When Isabelle and her husband Richard purchased their new build townhouse in Gateshead, they couldn’t wait to put their own stamp on the property, seeing it as a blank canvas that was longing for character.

11 years down the line, the couple have made small but impactful changes to the house, giving themselves the time to develop their style over the years and creating a home that is undeniably ‘them’. We’ve been delighted to work alongside Isabelle, supplying a selection of our classic tiles to help bring her dream main and ensuite bathrooms to life with her signature cosy-tranquil style.

“The renovation of both our main bathroom and separate shower room is the first major project we’ve embarked on, and it’s definitely been a learning curve! Both rooms were pretty much as they were when we moved in and as we all know, new builds never have the highest quality fittings, so they were looking very tired. Our main bathroom was also an odd shape due to a linen cupboard which ate into the space and for a long time we had talked about removing that in order to make the room a little bigger, thereby creating space for a freestanding bath which is something I have always wanted.”

_{The 'before' of Isabelle's two bathrooms, longing for a refresh}

Isabelle from The Pavlou Home describes her interior style as ‘calm sanctuary’ focusing on warm neutrals, vintage touches and natural materials to encapsulate a cosy home style.

“In terms of style and room design, I knew I wanted traditional fixtures and fittings, a neutral colour palette which mirrors other rooms in the house and natural materials like wood, stone and rattan alongside contrasting antique brass.”

_{Isabelle created styling moodboards to envision her bathroom design before the rennovating began}

"My original plan for the floor tiles was a parquet wood-effect porcelain as you can see from my mood board but after ordering a full tile sample from Stone Superstore, I realised our rooms just weren’t big enough to make that work…

Instead, I decided that a tumbled limestone effect tile would work better and also balance out the ‘bling’ of the brass fittings – I really didn’t want a super shiny blingy bathroom so by adding the more rustic flooring, we’ve created a really lovely contrast."

_{Floor Tiles: Provence Bianco Antique Effect Porcelain}

After some deliberation over different floor tile finishes, Isabelle landed on our stunning Provence Bianco Antique Effect tiles to use cohesively across both bathroom floors, which bring the perfect undertone of warmth to the spaces, with a touch of personal significance.

“The floor tiles also have a little personal meaning to me which I don’t mind sharing… my mum very sadly passed away after a short battle with cancer during the early planning stages of our bathroom reno and she lived in rural France where the majority of the houses have tumbled stone floors throughout so ours – in some way - now remind me of her and her house.”

_{Wall Tiles: Cotswold Bianco Metro Tiles}

And within the ensuite, enhancing the expanse of space was always a priority for the couple. Isabelle explains,

“When it came to choosing the shower tiles, I knew I wanted white because the space is so small, I wanted to create the illusion of a bigger room by keeping it light and airy. However, I didn’t want a flat finish so the Cotswold Bianco tiles are perfect because they have that speckled, handmade look which catches the light.”

“Working with Stone Superstore has been such a fab experience! The customer service was excellent, nothing was too much trouble. I’ve also been eyeing up some of the brand-new tiles for when we renovate our kitchen later this year so will be back!”

Keep up to date with Isabelle’s home development journey by following her profile on Instagram @thepavlouhome, for beautiful home decor ideas that are sure to inspire your next project!