The Edit

Clerkenwell Design Week 2025

Tues, 13 May 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Bathroom Blinds: Styles for Large & Small Spaces

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Leading Bathroom Trends For 2025

Tues, 25 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Maison et Objet 2025 Trends

Tues, 18 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Green Bathroom Design Ideas

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

New Cielo Studio

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Traditional Bathroom Design Inspiration

Weds, 30 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT

We aim to inspire your next traditional bathroom project through expert design suggestions and selected recent projects featuring our own, exclusive ranges and those from industry-leading manufacturers. Whether you’re creating a master bathroom or reworking a cloakroom, read on to discover the many ways of achieving a statement space that celebrates tried and tested traditional styles while still embracing the best features of modern advancements.

Stand Out with a Roll Top Bath

A bath plays a vital role in any bathroom design, drawing the eye as the room’s centrepiece. For a traditional bathroom design, a freestanding roll top bath will set the tone effortlessly. “A roll top bath makes a great feature in the room, especially in front of a window or fireplace”, says Emma Scott, director of client design.

At C.P. Hart, we offer many freestanding roll top baths, often crafted from cast iron due to its durable nature and inability to conduct heat, meaning bath water stays hotter for longer. Some of our best-selling roll top baths include the Cambridge freestanding bath, a slipper-style bath with a higher back for languorous relaxation, the Camden freestanding bath, a high-waisted cast iron bath in a more contemporary shape, and the Greenwich Boat Freestanding Bath, available in cast iron or with an opulent copper outer.

Shop the Camden Freestanding bath, featured above in our Muswell Hill showroom.

Our cast iron baths are supplied primed and ready for painting on-site or at home, allowing you to customise the colour of your bath to best suit your interior. Should you wish to redesign your bathroom in the future, simply repaint your bath in keeping with the new style.

Our selection of claw feet are available in various finishes to complete the bath, from lustrous chrome to a matt black cast iron. Please note that our claw feet are sold separately and do not universally fit our baths. Please do contact your nearest showroom for further product specification or assistance.

Bring Back the Bidet

While bidets are still found in contemporary bathrooms, they are synonymous with traditional bathroom designs - an excellent choice for adding an extra element of charisma.

Our selection of bidets caters to classic bathrooms of all styles. Our Henley back-to-wall bidet, available in white or black, features a prominent pillar stand and rounded bowl, while the Duravit 1930 Series back-to-wall bidet features a far more angular shape.

Modern-day bidet taps are primarily created with a single hole, some with single levers, where the user can twist the lever to their desired temperature, and others with dual levers, where the user can adjust the amount of hot and cold water separately. Should you wish to go down the single lever route, may we recommend our exclusive Mono Bidet Mixer from our Epoch range, characterised by its art deco-inspired etched indices and available in various finishes, including chrome, brushed nickel, brushed gold, and living aged brass?

Shop the Henley Back-To-Wall Bidet, featured above with the Henley High-Level WC and the Henley Troon Basin Stand.

If a dual-lever or two-handle bidet tap is more in keeping with your interior, please explore C.P. Hart’s own Empire Mono Bidet Mixer, Original Mono Bidet Mixer, and Admiral Mono Bidet Mixer, as well as the Madison Mono Bidet Mixer by Dornbracht or the Montreux 2-Handle Bidet Mixer by AXOR.

Be Bold in Your Brassware Choice

Most traditional brassware boasts a stunning, classical aesthetic while embracing modern features like quarter-turn technology. This internal mechanism allows the user to turn the tap on and off by a simple 90-degree turn rather than the traditional valve that requires multiple full turns to operate. Quarter-turn basin mixers are far more beneficial in today’s bathrooms due to their easy operation and accessibility.

Our Original brassware range perfectly demonstrates traditional style with quarter-turn technology, offering bath taps, basin taps, bidet taps, and shower controls, available in over seven finishes for bathroom personalisation. To make a true statement, our Original Bath and Shower Mixer, available as deck-mounted, wall-mounted, and freestanding configurations, features dual cross handle levers, a shower head placed on a stunning cradle and a diverter for the easy switch of water flow.

