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Sunday, 21 July 2013

Bathroom makeover


Back in March, we had a new bathroom installed. Our family bathroom, with an old fashioned bath, no shower, peeling Cath K wallpaper, and little white curtains just wasn't coping with the herd of teenage boys that passed through it regularly. The paint was flaking, mould was growing and we had to do something.
So, we got rid of our bath in favour of a big shower, had a new hot water tank and various plumbing work carried out, and it has worked really well. No more queues or door banging in the mornings now, and plenty of hot water for everyone. 



My idea for the blind and the room colours came from this mood board from (I think) Homes and Gardens. Girly vintage schemes don't work in a bathroom where the majority of users are boys, so I tried to come up with something practical. 
The linen is called Pebbles, by John Lewis. I loved it as soon as I spotted it. A work colleague is just starting a soft furnishings business, so she made me the roman blind and Perry put it up today. 



The bathroom is very small and there are no attractive features in the room. We have not-pretty replacement windows, too, so anything decorative has to come from the added extras. 
The 'tube train station' rectangular plain white tiles are in the shower and on the splash back. My little cupboard cost £20 from Newark Antiques Fair. It was covered in layers of thick paint, and needed a lot of love, but I really liked the size and the fact that it still had a key and a sweet little lock. It took days - and a lot of Nitromors and elbow grease, to get rid of the old paint but I wanted a scrubbed, beachy wood, so I couldn't take the easy chalk paint option this time.



Here is a 'before' shot of the cupboard. And this is what the bathroom looked like before the makeover:



Much easier to keep fresh and clean now, and although I was never a shower enthusiast before, now I love the energising effect it has.



My towel cupboard is an old lidded egg crate turned on its side and with a handle added. The stool (which doesn't always live here, as I was determined not to clutter the space) is a 1950s one which cost £2.50 from a charity shop. I recovered the top with some more John Lewis fabric, this time an oil cloth in a mid-century pattern. The Next tallboy was a reluctant purchase. But it fitted the very tight space and it stores all our essentials, so it had to be done.

I have put up some 1950s towel hooks which add a little shot of colour, and I'll add a pic of these later. For a functional room, I hope it has worked out. 



7 comments:

  1. It looks great and as the mother of two sons I well remember not having girly things in a house full of males. Looks like you have made the most of your space and I really love the towel cupboard you have made and the antique cabinet you renovated.10/10 from me!

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  2. What a transformation you must be so pleased, I love the blind
    Thea xx

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  3. Well done that is a major transformation ....I agree with you about showers...very energising....after a bath all I want to do is sleep....Your towel cupboard is inspirational....Daisy x

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  4. Love the transformation.. I especially like the cupboard you renovated and your towel cupboard.
    Julie x

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  5. I love your makeover. We also have a tiny bathroom and updated it with a white bath etc and a shower over the bath as I am not giving up my baths for anyone! We have gone for blue and white and bleached wood and a blind almost identical to yours. Your little wall cupboard is perfect.

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    1. Ah, we share very similar taste Karen. I had a real dilemma about the bath. I thought I'd miss it terribly, but can honestly say I haven't, I am a complete convert. We have invested the bath money into a lovely big shower though, and I think that has made a difference.

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