BY LANA + BONNIE

Bon breaking the rules? Who’s really surprised? She’s never been one to conform when it comes to her design choices. And her rebellious streak just keeps shining through as we reveal her dream home, room by room. #rebelwithacause

Bonnie’s Master Ensuite really is a masterpiece and you could say it’s the tiles that are the stars of the show.

Bon, you broke your own rule... what happened to only two types of tile per bathroom?

Rules are made to be broken, Lans! With a bathroom this big, I think it was really crying out for me pick to more than two different tiles, because sometimes #moreismore! So yes, I broke my own rule and chose three gorgeous and very different tiles from the lovely folks at National Tiles.

OK, so tell us about your THREE tile choices… #ott?

The natural stone marble mosaic was the first tile I spotted at National Tiles and I knew straight away I had to have it as my feature tile. When I design a bathroom I pick a feature tile first and then another one, ok in this case two, to complement it.

The feature tile I used in the shower room of my ensuite is called ‘Mosaic Marble White Diamond’ (don’t worry, it’s waaaay more appealing to the senses than the ‘White Diamonds’ perfume your Nana wears #sorrylizzyarden). It seriously looks like diamonds on the wall and, being a mosaic, it was the perfect tile to wrap around the ceiling of the shower as well. We’ve never tiled a shower ceiling in previous houses, but this huge shower room was inspired by a steam room, or sauna, and this full tile really gives it that effect. #blingbling #shinebrightlikeadiamond

I love to make the vanity a feature when I design a bathroom, so I wanted an extra special tile to highlight it without distracting from it. ‘Trasparenze Marine Cristallo’ is a gorgeous 200 x 200mm hand-made Italian tile, inspired by the Mediterranean Sea. It’s a stunning pearly white colour with a high-gloss, textured surface that looks like gentle ripples on the ocean. You can’t get more #coastal than that!

For the floor and other walls, I chose the ‘Ultraslim XL Folio Statuario’ tile. It’s a large format 600 x 1200mm size, perfect because it meant we needed less tiles and therefore had less lines of grout, so it looks like one big slab of marble.

Speaking of grout, how do you choose the perfect colour for a room with three different tiles?

Good question! We used Mapei grout which is anti-mould and stain-resistant (no more scrubbing) and it comes in a range of colours. In this bathroom I wanted to highlight the special tile choices, not the grout, so I chose a light grey for the mosaic and for the large format tiles, to blend in with the marble tones. For the pearly white wall, I used a lighter grout so that your eye is drawn to the beauty of the tiles, not the grout.

And the final result, are you happy how it turned out?

Happy would be an understatement. I truly designed this ensuite so that it wouldn't date. I asked myself… am I ever not going to like diamonds? Marble? No! I’m going to love it forever. My heart and my head really agreed on this choice of tiles. It’s gorgeous, it’s timeless and I’m one very lucky lady.