Maria Speake and Adam Hills specialize in what they call “tales of transformation.” Driven by the belief that “good materials and well-made things are precious,” they inventively repurpose parts of old buildings and help others do the same. The couple met in 1988 as architecture students at the Glasgow School of Art, and, appalled by the needless destruction of historic structures, found themselves in the reclamation business. They began in Glasgow by rescuing elements from derelict churches, and soon started working with all manner of architectural findings.
Retrouvius, their combination salvage operation (run by Adam) and interior design studio (run by Maria), has been based in London’s Kensal Green since 1997 and is a longstanding Remodelista source of inspiration. The firm takes on a few remodeling projects a year and typically overhauls whole dwellings, both urban and rural. Within those, a favorite room to tackle is the bath, “often the only place in the house with a lock on the door,” points out Maria. Here are some of Retrouvius’s loo solutions, all of them models of creative reuse.
Photographs courtesy of Retrouvius (@retrouvius).
1. Victorian Sink Meets Salvaged Wood Paneling
![\2\20;bathroom furniture tends to be clunky and large, but reclaimed fre 17](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/10-large-family-house-retrouvius-10-733x1100.jpg)
Shown here in a children’s bath in North London: a Victorian-era cast-iron sink stand paired with an Edwardian porcelain basin with new copper fittings (source, unfortunately, not available). Salvaged wide pine boards extend from the floor halfway up the wall, where it hides the pipework but still provides easy access to it. The blue stained glass window was commissioned for the room.
2. A Touch of Bright
![in a buckinghamshire farmhouse bathroom, maria and her design team transformed 18](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/3-buckinghamshire-farmhouse-by-retrouvius-3a-733x1100.jpg)
![the room has a vintage pedestal sink and towel rod. the painted paneling hides 19](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/3-buckinghamshire-farmhouse-by-retrouvius-3b-733x1100.jpg)
“It’s possible to mix and match old and new sanitary furniture, however, vintage plumbing is often not compatible with modern systems,” notes the company’s website. “Make sure your plumber has worked with vintage sanitary ware previously as there will be various sizes of taps, drains. and fittings that may need to be altered.” For energy efficiency, Maria recommends modern mixer taps and shower heads: “they’re designed to aerate water and minimize waste.”
3. Tidied Old Tub (on a Mezzanine)
![in a six story holland park townhouse that retrouvius remodeled for a family, t 20](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/6-west-london-family-home-retrouvius-6b-733x949.jpg)
![the double height room with a window wall is thought to have originally been an 21](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/6-west-london-family-home-retrouvius-6a-733x949.jpg)
4. Color and Privacy Courtesy of Stained Glass
![retrouvius introduced a salvaged leaded glass window in a formerly uninhabited 22](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/4-buckinghamshire-farmhouse-by-retrouvius-4a-733x1100.jpg)
![a new skylight was inserted over a claw foot tub painted in a green from emery 23](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/4-buckinghamshire-farmhouse-retrouvius-4b-733x1100.jpg)
5. Recast Parquet and Flamboyant Marble
![in the holland park townhouse with the mezzanine shown above, the parents&# 24](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/5-west-london-family-home-retrouvius-5b-733x949.jpg)
![the shower\2\17;s boldly patterned pink and green marble was sourced fro 25](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/5-west-london-family-home-retrouvius-5a-733x949.jpg)
6. A Reuse for Copper Verdigris
![creative reuse involves thinking beyond the material\2\17;s original app 26](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/1-north-london-bathroom-by-retrouvius-1c-733x1100.jpg)
![\2\20;a single salvaged material used well and widely creates calm,& 27](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/1-north-london-bathroom-by-retrouvius-1b-733x1100.jpg)
7. The Sideboard Washstand and Other Antiques
![in a north london townhouse, a carved antique sideboard got repurposed as a sta 28](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/2-north-london-bathroom-by-retrouvius-2a-733x1100.jpg)
![a salvaged marble insert from a fireplace frieze is used as wall decoration. 29](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/1-north-london-bathroom-retrouvius-2c-733x1100.jpg)
![the shower screen was built from a salvaged window. admiring the pale pink wall 30](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/1-north-london-bathroom-retrouvius-2b-733x1100.jpg)
8. All-Over Paneling from Reclaimed Flooring
![maple flooring from a school gym was applied in this children\2\17;s bat 31](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/7-york-house-bathroom-by-retrouvius-733x489.jpg)
The Retrouvius showroom and warehouse in Kensal Green, London, are open weekdays by appointment. Here’s a Retrouvius Notting Hill Townhouse Remodel that we featured a while back.
More bathroom inspiration:
- Cecilie Manz’s Serene Bathroom Sinks and Tubs for Duravit
- Steal This Look: A Dream Dressing Room from Sweden
- A Room of One’s Own: An En Suite Retreat in Paris
Have a Question or Comment About This Post?
Join the conversation