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Before & After: How a tiny attic bathroom became a small-space show stopper

Complete with dreamy gingham wallpaper

By Rachel EdwardsPublished: 09 June 2026

before after attic bathroom transformation

David Lewis

Looking around Rosie Hillman's gingham-drenched attic bathroom, you might assume that the rest of her Dorset farmhouse would be just as full of exuberant colour. But the space was designed as a counterpoint to the pared-back rooms below.

'The house is really muted, so I wanted the attic conversion to be the total opposite, with a ton of colour and pattern,' says Rosie.

The space was derelict when Rosie moved in, but she was struck by its potential. 'We love hosting and having friends to stay,' she says. 'Once we saw the attic, we knew we had to turn it into a guest area.'

Interior designer Cat Earp, founder of The Aller Studio, was brought in to redesign the empty space and given carte blanche to infuse it with her signature mix of cheerful patterns and vibrant hues. And the guest bathroom – the most fearlessly patterned room of the lot – makes a compelling case for going all-out with a decorating scheme.

David Lewis

The before

'The attic was in a pretty poor state – the previous owners hadn’t touched it in 20 years and it wasn't safe to walk around up there.'

Cat Earp

The inspiration

Rosie was introduced to Cat's work through a mutual friend. ‘I trusted her vision and it turned out so well,' says Rosie.

open plan kitchen with colourful interiors

Brent Darby

One of Cat’s projects in Dorset

The plan

'Rosie wanted the space to feel fun and whimsical,' says Cat. 'And she loved the idea of a room wrapped in wallpaper from top to bottom.'

Whimsy aside, the attic raised some serious technical challenges. In addition to the bathroom, Rosie wanted to add a dormitory-style bedroom for little ones, a double bedroom for full-sized guests, a small playroom and an office.

‘The conversion required planning permission, and unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to use the whole attic,’ says Cat. ‘It’s really quite small, so it was a challenge making it work.’

Each space and its contents had to be miniaturised, but Cat succeeded in fitting everything in. She assigned the bathroom – the smallest room of all – to a compact spot directly under the eaves.

David Lewis

The process

With a team of trusted builders, the project took a matter of months to complete, although it was hard to find someone brave enough to tackle the tricky wallpapering.

A large Velux window was installed to flood the bathroom with natural light, and the loo was tucked under the eaves – ‘not an ideal spot, but there was no other place to put it,’ remembers Cat. A handy niche was added for storage in the self-contained shower.

'We had already chosen a bright blue paint for the room next door, so I knew a red wallpaper would tie in well,' Cat says. And Rosie didn’t hesitate in saying yes. Three different-coloured tiles were sourced to line the shower, mimicking the tones of the wallpaper perfectly.