Best bathroom design ideas UK: Evening Standard Home Design Awards 2019 winning bathroom projects revealed

Entries flooded in for the first Evening Standard Home Design Awards, given in five categories of Living room, Bedroom, Kitchen, Bathroom and Garden, for the best designs of the past 12 months.

There are two winners in each category: a reader homeowner and a professional, whether architect, interior designer or key influencer.

The expert judges set about their task at Sketch London restaurant in Conduit Street, Mayfair. Here are the two bathrooms they chose.

Siobhan Burke, non-professional category winner

Londoners Siobhan and Joe Burke have completely renovated their Sixties ex-council end-of-terrace house with a flat roof and three good-sized bedrooms in Leyton: “We stripped everything out and started again.”

Originally this bathroom was “particularly awful” with no windows, textured wallpaper painted bright yellow, old carpet and a separate loo. The house was completely replumbed and the two rooms knocked into one, with an added opening rooflight making it “airy, bright and relaxing”. Affordable black taps and fittings were tracked down online. “I love plants,” says Siobhan, “and they thrive in this light and steamy space.”

Sourcing: Farrow & Ball paint in Downpipe; loo from Mode Bathrooms; bath and bath taps from Soak; basin from Victoria Plum; sink tap from Lusso Stone; tiles from Johnson Tiles; bath bridge by Sainsbury’s Home; pom-pom bathmat from Matalan; mirror found on eBay.

What the judges said: “Small budget, big impact”; “Some very serious shopping around”; Perfect place for plants.”

Siobhan's tips: “Get inspiration from hotel and spa bathrooms. Shop around suppliers — not everything needs to match. Try to work around pipes and drainage to save money. Make sure all tiles are matched accurately.”

Dominic McKenzie, professional category winner

A sleek, chic bathroom wins the professional award for bathrooms for Dominic McKenzie who heads an award-winning architectural practice in north London. The project renovated and extended a ground-floor flat in a Victorian house in Hampstead.

Using a steel framework, two bathrooms were fitted between two bedrooms. “We treated this bathroom more like a spa,” says Dominic. “It is stripped down to bare essentials with sensual materials and careful lighting.” Walls are water-resistant polished grey plaster. Dimmable LED lighting runs along a ceiling recess. Fittings are top quality, with “jewel-like brass taps”.

Sourcing: Link wall-hung loo, Flaminia; Quattro.Zero basin from Falper; Venø compact bath from Copenhagen Bath.

What the judges said: “Seems to float in space, thanks to recessed lighting and dark floor”; “Brass taps are so much warmer than chrome”; “Mirrored cupboards create a clever space illusion.”

Dominic’s tip: “Think beyond the purely functional, in a more poetic, sensual way.”

What they've won

The prizes were luxury hotel-style bed linen from Tielle Love Luxury, worth £550; a sleek Bose Home Speaker 500, worth £400, and a £50 voucher to spend in the Lecture Room and Library, Sketch London’s luxurious two Michelin-star dining room.

On the panel

Janice Morley, editor of Homes & Property; Dan Hopwood, past president of the British Institute of Interior Design; and design writer Barbara Chandler.

Then there was design journalist and author of Mad About The House, Kate Watson-Smyth and interior designer and TV presenter Sophie Robinson, both with an impressive number of Instagram followers.

Also on the team were style-savvy Marianne Shillingford, creative director of Dulux, Kristy Gray, digital editor of Homes & Property, and Laura O’Connell, product manager at Thomas Sanderson.