There’s something quietly exciting about seeing how interior designers decorate their own homes.
It’s a glimpse into their most honest design opinions, the looks they trust will not go out of style. Learning how their style operates with no brief and no one to impress but themself. How does it differ from the homes they design for clients, and what remains consistent?
Well, in the case of interior designer Emily Rickard, we’ve got a glimpse through her recently completed small bathroom renovation. Warm tones, rich textures, and natural materials are omnipresent, as is her subtle, refined approach to color, always working with softly diffused shades that wash the space with warmth.
In her home, she embraces sustainable materials, too, combining them with luxurious finishes for a zen, spa-like space.
Raised in various parts of the UK and having lived in Australia for ten years followed by six in Brooklyn, Emily now calls Bristol home. She travels between the UK and the US each year for commercial styling projects and residential design projects. Having travelled extensively throughout Europe, America and South East Asia, she loves to draw from of all of the world’s breathtaking little corners, weaving them into her daily work when creating interiors, images and sets to inspire. Working with light, colour and texture and writing about design, decoration, and creating delicious spaces are her passion. Her design studio, Emily Rickard Design, is based in Bristol, However, design clients reach as far as London, Scotland, New York and beyond.
The Inspiration
By layering up different textures, Emily managed to make this monochromatic space feel filled with depth.
(Image credit: Oliver Perrott Photography. Design: Emily Rickard)
With warm, pink tones, supple textures, and the soft glow of diffused lighting, this bathroom evokes the feeling of a sunny holiday haze. Like stepping back into your hotel after a full day at the beach, fuzzy eyes not yet adjusted to being indoors, salty skin, and sun-soaked hair.
It makes sense, then, that the blissful Balearic Islands provided the basis for this bathroom’s final look. “The main inspiration for this design came from my love of Mallorcan and Ibizan color palettes, combined with Moroccan textures. I love the way spaces in the Balearic islands feel when I step into them,” explains interior designer Emily Rickard.
The combination of soft, sandy colors and green leaves flowing over the shelf above the shower helps to create this comfortable Mediterranean feel. There’s a laidback elegance to the space. Simultaneously luxurious and inviting, free from any of the stuffiness you may expect in spa-inspired bathrooms.
Designing this space was as much about evoking a feeling as it was about achieving a specific design style.
Emily explains, “I wanted to create the atmosphere of a calm, zen space – almost spa-like. As if you have stepped out of Bristol and into a boutique spa hotel.”
The key players in achieving this? Light, and lots of it. “There was no window in the room previously, and I went into the loft to add a rooflight… natural light and air are a must for me in all bathrooms,” Emily says.
The Design
Emily says, “Using several different tiles and creating a custom-sized shower space with two levels can be a challenge! A little bit of thought, time, and patience is what’s needed. But we all got through it in the end and the results are marvellous!”
(Image credit: Oliver Perrott Photography. Design: Emily Rickard)
When you choose to work in a monochromatic color palette, it can feel like a challenge to ensure your space doesn’t feel flat or one-note. But, clearly, Emily had figured out how to overcome that challenge. By layering different textures, finishes, and materials, this small space manages to deliver a mighty impact.
Perhaps this is most noticeable in the petite shower, where mottled bejmat tiles are paired with smooth, marble squares, the two materials united in their shared warm, pink tones. Emily explains the design choice, saying, “I love the idea of being bold and mixing materials and LOVE the combination of having the texture of a bejmat tile with the luxury of the marble.”
While mixing marbles became a popular design style over the past year, this take on the trend offers a more supple, textural look. Separating the tiles by function, with the bejmat for the shower walls and marble for the shower seat, adds another layer to this look, making it an even more effective design choice.
Typically, when we envision luxurious, spa bathrooms, a huge freestanding tub is practically a given. However, in this small space, a tub wasn’t on the cards. But this didn’t stop Emily from achieving her vision. Instead, she shows just how luxurious a shower can be.
“This room isn’t big enough for a bath, and so I wanted to create a shower with that extra bit of luxury in it. A bench in the shower not only looks fabulous but is a useful addition to the space,” she explains. A built-in shower bench is one of those wonderful design moments where function and visual appeal are present in equal measure, and this marble-clad version is a perfect example of just how beautiful they can look.
But a luxury shower was not the only space-saving solution Emily had to lean on in designing this space. “I re-used the shelves above the toilet that were previously enclosed with an MDF door and were a bit of an eyesore. The reclaimed chest of drawers I sourced online has ample storage under the basin,” she says.
The Materials
Gold brassware adds another level of luxury to this design.
(Image credit: Oliver Perrott Photography. Design: Emily Rickard)
It’s not just the beauty of this space that makes it so inspiring, though. Emily purposefully sought out ways to make this bathroom renovation as planet-friendly and sustainable as possible, embracing second-hand, vintage, and reused pieces.
“Sustainability is really important to me, and so re-using as much as I could, such as the existing shelving, the reclaimed vanity, and vintage art meant I wasn’t buying everything new,” she explains. These pieces are exactly what create that laid-back, quiet luxury feel in this bathroom. Combining vintage pieces with modern finishes helps to create a balanced, inviting feel, which is only enhanced by the warm tones used in this space.
While items like the vintage dresser, which the sink balances upon, and the gorgeous artwork bring personality and character to the space, it’s the materials used beneath these additions that build up the general vibe of this bathroom. Layering different types of tiles, with slight tonal variations, makes for a richly textured canvas to build upon.
And this commitment to sustainability was just as present in the materials she worked with. She explains, “I also used water-based low VOC paint from Lick and chose handmade natural tiles from Bert & May.” And it’s these tiles that undoubtedly act as the stars of this bathroom’s design.
“I used a mix of three types of bathroom tile. Marble, bejmat, and encaustic, all from Bert & May, I loved the idea of mixing different patterns and textures and wanted to create a space that felt high-end, yet relatable and completely unique,” says Emily.
You may imagine that this reliance on the cool, hard texture of tiles would result in a less cozy space, but you’d be wrong. “I also wanted to bring in elements of wood and brass, to add warmth. The KAST concrete basin is a fun addition, and I went for a neutral color to enhance the spa-like design,” says Emily.
It’s these finishing touches that give the bathroom the cozy, yet luxurious feeling Emily aimed to achieve. Texture, light, and warmth, all in perfect harmony.
Feel Inspired By This Home
Bert & May
Marrakesh Hessian Bejmat
Handmade in Morocco using traditional methods, these tiles have a unique, raw finish thanks to their textured surface.
bertandmay
Rose Pink Square Honed Marble
With tones of terracotta, gold, and pale pink, this delicate marble is an upgraded neutral.
bertandmay
Luna Garnet Tile
Patterned encaustic cement tiles bring some personality to the floors of this bathroom.
Pink 02 is a pale peachy shade, with undertones of yellow and grey, making for a soothing, relaxing tone.
This beautiful hanging plant is the perfect way to bring that soft, biophilic look to your bathroom.
Plant in a Box
Eucalyptus Baby Blue
An essential addition to any spa bathroom, eucalyptus doesn’t just look lovely; it also helps scent your room with its relaxing aroma.
There’s something special about interiors that instantly gives you that holiday feeling, and that’s exactly what this bathroom manages to capture. But there’s no need to limit that to your bathroom; these Mediterranean garden ideas are filling me with inspiration for transforming my outdoor space.
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