LISTED buildings and period homes are an exciting and specialist part of our work. We often find ourselves designing for unusual spaces and creating modern interiors within basement servants’ quarters or coach house stables, especially in Bristol.

Such transformations mean taking apart some fairly challenging 1970s design disasters or ripping into an 80s fiasco of swags and tails. It all forms part of the interesting heritage of a building and reinventing lost features, where we can, leads to the most rewarding result.

This photograph shows part of a house that makes the most of a spare bedroom in a Grade II listed building in Clifton.

Listing limitations did not allow for an en suite in this instance so a separate shower room next door allows for modern washing, while this room embodies good old fashioned bathing.

This could have been how the room looked and felt more than a century ago – it has the feel of restrained drama.

Nothing feels shop bought or high street; it’s a very unique and cosy style. It’s a playful scheme too, but also practical and the original features remain intact while the newly added bath, bed and storage give a focus and function to the room.

The hexagonal wardrobe wall behind the bath is in a stunning Dutch Green by Marston Langinger and the hexagon facets form a highly unusual front for this floating wall.

Behind the disguised doors are hanging rails, shelves, cubby holes and drawers as well as a TV point, should you want to recline in the bath to watch Downton Abbey.

We found the very sweet antique day bed in Bristol at The Bed Factory in Bedminster and had the made-to-size mattress and bolster cushions covered in old red velvet from Billie Jean’s on Gloucester Road, Bishopston.

It’s empire style lends the room a sense of having always been designed this way, which is something we as designers like to aim for. We like interiors that are appropriate and sympathetic to the architecture of the building. Vintage seemed to fit on this occasion, with the deep tones and rich fabric redolent of a Bronte or Dickensian scene with a modern twist.

 For details, contact Gill on 07850 499 007, 0117 239 3486, or gill@goodchildinteriors.net, or see www.goodchildinteriors.net