Grove’s design bridges eras and styles, balancing Drummonds’ timeless brassware with bespoke detailing inspired by English and Japanese traditions. “There are many beautiful churches and chapels in the Cotswolds countryside, and the doorway and porch details I find very engaging, like lace work made from stone,” says Grove. “Kate enjoys the Japanese practice of ikebana, working with seasonal flowers, blossoms, leaves and stems placed in simple arrangements. Tokonoma is a recessed decorative alcove designed to display art, ceramics, scrolls and ikebana – I think there is some fusion here in the way the vanity unit evolved, blending these elements. Kate often doodles a very simple flower with petals, and this is the inspiration for the mythical floral motifs on the pillars.”
Choose materials that age beautifully
Photo: Natalie Dinham
Grove and Moss selected unlacquered brass fittings from Drummonds for its ability to develop patina. “Kate was very specific with the choice of unlacquered brass because she enjoys the way it changes over time, reminiscent of old country houses that have been around a while and stood the test of time,” says Grove. “Patina is very important. Patina to me means ‘signs of life’ and pieces imbued with fingerprints, like footprints in the sand.”
Turn lighting into an art form
Lighting in Moss’s bathroom is not merely functional. It is layered to create specific moods and atmosphere. “As a room used at all times of day for practical activities as well as relaxation practices, these all require different light,” explains Grove. “In this setting, we have decorative fittings, ‘the jewellery’, which is more about the materiality and look as opposed to the light it offers, like earrings. Then the architectural task lighting.” For that, they worked with lighting design studio Brightbox. “They created a simple stone wall light for the steam room and worked on discreet switching for the vanity mirror for the times one requires sharp focus.”
Photo: Natalie Dinham
Make the ceiling count
Treat the ceiling as part of the bathroom design story. A polished or textured finish can completely transform the feeling of the space. “The ceiling – the 5th wall – is the same polished plaster as the walls and cupboard doors,” says Grove of Moss’s bathroom. “It felt essential when slipping down into the deep Drummonds roll-topped bath to have a considered ceiling finish to gaze at.”
Weave in something unique and sentimental
Photo: Natalie Dinham
Despite its luxury notes, Moss’s bathroom remains deeply personal, thanks in no small part to its window dressing, made from vintage wedding saris, a gift from a friend from India 20 years ago. “These drapes were kept from Kate’s previous home and can be seen full-length in the de Gournay wallpaper ‘Anemones in Light’ pictures from their wallpaper collaboration. They’ve been reworked for here, and we reworked a few other fabrics from her previous home. Little touches of previously loved create a familiar thread.”
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