Renovation Diaries || Bathroom Plans

As you may have guessed from recent posts, having been in our beautiful house for a year, we’re starting to ramp up the ol’ renovation plans. Pretty much every room in our house needs big structural and decorative changes, and we’re currently debating between starting with the living room, which still looks pretty much like it did in this post, or the bathroom, which I walked you around in a series of Instagram Stories which are now saved in my Highlights.

Plus for doing the living room first is that we spend more time in there, it’s the space for entertaining, and would be lovely to extend the outside, inside with our plans for bi-fold doors across the whole back wall. However, the plusses for doing the bathroom are the fact that the 90’s tiles annoy me every time I see them, and quite honestly, I really miss having a bath! So today’s post is providing me with some inspiration so that hopefully soon, we’ll be able to fall in love with it all over again!

 

Turning your bathroom into a piece of Heaven

When it comes to redesigning rooms in our homes, the bathroom often takes a backseat. Bathroom tiles, a tired looking basin complete with taps that have seen better days, and that discoloured shower curtain that sticks to you …they seem to be things that we just learn to live with.

Enough is enough! Now is the time to pull down that faded old blind, bin that saturated bathmat and kick out that dirty old loo brush. We spend a lot of time in the bathroom, so why not make it somewhere you can actually enjoy?

 

Take a look at your suite

If you have the budget, take a look at your bathroom suite. Is it time to make a change? Maybe the colour is faded or perhaps it would look better in a previous decade? Or perhaps, you could simply upgrade your taps or invest in a new massage shower head; this alone will really catapult your bathroom into a more modern age and give a real sense of freshness. With mine and Adam’s renovation plans, we’re actually intending to change our whole suite, as well as adding in an en suite from our bedroom next door into the part of the bathroom that currently hosts the cuddle chair. In the main bathroom I want a huge powerful shower, simple clean sink and loo, and a lovely matching bath. It’s been weird not having one for the last year, and I’m so looking forward to a long soak! In the en suite, to conserve space, we’re just going to go for a loo, a small sink and an electric shower, so we have the option of turning the boiler on and off in the summer when it’s just the two of us.

 

Colours

If you’ve ever visited a spa, then you’ll know that treatment rooms and relaxation areas aren’t exactly bursting with eye popping colours. If you’re hoping to recreate a feeling of tranquillity and serenity at home, then you’ll need to use a calming and earthy palette of colours like, dark greens and greys. though I also love the idea of a darker navy blue like F&B Railings. As we have a significantly sized bathroom (ridiculous if you ask me), I’m wondering if we could get away with this, but if you’re bathroom area is quite limited, then try a lighter pastel colour on one wall opposite a window; it’ll lighten the room and give the illusion of space.

Clutter

Clutter is stressful. All those products you have sitting around the bath won’t help either! When you go to a spa, you’ll notice that counter tops are clear – except maybe a few candles – and any products or equipment are hidden away from view. Try to apply the same to your new bathroom, find new homes for razors, hairbrushes and toothpaste. If storage is an issue, the why not add some shelving or wicker storage baskets lined with fabric in a calming, neutral colour? We’re going to maximise the boxing around the edge of the room as I like the tongue and groove style, but it’s currently wasting space everywhere other than under the window.

Flooring

We often think we’re restricted on bathroom flooring solutions. But did you know that you can make that spa feeling even more authentic with faux wood that are simply porcelain or ceramic tiles that imitate the texture of wood! They also have a high resistance to water, making them quite a safe addition to any bathroom space. I always snubbed the idea of them, until I watched Fleur De Force’s Vlog on her bathroom renovation and realised quite how lovely they can look! Plus with our current faux wood bathroom flooring, I like the look of it, just not the quality. In the flat, the bathroom tiles we put up when we renovated were excellent, and very reasonably priced, so we may go for something similar again. Having underfloor heating would be glorious too!

 

So here you have the “before” – I’d have liked to have waited and shown you an “after” tour as well, but as you can imagine, these things take time, and we’ll be planning, installing and redecorating for a while before I can reveal my new and improved bathroom space!

 

What do you think you’d have in your ideal bathroom?

 

 

***This post was in collaboration with a brand, but as ever all opinions are my own***