How to create a traditional country bathroom look
With Josie from @OldHouseOurHome
Fashion and lifestyle blogger, Josie Fear, also known as Fashion Mumblr, is based in the Cotswolds in her Grade II listed 14th Century Rectory and Coach House. Josie's creativity, style and taste for luxury British products meant Tavistock products were the perfect fit for her recent bathroom renovation in the Coach House.
Josie started her brand in 2014 at the age of 19, after establishing a career in luxury fashion in London. She has since grown her brand, Fashion Mumblr, to a following of over 200,000 on Instagram, 500,000 subscribers on Youtube and over a million monthly views on Pinterest. A recent move to the Cotswolds into a Grade II listed 14th Century property gave Josie the perfect opportunity to pursue her love for traditional country interiors with her Instagram account @OldHouseOurHome.
Where did you find inspiration for your bathroom renovation?
Inspiration for our entire house has mostly come from three sources; Instagram, Pinterest, and Soho Farmhouse! Living in a very old home means we are always keen to keep our new investments whether that’s a sofa, or a bath tub, traditional in their design, and yet modern in their comfort and practicality. We opted for half-height tongue & groove paneling in the bathroom to bring some much-needed character to the previously fairly bland space and opted for a natural and yet striking green tone to add personality to the room.
Tell us a little more about your bathroom renovation, who was it designed for?
The bathroom here is first and foremost for my mum. When looking for a house in the countryside, it was important that there’d be somewhere for my mum to live too; and The Coach House is perfect. We live in separate buildings but are close enough to see each other often. The bathroom is her main bathroom and it needed to be functional, but also a space to unwind and relax.
What were your initial requirements?
First and foremost the bathroom needed to be practical; we have a fairly small space to work with, so we needed bathroom furniture that would also be good for storage, such as the Tavistock Vitoria Freestanding Unit which we chose, but also bring some personality to the room.
How would you describe your style?
We have a very traditional style when it comes to our home. The main house is over 700 years old, and while The Coach House is only 20 years old, we wanted to keep the traditional style running through both properties. Paneling is a great feature that is seen throughout the main house, so it was lovely to bring this into the bathroom at The Coach House too.
Josie Fear
Fashion and lifestyle blogger, Fashion Mumblr
The Tavistock Bathrooms products are the perfect blend of modern practicality, with traditional design.
Did you have a bathroom colour scheme in mind?
Originally, no, but actually it was since seeing some colour samples of the Tavistock Bathroom, we opted for Pebble Grey. We decided to peruse some earthy green shades to complement and enhance the tones of the bathroom furniture. In the end, we opted for Crown Paint’s Tuscan Olive; which is a beautiful striking shade, without being too modern in the space.
What made you choose Tavistock Bathrooms products?
The Tavistock Bathrooms products were the perfect blend of modern practicality, with traditional design. From the detailed carpentry on the Vitoria Freestanding sink unit, to the Victorian style of the Varsity Dual Exposed Shower System - it perfectly matched our needs, both aesthetically and functionality, for the bathroom.
Tell us your favourite Tavistock product that’s in your bathroom:
I think it would have to be the Vitoria Freestanding sink unit, because of its practicality with the storage beneath, but it also looks absolutely beautiful too!
What would be your advice for anyone wanting to achieve a traditional bathroom look?
I’d advise taking time to consider the overall vibe you want to achieve first, whether that’s browsing places like Instagram or Pinterest, or taking a snap on your phone if you see a bathroom in real life that you like, and then take time to pinpoint what features you like. Is it the panelling? Is it the style of the bathtub? Creating a vision board for your room helps you to narrow down the bathroom furniture, and paint colours too - I use a free website called PicMonkey which is basically a very easy version of Photoshop, to create collages which help me to visualise the room before we make any investments, and also share my vision with others too!
Any advice for someone wanting to renovate their bathroom?
The options are overwhelming, so being decisive certainly helps, and I think creating a vision board can definitely help with this. Spend plenty of time doing your research, because some small details can make a huge difference in the overall vibe of your bathroom. Social media is a great place to look, once you’ve saved a couple of bathroom images, the algorithm will serve you hundreds more - so you certainly won’t be lacking in inspiration!