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WHO LIVES HERE? Samantha Silver, a beauty editor and content creator, lives here with her husband, Nick, and two children.
THE PROJECT A new guest bathroom as part of a loft extension and whole house refurbishment in north-west London.
TOTAL COST £5,000
When Samantha and her family bought their house in March 2024, it was a blank canvas with plenty of challenges. ‘In October, we started refurbishing it. We did a two-storey extension, first floor and loft – and we lived in the house during the eight-month build!’ she says.
A major focus was on creating a layout that worked for their family. The previous owners had three children’s bedrooms on the first floor and the main in the loft. ‘We have two children and wanted to be on the same floor as them, so we flipped the layout. We knocked two rooms together on the first floor to create a main suite and the loft is for visitors.’
The loft bathroom, however, has become one of Samantha’s favourite rooms. ‘It was created as a guest bathroom but it’s so beautiful that I like going up there. It’s calm and quiet. It feels quite feminine, and I live in a house with three boys, so it’s a real treat.’
‘As a beauty editor, I always have lots of products in our en suite bathroom downstairs. It’s much more calm up here, with nothing out on show – my mum can even leave her toiletry bag and toothbrush in the drawer for when she visits,’ says Samantha.
A large Velux window fills the space with light, making it feel airy and inviting. ‘Lighting was really important to us,’ says Samantha. ‘It was something we considered carefully in every room.’
‘Daylight floods in through the Velux window and we added a carefully thought-out layered lighting scheme of spots, strips, under-cabinet and wall lights.’
Materials add warmth and texture to the space. ‘We wanted to mix natural materials to give an interior-designed feel without actually using an interior designer. The fluted marble and the reeded wood-effect tiles feel very Scandi and the floor brings it all together.’
The loft bathroom was the trickiest space to plan. ‘There were missed measurements in the initial designs and once insulation was factored in, we lost head height, especially where the shower is,’ Samantha recalls.
The room is a high-low mix of budget-friendly and more luxury pieces – it’s got a spa vibe, quite scandi and sleek
‘The room is long and thin; it meant the shower could only go in one place, which didn’t leave much head height as it was under the slope. My husband spent ages finding a shower head that would fit in the tiny gap – it was either that or having to crouch under the shower.’
‘The shower head looks really architectural because it’s not on an arm. In reality, it was the only one that worked here,’ she explains.
In summer, the refurbishment was complete. ‘We finished around July and now we’re happily enjoying the house, although we’re still having some of the snagging done,’ Samantha says. To see more of Samantha’s renovation, follow @samantha_silver_
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