Shop the Original Floor-Mounted Bath and Shower Mixer featured above.

Opt For a High-Level Toilet

A high-level toilet is a style that predominantly features in classic bathroom designs, particularly Edwardian or period bathrooms. High-level toilets do well to make a statement, featuring a long flush pipe connecting the WC to the cistern mounted high on the wall. Typically, high-level toilets are complete with a chain pull flush.

Our exclusive London and Henley collections feature beautiful high-level toilets in white, black, Moseley Blue, and Stoneywell Slate. “The joy of our high-level toilets is that you can mix and match the colour of the WC to the toilet seat,” says Emma Scott, director of client design. “Make the most of this feature to add elements of personal flair to your bathroom.”

Shop the London High Level Toilet, featured above in white with the black London Soft-Close Toilet Seat. Please note that toilet seats are sold separately.

Store Your Essentials in Traditional Style Furniture

Bathroom furniture, also referred to as vanity units, has significantly increased in popularity over the last decade. Today, many use their bathroom as part of their daily routine or as a place for downtime and relaxation, requiring additional storage to stow amenities and essentials.

Our selection of classical bathroom furniture is in keeping with the traditional appearance yet functions as well as any contemporary vanity unit. Our Rowan, Hawthorn, and Hazel furniture ranges provide a place for everything, each showcasing design details that make these units truly unique.

Each cabinet from the Rowan, Hawthorn, and Hazel range is made to order to your personal specification, hand sprayed in one of 20 colour options to produce a rich matt finish that subtly reveals the wood grain’s beauty beneath. Please click here to discover Rowan, Hawthorn, and Hazel in more detail.

Shop the Rowan furniture range featured above, available in various dimensions to fit bathrooms of all sizes.

A Focus on Classic Materials and Finishes

While chrome may dominate contemporary bathroom styles, your traditional bathroom ideas may focus on introducing materials such as copper or brass. Refer to the aforementioned Greenwich Boat Freestanding Bath, for example – the copper outer provides a luxurious bathroom feature with stunning classical appeal.

When it comes to selecting your brassware, C.P. Hart supplies many finishes that accentuate the character of a traditional bathroom. Living brass, or antique brass, is particularly popular, due to the fact that it naturally changes colour with time, creating a beautiful patina with age that is completely unique to you. Other sought-after finishes include polished nickel, brushed brass, and gold.

Shop our exclusive Epoch range, featured above in the living aged brass finish.

There are countless options for creating and styling a traditional bathroom to your preference and taste. We do hope these recommendations have inspired your next project.

As always, our professionally qualified team of consultants and designers are on hand to advise you on all areas of your project, from product specification to curating mood boards and technical 3D drawings of your space. Please get in touch with your nearest showroom via the link below to discover more about our award-winning design and installation services.

Affordable Luxury Bathrooms

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Luxury Pink Bathroom Designs

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Why Choose a Japanese Shower Toilet

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Japan has a unique and multifaceted culture. On the one hand, it’s known as a place of rapid technological development, amazing innovations and incredible scientific breakthroughs. On the other hand, the land of the rising sun has a rich cultural heritage and a tradition that’s thousands of years old. From the famous samurai warriors and the country’s dedication to martial arts, to its world-renowned cuisine and stunning horticultural art, Japan is steeped in history.

One of the elements that sets Japan apart from the rest of the world from a technological point of view are its standards of hygiene. Rooted in Buddhism philosophy, the Japanese sense of cleanliness can be seen in the country’s culture of taking baths in order to purify themselves. What’s more, the development of the ‘washlet’ toilet is also inspired by the Japanese way of life and its desire for a level of hygiene above any norms.

TOTO bathroom suite featuring the TOTO SX Washlet.

TOTO Washlets

TOTO is recognised as the world’s leading producer of shower toilets. First launched in 1980, the Washlet is TOTO’s signature product with innovation that has refashioned bathrooms across Japan for more than four decades. Below, we outline the many revolutionary features of the TOTO Washlet.

Technological advances

So, what makes them different? Firstly, the lids open and close automatically once you approach the toilets and then move away from it after use. This mimics the way Japanese taxis work – once you come close to the door, they automatically open – and the custom of showing respect through a deep bow.

