Adding a firehose of color to her family’s Edwardian house came naturally to Natasha Lyon. Not be confused with the American actress of nearly the same name, Lyon has a fashion degree and an impressive resume as an accessories director and designer—for Burberry, Victoria Beckham, and Acne Studios, among others.
In 2019, having just left London with their two young kids for the seaside town of Margate in Kent, Lyon and her husband, John, founded their own creative studio, Appreciation Project, devoted to offering inventive dried floral bouquets and vases. Lyon used their newly invigorated home as a backdrop for their wares, and soon her interior design career was launched.
We particularly like Lyon’s family bath and shower room refresh, which began with the purchase of a vintage pink pedestal sink on Facebook Marketplace.
Photography courtesy of Appreciation Project (@appreciationprojectuk).
Lyon paired the sink with an outsized checked floor and a diminutive backsplash: a lineup of five playfully patterned tiles that “lend a joyous statement,” as Lyon puts it. “With two small children, we spend a lot of time in the bathroom. I wanted it to be playful and to feel as welcoming as the other rooms in the house.” And as in the other rooms, there are glimpses of Lyon’s vintage colored glass collection on display (but out of reach).
The vintage mirror and side table are from one of Lyon’s go-to local sources, Junk Deluxe of Margate, and she found the Shaker stool at a flea market. The Hudson Reed Chrome and Glass Shelf is from Victorian Plumbing. 
Above: The glam stainless steel and ceramic bathtub came with the room and is the one element Lyon left in place. She created the floor pattern with encaustic cement tiles from Otto Tiles: “I designed them into an oversized checkerboard, conscious that a small pattern would be too busy.”
The Chrome Heated Towel Rail is from Victorian Plumbing. Lyon bought the room’s vintage wall hangings on eBay. The checked organic cotton towel is by Baina. Lyon stitched the striped café curtain herself.
Note the built-in storage: there are shelves by the door and Lyon tucked a cupboard under the adjacent mirror.
Lyon says she “initially was going to play it safe in the shower room and only use white. But it was actually very gray and felt jarring with the rest of the house. So I threw out that concept and spent ages placing samples on the floor and seeing how different light bounced off them. I’m so glad I stuck to my roots.”
The 1970s ceramic Twyford mirror was initially an eBay purchase. It arrived smashed beyond repair and Lyon eventually found its match on Etsy. The milk glass sconce is from Vintage Mischief.
Before
For more inspiration peruse the Remodelista Bathroom archive, including:
- The Reclaimed Bath: 8 Favorite Retrouvius Designs Featuring Vintage Components
- Steal This Look: A Graphic Bathroom with Vintage Charm
- 10 Standout Bathrooms with Retr0 Colored Fixtures
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