Country kitchens and bathrooms

Many bathrooms or kitchens in traditional country homes have been converted from spare bedrooms, and often have enough space to allow a more imaginative layout than is possible in a modern bathroom. If they are retained, built-in cupboards, window seats, alcoves and other features of the original room add character. A smaller bathroom, built as an extension or squeezed into space partitioned from a large bedroom or landing, will need clever decoration to give it style.
Suitable reclaimed and reproduction fittings come in a variety of shapes, but if your aim is to create a bathroom that is visually embedded in its surroundings, choose only those that match the status of the building. Victorian or Edwardian sanitaryware, perhaps with floral decoration, is an appropriate choice for larger country houses, while in a modest country cottage simple fixtures in designs from the 1920s or 1930s would be more suitable. Barns and other converted farm buildings are, by definition, modern, but fixtures in plain shapes are a good match for their pared-down character.
The bath is the dominant feature of a country bathroom. A roll-top tub has the right vintage look and is impressive enough to stand in the centre of a large bathroom. In a smaller space, a standard bath placed along a wall and boxed in with tongue-and-groove panelling has a suitably nostalgic feel.
Ceramic tiles and painted wood are good choices for wall and floor coverings in a traditional setting. Plain white or cream rectangular wall tiles hung brick-fashion have a retro look, but square tiles taken to eye level and edged with a narrow black border or a patchwork of patterned Victorian tiles would also work well. Tiles and timber are also ideal for flooring. For a traditional look, create a chequered effect with black and white tiles or scrub the floorboards and leave them bare.