A bathroom in an 18th-century farmhouse where practicality meets elegance

Nina Campbell combines comfort, practicality and elegance in this serene bathroom scheme.

Nina Campbell

Called upon to design the interior of an extended 18th-century farmhouse in Wiltshire for a couple with young children, Nina Campbell turned her attention to the master bathroom with characteristic aplomb. ‘I approached it as a sitting room that happens to have a bath in it,’ she says. ‘I love the idea that someone can be sitting comfortably in the bath talking to someone in the chair, with a side table for a glass of Champagne.’

‘If you have children and are always running around, a beautiful, calm and spacious bathroom is pure luxury.’

A deep, cast-iron bath from Drummonds takes centre stage. ‘Think of it as a replacement for a sofa,’ says Nina. The room also includes (out of frame) a shower, plus a dressing table and double basins. ‘Everyone needs a shower, but there are moments in your life when you want to sink into a bath for a luxurious soak.’

Luxury is important, but so is practicality. With minimal storage in the master bedroom, a pair of fitted cupboards provide ample wardrobe space. Painted in Stone I by Paint & Paper Library, the cupboards are finished with a metal inlay detail to add a contemporary twist to classic cabinetry design. Small drawers underneath the window seat ensure that every inch of space is carefully used.

'The window seat is covered in soft towelling for comfort, the voile curtain to provide privacy and diffuse the light'

Walls are painted in Salix by Little Greene to create a calm backdrop. The window seat is covered in soft towelling for comfort, the voile curtain to provide privacy and diffuse the light and the linen blind in Bicton from Nina’s own collection (available from Osborne & Little), was chosen for its fine metallic stripe that echoes the nickel finish of the fittings.

‘Nina Campbell Interior Decoration: Elegance and Ease’ by Giles Kime (Rizzoli New York, £45)


Double vanity washstand by Christopher Peacock

(Image credit: Double vanity washstand by Christopher Peacock)

The surprising secret of marital harmony: not two bathrooms, but two basins

Michael Caine swears by separate bathrooms. You don't need to go quite so far, says Giles Kime.

The bathroom at Upton House, photographed in the summer of 1936.

The bathroom at Upton House, photographed in the summer of 1936.
(Image credit: A. E. Henson / Country Life Picture Library)

A classic 1930s bathroom with exotic charm and an unexpected touch of bling

The bathroom at Upton House in Warwickshire was featured in Country Life back in 1936.

Joanna wood bathroom design

Credit: Joanna Wood

Beautiful bathrooms: How to design your lighting, draw the eye and make the most of your space

Bathrooms are typically the smallest room in the house - interior designer Joanna Wood shares her top tips and tricks

Will Fisher and Charlotte Freemantle's bathroom.
(Image credit: Simon Upton / Jamb)

A 19th-century bathroom in an 18th century home that works perfectly for a 21st century family

Jamb’s co-founders have created a timeless bathroom in their 18th-century London home. They showed it to Amelia Thorpe.

The perfect shopping list for a 'forever home'? Detached, in the country, and close to a decent pub

The ideal 'forever home' has four bedroroms, two bathrooms and a garden that's not too big and not too small,

Giles Kime
Giles Kime is Country Life's Executive and Interiors Editor, an expert in interior design with decades of experience since starting his career at The World of Interiors magazine. Giles joined Country Life in 2016, introducing new weekly interiors features, bridging the gap between our coverage of architecture and gardening. He previously launched a design section in The Telegraph and spent over a decade at Homes & Gardens magazine (launched by Country Life's founder Edward Hudson in 1919). A regular host of events at London Craft Week, Focus, Decorex and the V&A, he has interviewed leading design figures, including Kit Kemp, Tricia Guild, Mary Fox Linton, Chester Jones, Barbara Barry and Lord Snowdon. He has written a number of books on interior design, property and wine, the most recent of which is on the legendary interior designer Nina Campbell who last year celebrated her fiftieth year in business. This Autumn sees the publication of his book on the work of the interior designer, Emma Sims-Hilditch. He has also written widely on wine and at 26, was the youngest ever editor of Decanter Magazine. Having spent ten years restoring an Arts & Crafts house on the banks of the Itchen, he and his wife, Kate, are breathing life into a 16th-century cottage near Alresford that has remained untouched for almost half a century.