Episode 74: Bathroom Design Essentials – Renovations – What’s Possible at Different Price Points

Things to consider: 

• Are your bathroom tiles okay? If they are, then focus on changing outdated tapwear, towel rails, accessories, and basins. Changing these things can make a big difference on your bathroom.  
• If the tiles are not great, painting them may be an option.  This is not ideal on floor tiles as it cannot withstand high traffic, but it is possible on a wall tile. It won’t provide an ideal finish, but it can tidy things up. 
• Painting or changing the cabinetry fronts 
  • Change the doors or drawer fronts and then paint the sides to match 
  • Use new handles on your vanity 
  • Paint the entire vanity using the Dulux Renovator paint range 
• Replace any damaged or outdated light fittings or add decorative lighting for added atmosphere and light sources 
• Paint the bathroom walls with a colour you love. 
• Add a wallpaper- i.e Vinyl wallpaper as they are washable 

Decoration/ Styling tips 

• Add indoor plants 
• Add new towels – It can add colour and pattern to your bathroom 
• Add accessories such as candles, baskets, soap dispensers (ceramic, glass, stone), and shells 
• Adding a different mirror- For instance, replacing a hanging mirror with a rounded mirror to break up all the straight edges that are traditionally in a bathroom. 

• Keep the floorplan the same but change the tiles, cabinetry and tapwear. 
• Changing any plumbing locations adds to the cost. 
• Replace shower bases so they are tiled– creates a sense of space and makes the design more modern and contemporary 
• Replace old shower screens for a frameless shower version- removes the metals and heavy frames that makes the space larger  
  • Relatively straight forward 
  • Need to consider how it affects the shower base 
  • Not difficult to retrofit 
• Re-do the tiles 
  • Ripping out all the tiles is a lot more expensive 
  • You need to consider the levels to your bathroom to determine if you can tile over the top 
  • Redoing the tiles is going to make the space feel completely invigorated. 
• Replace cabinetry, shower and tapwear 
• Replace vanity- go for a floating vanity if you are doing the re-tiling to create an illusion of space.  
• New above counter basin

Luxe bathroom renovation

• Ripping out the whole bathroom -replacing all the tiles, new vanity, new lighting, new shower and all the fitting and fixtures are being replaced.  
• You can change the floorplan – move the toilet or have a separate toilet 
• High-end materials- marbles and natural stones for benchtops and walls 
• Bespoke joinery with luxe veneers and laminates for cabinetry 
• Luxury tapwear with premium finishes such as tumbled living bronze or living brass 
• Under floor heating, heated towel rails and freestanding bath 
• Bathroom connection to outdoors with larger windows, openable windows to landscape. 
• Showers 
  • Rain showers  
  • Jet showers 
  • Outdoor showers 
  • Floor to ceiling window in your shower 
• Luxurious finish in your bathroom such as Tadelakt or Venetian plaster finish 
• Benchtops 
  • Custom freeform concrete benchtop 
  • Recycled glass benchtop 
• Skylights that automatically close- Fabulous for dumping hot air and creating ventilation 

The Bathroom Design Essentials Masterclass – 24th March 2021  

Register on our next webinar- the Bathroom Design Essentials Masterclass, Frances shares key areas to consider when planning for an updated or new bathroom. From ideal layouts, to storage solutions, to design mistakes to avoid, Frances will walk through key factors for bathroom design so you understand key considerations when preparing and planning, and feel confident to ask the right questions. Plus there is a Q&A session too! Reserve your spot now.