Comfort and discretion

When the lid opens and you take a seat, you might be surprised to find that the seat is warm. The heat is generated by the built-in heater that warms the seat to your approximate body temperature in order to provide you with the most pleasant toilet experience possible. There are also built-in speakers that release a flushing sound for maximum discretion when it comes to noise, along with odour neutralisers and deodorants to keep the bathroom air smelling fresh.

Shop the TOTO SG washlet featured above.

A personalised washing experience

Japanese toilets are actually a high-tech combination of bidets and toilets. The toilet comes with a whole set of buttons. Each button has a unique function that allows you to choose a specific setting for cleaning yourself after use. For instance, you can select warm water to spray from a nozzle beneath at an optimal angle for the highest level of hygiene. You can also select the intensity and direction of the spray and adjust it to your preferences.

First-class cleanliness

Furthermore, the nozzle self-cleans after each use – a special cleanser sterilizes inside and outside of the nozzle, ensuring everything is completely clean after every use. This shows respect for the next toilet user, but also for the environment as well. Depending on the exact model, there are different ways to flush – by manually pressing down or turning the lever, by waving in front of a sensor or by pressing a button. Also, certain models of Japanese toilets automatically flush once you leave the seat. Some even use partially electrolysed flush water, which leaves the surface stain-free and immaculate.

Shop TOTO Washlets from C.P. Hart.

What are the advantages of a Japanese toilet?

This technologically advanced bathroom culture is spreading from Japan to the rest of the world. There are several benefits of having a Japanese toilet:

An optimal level of hygiene

Japanese toilets are very hygienic, both for the users and for the household. With the aforementioned self-cleaning features, you don’t have to roll up your sleeves and brush inside of the toilet. In addition, the nozzle enables you to experience a pleasant feeling of purity every time you’ve finished using the toilet.

Exceptional comfort

Japanese toilets also provide incredible comfort. Heated seats provide warmth and some high-end models are even made of antibacterial materials, ensuring a healthy visit to the WC. Various nozzle options enable you to personalise your bathroom experience according to your preferences.

Shop the TOTO Neorest EW washlet featured above.

Eco-friendly

With Japanese toilets, you can reduce the amount of toilet paper you use, which is both eco-friendly and beneficial to your household budget. In addition, many people take showers after using the toilet, but with a built-in cleaning nozzle, you can save both time and water consumption.

Contemporary design

Last but not least, we cannot skip the aesthetics when talking about Japanese toilets. The various models flaunt high-tech and sleek designs, which aligns with Japan’s love of all things modern. They can fit in any type of bathroom, but they surely make the perfect choice for contemporary interiors with a futuristic touch.

Would you choose a Japanese-style washlet for your home?

View our comprehensive collection of Japanese toilets online or v isit one of our C.P. Hart showrooms to browse our wide range of beautiful and functional toilets, along with all of the other bathroom elements you need to create your dream bathroom.

Home Saunas & Steam Rooms: Benefits & Installation

Tues, 08 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Design Ideas for Luxury Black Bathrooms

Sun, 06 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Stylish and sophisticated, luxury black bathrooms continue to prove popular for luxury home designs. With more black bathroom fixtures available than ever before, curating a black master bathroom, cloakroom, or cosy en-suite has never been so accessible – now is the time to make the transformation.

Whether creating a traditional aesthetic or injecting a contemporary flair, black bathroom designs offer a timeless appeal that can be adapted to rooms of virtually any shape or size. Exploring different areas of the bathroom, our professionally qualified design team share their expertise to help you create your own.

Consider Black Bathroom Tiling

The bathroom’s colour scheme is one of the first things you’ll notice when stepping into the space, especially when opting for something as striking as a black and white bathroom or monochrome style. Black and white bathroom tiles offer an excellent foundation for creating a black or dark grey bathroom. Though classic checkerboard tiling certainly has its appeal, many of our clients prefer something more modern and geometric, such as the Domus Azulej tiles as styled below in a recent Chelsea private residential project.

Also demonstrated in the bathroom below, black tiling can be used to create contrast, a particularly impactful design in a shower. To create this effect, our design team covered the entire wall with square porcelain tiles from our Clay collection.

