Mixing traditional with modern bathroom design (photos)

[peranaka]

We're having a new bathroom fitted, and I'd like to mix and match traditional and modern designs. It's an Edwardian house with lots of original features, and we've always had traditional-looking bathrooms in the past, but I'm a bit tired of the massive shower heads that are hard to clean.

I've decided to go for minimalist-looking overhead shower and handheld, but traditional-looking valve. The toilet will be traditional, but close coupled. See photos. Do these mix well together? Or just go for a more minimalist valve too?

Also, our plumber has recommended a tapless bath. Water will come out of the overflow. Has anyone got this? Are there any issues with this? Will be easier to clean! (Live in a hard water area, limescale everywhere)

Thank you!

@Blossomtoes do you straddle the toilet?

[quote girlmom21]@Blossomtoes do you straddle the toilet? [/quote]
Of course not. Neither do I sit on it with my legs clamped together. I’ve never seen a loo jammed up in a corner like that.

lol re straddle! That's what I wondered too. PP, please clarify, I'm very intrigued.

What I don't understand is when you have the sink behind the toilet, in one unit. How do you use that sink? Do you straddle the toilet?

Bloody hell how big is that bath to get more than 2 people in there! 😂😂

Ha ha. Very small people obviously. Our bathroom is tiny.

If it's not too late, I'd consider changing the handheld shower you've picked to one like TheDove's.

Unless you wash your hair every time you're in the shower, having a rainforest had and a pencil/wand is a bit annoying. It's difficult to have a nice shower without getting your hair wet.

Actually I also wasn’t sure about that toilet and thought it must not be plumbed in.

Op, I think you can mix and match but for some reason the ones you’ve picked jist don’t work it would be jarring. I think th issue is the toilet is so old fashioned and the fittings very mass market current it just doesn’t work,

The toilet isn't that old fashioned is it? It's not like one of those Thomas crapper (?) style ones at least 😀

Presumably you are doing this for you and your family, so have what you want and what suits you! I honestly can't imagine ever walking into a bathroom and thinking, hmmm, that shower looks too modern to go with that toilet. As long as it's all clean, smart, functional, nice tiles, flooring etc, I wouldn't give it a second thought.

I do however hate to see toilets jammed up against a side wall as in TheDove's photo (sorry!). Whenever I see a toilet like that when I'm looking at Rightmove it puts me right off the house.

@Mananna

I do however hate to see toilets jammed up against a side wall as in TheDove's photo (sorry!). Whenever I see a toilet like that when I'm looking at Rightmove it puts me right off the house.

Me too. My first thought would be “I wonder how difficult and how much it would cost to move that loo?”

@Yellownotblue

I’m a big fan of mixing old and new, I think the best designs have a mix of antiques and modern pieces. However, these items just don’t go together, sorry. The shower valves clash with the shower head and handheld. The toilet clashes with all of them - the flush isn’t the same shape as the valve handles.

If you want to introduce period elements in a modern bathroom, consider using encaustic tiles which can marry well with modern decors. Alternatively, have a wash basin mounted on an Edwardian wash stand, they can look very chic.

Also consider the lighting fixtures, this can be a way to introduce period touches.

I love this sort of mix too.

I always use metro tiles in my bathrooms too because I hate picking tiles and they go with any style.

I like the old and new style too OP, it's just a matter of taste but I think what you've chosen sounds nice. I've got a very similar toilet with a traditional vanity and sink style, old style floor types but modern wall tiles and an Art Deco mirror - massive clash of periods but I think the best bit of interior design is having what you want, not what everyone else has got.

Couple of pics, can't see the toilet in the one but only toilet pic I have is before the walls were painted. You get the gist

@ThePennyJustDropped I love it! Especially the pink vanity unit. Where's it from please?

@peranaka it's from Ellis bathrooms and was about 3 x more than I wanted to spend so I vetoed it initially. But then never found anything else that came even close to it so after months of searching I decided to blow the budget.

@ThePennyJustDropped

I like the old and new style too OP, it's just a matter of taste but I think what you've chosen sounds nice. I've got a very similar toilet with a traditional vanity and sink style, old style floor types but modern wall tiles and an Art Deco mirror - massive clash of periods but I think the best bit of interior design is having what you want, not what everyone else has got.

Couple of pics, can't see the toilet in the one but only toilet pic I have is before the walls were painted. You get the gist

I love that 🥰

Mine should look similar once the mirror is up and shower cubicle done next week! I'm so excited to see it finished.

@Mananna

I do however hate to see toilets jammed up against a side wall as in TheDove's photo (sorry!). Whenever I see a toilet like that when I'm looking at Rightmove it puts me right off the house.

To be fair it's annoying me already!

Not that I feel I need to excuse myself but we are hampered by lack of space. I desperately needed a bigger shower as I can't stand unaided and need a seat and we couldn't fit one in the old cubicle so loo had to be shifted up to take account of that and the new rails.

@Blossomtoes I really wanted to reply and say it's ok I've only got one leg 😂

But no I have little legs lol so it's fine. DH isn't keen but there's another 2 toilets in the house for him to choose from. This is our only accessible one.

Lol @Yellownotblue ! No, just a bit more comfortable than a bucket 😂 The gothic element is the design on the pan and cistern 😉

Here's a couple of pics from when it was just finished back in 2020... before it became filled with all our clutter!

I love mixing old with new too, and on reflection I think it's the slightly art deco look of that toilet in the first post I'm not keen on. I'm really not a fan of art deco, but that's just my personal taste! If you love it, that's all that matters 😃

Just spotted that the tiling around the fireplace wasn't finished in that pic 🙄

I love that! Very unusual to have a fireplace in the bathroom but why not.

I know what you mean re toilet. I'd rather the cistern was flat across rather than recessed in the middle, but I can't find one like that but with still black seat and porcelain lever. The recessed look is definitely Edwardian though.

@Hebeee love your floor tiles. Stunning.

Thanks both 😊

The fireplace is there because it was once a bedroom (the building - a small mill - was converted to a house complete with Victorian features 150 years ago and only had outside facilities back then!) and the previous owners to us put a stud wall through the chimney breast just to one side of the fireplace, dividing the space into a windowless shower room and large landing area with garden view.

Having downsized from a house where the main bathroom had a window looking out over the lovely garden, that was never going to work for us. So we removed the stud wall, created a narrower hallway and swapped the bathroom to the side with a window 😉

I love your vanity! Where is it from, please? And did you find a basin with an overflow?