Small Bathroom Makeover : Final Reveal

So after all this time, I am finally able to reveal my new bathroom…HURRAH!! We’ve been using it for a few weeks now and it has changed our lives. It’s amazing what a difference it can make to how you feel about your home. This is the only room in our flat for which we have chosen every single detail. It is exactly how we wanted it, and we love it!

But for you to get a real feel for how much better it is now, I think you really need to see before and after pics together. I’m so used to the new bathroom now that I had kind of forgotten just how bad it was, so when I saw the before pics again they kind of took my breath away, and not in a good way! Take a look and you’ll see what I mean.

Firstly, here is a reminder of the moodboard that I created for my new bathroom. You can read my previous post on our small bathroom makeover to find out where we sourced everything from, if you are interested.

*This post contains affiliate links which are marked with an asterisk*

And here it all is finally in place and looking fantastic, I’m sure you’ll agree. It so weird seeing this virtual idea for a bathroom having become a physical room. I’ve never done anything like this before and I am actually so proud of myself. It has given me a lot more confidence to trust my instincts and have a go. Don’t get confused though, this wasn’t a DIY effort, we did have a plumber and a tiler in to do all the work for us, but I’m just saying that I’m happy with the way I put it all together.

My favourite part of the whole bathroom is without doubt the wall tiles. They are absolutely stunning and I smile every time I walk into the bathroom and see them. They are from the *Form and Function* range from *British Ceramic Tile* and I truly love the subtle hexagonal pattern and the matt finish of the tiles. The texture created from the relief adds a whole new level of interest to the bathroom and is really eye-catching.

The tiles are always the first thing people comment on when they use the bathroom. I have to give a huge thank you to British Ceramic Tile for helping us out with this project and for gifting us the tiles. Without their support I highly doubt that we would have been able to create such an amazing bathroom and for this we are truly grateful. I have also loved working with a local company as they are based just down the road from us in Devon.

I also want to give a shout out to *Victoria Plum* who were very helpful throughout this project. We ordered the toilet and sink unit and the bath and bath panel from them as it was exactly the compact little unit that I had in mind for our small bathroom and it was the only place that I could find something truly space-saving that was within budget.

But we did have a few hiccups during installation. Our plumber unfortunately chipped the panel on the toilet when he dropped it accidentally. Victoria Plum customer services were brilliant though and replaced it for us. After all the hard work that went into this bathroom I just couldn’t live with that small imperfection. Also, once the plumber had fitted the tap on the basin we realised that we had no hot water coming from the tap. On inspection it appeared that the cartridge inside the mixer tap was faulty. Again Victoria Plum replaced the tap for us no questions asked.

The one thing I slightly regret about the design of this bathroom is the fact that I chose white tiles for the bathroom floor. I mean what on earth was I thinking? Sure, they look absolutely fabulous and they are gorgeous tiles, which I really love, but having a white floor in a family bathroom, especially when you have two tiny kids, perhaps wasn’t the most practical choice.

Every mark and bit of dirt, every hair on the floor stands out like a beacon. I have to hoover and mop the floor every day if I want to keep it looking pristine, which isn’t always possible, so it can end up not looking its best. In years to come, when I have more time for cleaning, I know I’ll be happy I chose these tiles but for now it has added to my workload a little at home.

All the geometric grey and yellow accessories that I bought from the *House at John Lewis range* are the perfect accompaniment to the bathroom and really look great against the Hex wall tiles.

We had a slight issue with some pipework down beside the toilet. We had hoped to run it inside the wall so that it wasn’t on show but due to the positioning of the pipework this wasn’t possible. The wall that it runs along is a supporting wall and by the time we would have removed a long section at the base of the wall to embed the pipes it would have weakened the wall too much. So our plumber advised us to use chrome pipe and I’ve got to say I think it looks really smart. Yes it was a compromise but one that I can live with.

The shower looks fantastic now, much more stylish than the white plastic one we had before. And the chrome piping matches the other side of the room beside the toilet so it all ties in nicely.

The shelf that we put up above the window has worked out absolutely brilliantly. It’s from the Grundtal kitchen range at IKEA and it has provided us with the much needed storage solution that we were really missing in the bathroom. Now we have somewhere to store all of our toilet rolls as opposed to having the packet on the floor beside the toilet, which always looked awful.

I also bought some seagrass baskets from IKEA which are perfect for storing toiletries that we don’t use every day. They are easy to get to if we need them but otherwise up out of the way. The shelf hasn’t affected how much light comes into the room at all so that is a bonus. I definitely recommend looking up to find additional storage space if you don’t have much room for floor standing furniture in your small bathroom.

Changing the radiator for this towel radiator has made a big difference too. We now have somewhere to hang our stylish new towels and more importantly somewhere to dry them.

And finally everything looks all pristine and white. No more mouldy silicone or yellowing grout!

So what do you guys think of my small bathroom makeover? My first ever home improvement project. I’m so pleased it’s done and that we love it. Now I should have more confidence to get on and tackle the other jobs we need to do around the house. I’d love to know what you think though so please leave a comment below.