceiling. The plumbing was straightforward with a generous glass enclosure and dual headed shower fitted in no time. ‘I was apprehensive that the join would be obvious but I needn’t have worried. The half tiles that were at the end of the wall in the WC were carefully removed, and new tiles slotted in and added to stretch across the wall. I bought a pack of the same flooring and once this was laid too, I couldn’t see the join,’ smiles Petra. To add storage and style, free-standing dark grey units from Utopia were placed in the corners of the room – one with a neat basin and mirror to benefit from the light by the window, a second to store toiletries. ‘I’m so pleased with the room now and how you can’t tell where the old wall was – it’s perfect and I’ve even forgotten about the avocado!’
Photos Rachael Smith