Pastel bathrooms

TRENDING:It's been a long time since colour in the bathroom has been fashionable. During the boom years there were several attempts at super-glossy black lacquered sanitaryware, but for the most part it's been any colour as long as its white.

If you’re old enough to remember the avocado, pink, lemon and chocolate suites of the 1970s, you know that no one in their right mind would entertain the idea of reprising those colour palettes despite the fact the decade that taste forgot has been voguey for years now.

Tipperary man Tony O’Donnell, a miner turned bath maven, is set to change our colour prejudices. It was while working on the Channel Tunnel that O’Donnell got the bath bug. He bought a house that had a bath in the kitchen, which he used as a work bench while he refurbished the house. He then wanted to re-enamel it and install it in the bathroom. Unable to find anyone to do it he decided to get into the re-enamelling business. His foundry Catchpole Rye (00-44-1233-840840 Crye.co.uk) has grown in size and now designs a wide collection of swish bath styles. This sunny delight roll-top looks especially fresh when contrasted with a pretty pink pastel wall. La Provence has a painted exterior and an enamelled interior and can be painted in any colour you want, including one from Farrow and Ball’s collection. Each bath is made-to-order. It will cost approximately €3,300 and delivery to Dublin is around €400.