DIY RENOVATION OF OLD BUILDINGS
In 2021, Angela from Interior Blog @elaperona bought a 100-year-old vicarage in the country with her husband, which they are largely renovating themselves.
The compact bathroom, which is typical for an old building, was the biggest challenge, which after a real roller coaster ride was able to enjoy a happy ending.
With the sanitary objects from KALDEWEI, we have fulfilled a bathroom dream that makes no compromises in terms of design or sustainability! It is such a highlight for us every day to enter our little oasis of well-being.
Angela Stark from ÉLAPERONA
“As a young family, above all we used sustainable and durable materials when renovating our own home. We want superior design – but only with a clear conscience! And we sourced indestructible solutions that participate in every aspect and adventure in our life. KALDEWEI products made from robust and sustainably produced steel enamel tick all the right boxes for us and have turned the bathroom into the absolute design highlight of our home!”
One thing was always clear to us: Whenever we would buy a home, it would have to be an old building with charm. A project in which you can work yourself and design a home you would like to live in forever.
After three years of intensive but unsuccessful search for a suitable property, we actually gave up in frustration - then my mother-in-law showed us the advertisement of an old vicarage and that was the moment when we fell madly in love with it.
Even if there were a few things that spoke against buying it, we mainly listened to our hearts and the incredibly good gut feeling - we have rarely been so sure of something in life!
The bathroom
A minimalist look that radiates warmth and security by the harmonisation of natural materials and rounded shapes - we quickly knew what we wanted.
Of course, there are a lot of unexpected challenges in a renovation project that you do yourself, the biggest of which was definitely our 10 square metre bathroom. Luckily, after a lot of back-and-forth with the Conservation Office, to gain space, we were able to get permission that allowed us to tear down a small piece of wall and build a niche for a row of washbasins.
Thanks to the newly gained space, we were able to fulfil our dream of a free-standing bathtub! The ELLIPSO DUO OVAL from KALDEWEI was the perfect choice for our house, as it combines a clean, minimalist design with nostalgic details interpreted in a modern way. The shape that tapers downwards also has the advantage that the bathtub in our compact bathroom looks very airy.
We decided on the MIENA washbowl to go with it, which, as a rectangular version with rounded edges, looks modern and at the same time very elegant. Looking at the slender design of the washbowl, you cannot tell that it is made of robust steel enamel and is therefore very durable. KALDEWEI products are a perfect match for our renovation project as we have created a home where we want to live for the rest of our lives. The built-in products and furniture should of course last just as long, which is why we have chosen durable, timeless materials such as steel enamel.
In addition to a visually very high-quality design, the issue of sustainability, durability and material warmth was very important to us. A very unusual decision was to lay a real parquet floor in the bathroom. Even if that sounds very impractical at first, we would make this decision again and again, because there is nothing more pleasant than walking barefoot on a wooden floor, which is never cold even without underfloor heating. As our feet always feel warm, we save a lot of energy because we hardly feel the need to heat the bathroom.
In addition to the free-standing bathtub, a generous floor-level walk-in shower was one of our big wishes, but this is often very difficult to implement in an old building. The KALDEWEI system board for NEXSYS shower surfaces was our absolute salvation which allowed us to get to the right height! Thanks to the many adjustable feet of the board, without a complicated substructure we were easily able to compensate for the very uneven floor structure which is typical of old buildings.
The guest bathroom
In the guest bathroom, we opted for a black Cono washbasin. The coordination of the special colours and the marble surface behind the washbasin make the bathroom a real eye-catcher. The washbasin made of sustainable steel enamel harmonises perfectly with the natural colours of the bathroom and gives the room a particularly natural flair. We love it!