Explore our tile collections here.

Find The Perfect Black Bath

White bathtubs have been the norm for many years, but the best black bathrooms tend to use a black, or a very dark, bath instead. Black baths add to the allure of the bathroom design, delivering an equal level of aesthetic versatility as their white counterparts.

As seen in a recent private residential project on Battersea’s riverside, the bathroom below demonstrates how a freestanding black bath doesn’t necessarily dominate a space. Instead, the BC Designs Gio Bath in Gunmetal harmoniously blends into the grey tiles, illuminated with downlighting from the ceiling, alcove, and floor.

To create a traditional style bathroom with a black bath, please explore our exclusive ranges of cast iron baths, such as the Winchester and Cambridge baths that arrive as a blank canvas to allow for customisation. You are able to select and paint the bath any colour of your choice to align with your chosen interior. Should you require guidance, please do not hesitate to contact our sales team, who are more than happy to assist you.

Explore Our Black Toilets and Bidets

When designing a black bathroom, you may not instantly consider the option of a black toilet or bidet. Once again diverting from the norm of white ceramics, black toilets and bidets are on-trend alternatives that create an incredibly chic space.

Best suited in an all-black bathroom, a black WC blends into matching black bathroom sanitaryware and furniture, perfect for showcasing a feature wall. The C.P. Hart design team curated the black master bathroom below as one of their recent residential projects in Oxfordshire. This bathroom features the Cielo Shui Comfort Wall-Hung WC in Cemento that coordinates with the bath, vanity unit and tiling to create a monochrome backdrop for the vibrant living wall.

Shop the Cielo Shui Comfort Wall-Hung WC featured above.

For those who prefer a traditional style bathroom, our London collection hosts classic back-to-wall and close-coupled toilet designs finished in a deep, lustrous black glaze. Pair these toilets with the matching London washbasin for the full all-black effect.

Install Black Vanities for Bathrooms

Our unrivalled range of black vanity units covers an array of sizes to suit every bathroom layout. Many of our bathroom vanity units are available to order bespoke, allowing you to create the perfect storage solution in your space. Our Artelinea range showcases classic to contemporary styles with both space-saving and larger options.

An exciting play on materials, the 3.8-metre bespoke vanity unit featured in the master suite of the Gloucestershire lakeside property below is complete with a matt wooden finish, beautifully echoing the surrounding area's natural elements.

With such a variety of finishes to choose from, we encourage you to book an appointment with our design team to finalise your product specification.

Explore the Artelinea collection featured above.

Crittal-Style Shower Screens

Crittal-style shower screens and shower enclosures draw inspiration from the industrial design trend - a clever combination of simplicity and elaboration. Install a crittal-style shower screen to create a striking feature in your bathroom. With your choice of horizontal and vertical lines, you can specify how the metal framework is set out to make it a truly bespoke piece that perfectly suits your space.

The bathroom below, created for a client’s 17th century home, features a Drench Frahm shower screen in a matt black finish. C.P. Hart’s design team installed matching matt-black shower fittings from the Dornbracht Tara range to complete the space.

Shop the Dornbracht Tara Wall-Mounted Hand Shower Set and the Dornbracht Ceiling-Mounted Rain Shower featured above.

Accessorise Your Black Bathroom

Modern black bathroom accessories can positively bring the space to life, and coordinating your black bathroom accessories has never been so effortless with our extensive product ranges. In addition to our own exclusive collections, we offer designer bathroom accessories from world-renowned suppliers, including Gessi, AXOR, Dornbracht, and Samuel Heath. From toilet roll holders and towel rings to bathroom mirrors and black heated towel rails, you are able to fine-tune your black bathroom to ensure an aligned aesthetic.

Explore our collection of heated towel rails and radiators.

For further black bathroom inspiration, may we suggest you visit our Instagram page where you will find ample examples of how homeowners and industry professionals have curated our products? For further design advice and product specification, please do visit our showroom or book an appointment where our professionally qualified design team are able to guide you through your next bathroom project, backed by over 80 years of luxury bathroom expertise and our award-winning design and installation services.