Journal

Spring is in the air, and in fashion and interiors that means one thing: a proliferation of pastels! When it comes to the bathroom, however, a gentle, muted colour palette is not just for the warmer months – it works wonderfully all year round, creating a peaceful, tranquil ambience in a room that is made for relaxation and indulgence.

Picture the archetypal roll-top bath and there’s a good chance that the image in your mind bears a close resemblance to Catchpole & Rye’s Le Bain de Bateau.

First manufactured in late 19th-century France for the fashionable aristocracy, the bateau style of bath is still seen as a luxury product today thanks to its attractive shape and generous proportions. Although the core design has remained the same for over 100 years, the range of finishes and customising options that we can offer our clients makes the bateau bath a true chameleon that looks at home in any scheme, from the most traditional to the most contemporary.

Great craftsmanship is at the heart of what we do at Catchpole & Rye. We know that our customers value the high quality of our finished products, but not many people get to witness the behind-the-scenes work that goes into their creation. With this in mind, we got together with the company’s founder, Tony O’Donnell, to find out more about how our products are made.

We’ve always considered ourselves a local business – we design and manufacture from our base in Ashford, Kent – but the high reputation of English design and manufacturing gives our bathrooms an international appeal. As well as finding Catchpole & Rye baths and showers in homes across London and the UK, you’ll also find them across the globe, from the Americas to Africa and the Middle East and as far away as Australia.

Our international projects offer an array of inspirational ideas for holiday homes, luxury hotels and tropical getaways – here are just a few of our latest designs for global clientele.

While Catchpole & Rye might be best known for our passion for antique baths and our faithful replicas of 19th-century French designs, we are also innovators. Perhaps the most striking example of this is the latest addition to our collection – The Mayfair shower tray, a ground-breaking design that has been turning heads since its launch earlier this year.

Our attitude to the bathroom has changed. No longer seen as purely functional, it has become an indulgent space in which we choose to linger, wallow and relax mind, body and soul. More and more square metres (and budget) are being dedicated to the bathroom, making it one of the most luxurious rooms in the home.

The bathroom’s changing role has been driven by the luxury wellness and hotel industry, which continues to raise the bar with its spectacular bathroom design concepts and high-end amenities. When planning a getaway, it is often the show-stopping bathrooms and spa facilities that capture our imagination and lead us choose one hotel over another.

The key to any successful building or renovation project is thorough planning, and a new bathroom is no different. If you’re redesigning your bathroom (or adding one from scratch), you’re probably grappling with questions about budget, plumbing, layout, styles and finishes, many of which need to be answered early on in the process. But don’t panic! Our design team is on hand to help you with the many decisions that lie ahead.

It’s easy to get bogged down in the detail, but a project of this scale represents a long-term investment, so it’s important to get it right first time. A meeting with one of our consultants will leave no stone unturned – we’ve been involved in many a bathroom project, so there aren’t many challenges that we haven’t faced!

The roar of engines, the flash of flags and a crowd dressed to impress in the best post-war fashions – not the set of a period drama but a unique three-day motor racing festival on the Earl of March’s beautiful Goodwood Estate in West Sussex where vintage is all the rage. Held every September, The Goodwood Revival is a celebration of the halcyon days of motor racing around a classic circuit, and the only historic race meeting to be staged in period dress. The Revival recalls the glory days of Goodwood Circuit, which once ranked alongside Silverstone as Britain’s leading race track. Between 1948 and 1966 Goodwood’s triumphant race card included Formula one, the Goodwood Nine Hours race and the renowned Tourist Trophy sports car race.

“On the whole, I wish I’d stayed in Tunbridge Wells.” So says Mr Dryden in Lawrence of Arabia. And we at Catchpole & Rye wholeheartedly agree having become the newest member of Tunbridge Wells’ budding design hub. The recent opening of our showroom on Calverley Road marks the start of an exciting new chapter for us. Opened by the newly elected mayor, Councillor David Neve, the 3,500 square foot showroom – our largest to date – is set over two floors and showcases an exclusive collection of luxurious freestanding baths and bathroom products in both classic and contemporary finishes.