Top Reno Tips - Bathrooms (Part 3)
This is our fourth house renovation and we’re undertaking it whilst living here with our four kids and two dogs. We’re doing the renovation in stages. So far on the blog I’ve discussed Stage 1 (Flooring), Stage 2 (Wall Paint) and today Stage 3 (Bathrooms).
I’ve found that taking our time with each stage of the renovation has been great as it’s given us time to really think about how we use the house and outdoor spaces and how we could use it better. So now, let’s continue with the hardest working room in the house - the bathroom.
Stage 3 - Bathrooms
I have to admit that I love to take a bath. So designing gorgeous bathrooms was a top priority for me. When we moved in the house had three and half bathrooms which was great but they were stuck in the early 1990s (see before photo above).
Starting from scratch
We demolished all of the bathrooms and started again. We ripped out everything. Often people ask me whether they should keep their old timber vanities - they’re timber after all. My advice is always the same - don’t. They will date the bathroom - even if you paint them. The profile on the door will be outdated and that will make your new bathroom feel old.
Think about how you want to feel in your new bathroom. For me it’s ‘wow, I love this bathroom’. I promise that you won’t get that feeling if you keep your old cupboards. Some of the best vanities can be bought ‘off-the-shelf’ so you don’t need to blow the budget on joinery.
Choosing Your Style
One of the hardest decisions is to decide on a style. There’s so much inspiration out there that it can be hard to nail down the style that you want for your bathroom.
The way to start is actually quite simple - write down three words to describe your ideal bathroom. For this bathroom, I wanted a hotel style bathroom so my three words were: hotel, marble and luxury. I’d seen some totally amazing bathrooms whilst travelling and these were my inspiration. These three words that helped me to choose everything including the big ticket items: tiles, vanity, tapware and lights.
Picking A Feature
One of the big mistakes that is soooo easy to make is to have too many competing elements - an eye-catching tile, unusual vanity, quirky mirror and hand-made light will all be competing for attention. The trick is to choose one feature item and make everything else work in with that. For example, if you’ve chosen a fabulous tile, that’s the feature item so your other items can be seen as supporting or co-ordinating with it. The eye needs somewhere to rest!
Timing
Our trades did one bathroom at a time and they were all done in three weeks (except for the glass shower screens).
To save time:
I kept the plumbing in the existing spot.
I had all the tapware, baths, vanities, tiles and lights ready on site. (This assists all trades with sizes and placement of items.)
Tip: To avoid the 3 biggest bathroom mistakes, download my FREE Guide.
Stick around, the best is yet to come.
Amber x
PS. Want more tips on transforming your home from an ugly duckling to a swan? Become a Studio V insider here.
