A small bathroom makeover...
My bathroom has been my latest little project in the house, whilst only small, there have just been so many little things that have made me very unhappy about it, and I decided it was time to sort them out and make it into a more homely little space. It's by no means perfect, and there's still things I'd like to change, like the toilet and the sink and the bath panel, but for now I'm pretty happy with how it's turned out on a very small budget too! If you fancy finding out all about the process then keep reading, I'll start of with sharing some before snaps...
the before...
So the before snaps were taken before the major changes were made, I'd still tried to decorate it a little with a pretty bath mat and baskets from homesense - but there was just no escaping that ugly grey vinyl to be honest, was there? I hated it so much! And those bath taps, I hate separate bath taps and much prefer a mixer. I also hated that the only shower head thing (what is it even called?) was fixed to the wall and it made it really difficult to rinse out the bath, wash your hair if you were having a bath rather than a shower, as well as to rinse Ru off. Not ideal at all when you have a little one and rinse them off regularly due to nappy explosions, when they're covered in glitter and paint... and well if you're a mum you'll get the drift!
the flooring...
The biggest change I made was finally saying goodbyeeeee to that ugly vinyl. My absolutely gorgeous bathroom tiles are from Verona. They are the Goya Ceramic Wall & Floor tiles and I'm just in love with them. I remember once being sent a vinyl sample with a beautiful tile pattern on and desperately wanting to have a bathroom with such lovely flooring one day - and I can safely say my dreams have come true. I only have a small bathroom so they didn't cost too much to get put down and the guy did a fab job. If you're local to York and ever want a plumber/tiler recommendation hit me up! As for the tiles themselves, Verona have such a beautiful collection of tiles and I had my eyes on three different designs. I knew I loved these the most but I got some opinions from the fam and they agreed, so that was that! I love the fact that the Goya tiles are both floor and wall tiles too, if my walls weren't already tiled I would have totally put these on the walls too. The sample pictures on their website are just so gorge.
The tiles have a matte finish rather than a glossy one so they're not slippery at all which is fab when you have a little one running around. And he loves jumping out the bath for some reason! They're also so easy to go over with the spray mop and I just couldn't be happier with the look of them in my little bathroom. The pattern is just stunning and it really makes a statement, they're nice and bright which is perfect for such a small space, but they also have enough detail that they have that 'wow' factor. I've been asked so much already where they're from as everyone has loved them both in real life and when I've shared snippets on insta! I actually enjoy my evening soaks so much more now... is that weird? Adding beautiful statement things to your home definitely makes such a difference. If you head over the Verona website, you can find your local stockist and go and see them in person or request samples before you buy. I highly recommend having a browse, you won't be disappointed!
adding details...
I'd taken everything out of the bathroom (obviously) in order for the flooring to be put in, so after it was all finished, I had an empty shell to decorate which was lots of fun. I'd already bought some storage and things from ikea a few weeks ago, but I was lacking in things like plants, prints, a bathroom mirror etc. I'm working with Desenio next month on a blog post which you'll see then, but for that collaboration I picked out a couple of prints for the bathroom which I put up above the toilet. I was originally going to place them side by side but they look so much better like this and I'm really happy with them! I went for black frames for some contrast on the white walls, and opted for some dried grass kinda photographs which I feel fit in well with a bathroom. My baskets are from Homesense as mentioned, I have some in my storage units and then I have one on the floor that I use for dirty washing. I have a washing basket but it never stays in there and I don't really have the room for one of those tall laundry baskets so I thought just a cute little woven basket would work well and is good for carrying the washing downstairs with too. Plus it looks cuuuuute.
I added in some plants for a splash of greenery, the plant in the corner by the toilet (is it a yucca?) was a Lidl find and it was only a fiver so I'm chuffed with that. I already had an empty plant pot at home that it fit into perfectly so that was a match made in heaven. That ones real by the way! The one on the toilet top is a faux plant from Homesense, you may recognise it as it's usually on my bedside table, but it's a temporary fix until I find something to replace it with. I think it looks cute though and it fills a spot that I would never have thought to fill if that makes sense? Adding coir logo mats to the entrance of the bathroom would be a good choice too, as door mats can add extra style and help with hygiene. My bathroom mirror is a beauty and would you believe it's only £18 from Dunelm. I got mine for even less, there's a tiny chip in the side so it was reduced to £10 and was the only one they had so I snapped up that barg. You can't even see the chip! It's the Vintage Bevelled Mirror. Oh, and I totally loved the ones I got to see at Royal Bathrooms, too!
the bath tap...
I really think it's amazing how much of a difference something like a different bath tap can make! Not only is having a mixer literally so much more convenient (seriously) but I went for a traditional one, and let's face it, she's a beaut isn't she? I found this little gem on Screwfix for such an affordable price and it does not disappoint. Even the 'hot' and 'cold' text on the taps is in a beautiful handwritten font and I wasn't expecting it to look anywhere as nice as it actually does! You can't really see the font in these images but some of the other taps I've viewed, it looks a bit naff. It's all about the little details isn't it? I'd love the roll top bath to pair it with but for now I'll settle... let the cosy bath tray snaps begin! You can take a look at some of these options and more if you head over to Bathshack; they have a wide range of taps and other fixtures available to browse there.
small bathroom storage...
I think you can see from the images how small my bathroom is, it doesn't need to be any bigger really as it does the job perfectly, but when it comes to storage it can be a bit annoying. I made a trip to ikea to see what I could find and I came across the RÅGRUND Shelving Unit which was perfect. It had to be quite a specific width as if you can see in the images above, it had to fit between the side of the bath and the radiator. I really loved the VILTO Shelving Unit too but it was like a couple of cm two wide annoyingly! Anyway the RÅGRUND Shelving Unit is actually taller so has more storage and it's bamboo so it fits in with the warmth from the wall tiles nicely. The wall above the radiator is a bit bare but it's where the door opens and in a house with just Ru & I, it doesn't get shut all that much so I didn't see the point in filling this space. I filled the shelving unit with some baskets that I found in Homesense and now I have somewhere to store all of my toiletries! I also put wall shelf up on another wall with another basket from Homesense on with more bits and bobs in, and then next to it is just a stash of loo rolls. The shelves below that one are also Ikea finds and are perfect for keeping my cleansers, face masks and just basically all of my skincare bits on. It's not the most appealing shelfie but it's so so handy!
And that's basically it for my little bathroom makeover. I hope this gave you a bit of inspiration if you also have a tiny bathroom and aren't sure what to do with it or how to add storage. I love adding detail to my little cosy house, I don't think it's about the size of your space, just what you do with it!
Disclaimer: The Verona tiles featured in this post were gifted to me in exchange for a review.
