Cloakrooms and small bogs can typically really feel somewhat unloved, however they’re additionally an incredible place to get inventive and go for a bolder design, which is precisely what this house owner did.
Confronted with a design from the earlier homeowners that was to not her style, she determined to utterly rework it with some concepts for the downstairs bathroom, altering the present aquarium theme to a classy scheme.
Needed bathroom makeover downstairs
When Laura Chapman from Cambridge moved in in 2016, the downstairs bathroom was one of many rooms she remembers most. “It was hilarious,” she says. ‘The room was painted in an “beneath the ocean” theme, even all the way down to the ground tiles in sand colours and the ceiling painted with clouds and seagulls! There was additionally a disco ball that spun whenever you turned on the sunshine, in order that the sunshine on the partitions regarded like bubbles beneath the ocean.’
Earlier than
(Picture credit score: Laura Chapman)
Not solely that, however as a result of the final homeowners needed to make the home as mild as attainable, they put in a 12-panel glass door. ‘It wasn’t superb for a bathroom,’ says Laura, ‘as a result of it wasn’t even frozen. We modified it fairly rapidly.’
Nonetheless, the remainder of the design was left for a couple of years for Laura’s kids to take pleasure in. “The children had been younger and we knew they might adore it,” Laura recollects. “Plus, we thought it could encourage them to make use of it and wash their fingers, so we left it out. It is all the time been a pleasant room to point out to their mates.’
(Picture credit score: Laura Chapman)
Even the bathroom itself was included within the theme, with a painted octopus design precedent on the again wall.
Transfer ahead a couple of extra years and it was time for the aquarium theme to go…
After
(Picture credit score: Laura Chapman)
Gone are the fish and blue partitions and of their place is a colourful however mature plan. “My imaginative and prescient was an amalgamation of issues I would seen over time, however I did not have room to strive them out,” says Laura.
‘I had renovated each room in the home earlier than this and actually needed so as to add some wall panel concepts – so why not in the bathroom? I believe it is the one room the place you’ll be able to go loopy, since you’re solely there for 5 minutes and the company adore it!’
Along with her carpenter neighbor serving to with the work, Laura had a brand new ceiling put in (‘to fill the cavity with insulation as a result of it will get so chilly within the winter’) and a brand new vinyl flooring. “I painted the wainscoting between the times our neighbor put in the sink and bathroom, then my mother and I hung the wallpaper,” says Laura.
‘It was my first time wallpapering and I selected the paper from Lust Dwelling (opens in new tab) was so thick – it was a really steep studying curve, however really the perfectionist in me fairly loved the duty. The satisfaction of getting a sample match is unparalleled.”
(Picture credit score: Laura Chapman)
After selecting her wallpaper, Laura determined to make use of the identical pink colour within the sample for the paint, so it had matching colors. “The entire home has the identical palette of pastel pink, grey and denim blue, so after all this room needed to have the identical vibe, however in a extra daring means,” she says.
When it got here to the sink, there was one essential requirement: “I made certain to take a look at the drip issue,” she says. “I am unable to stand a sink that spills water over the edges onto the ground. This one has a border all the way in which round it.”
Having spent round £3,350 on the makeover, Laura has some recommendation for anybody trying to refresh their downstairs bathroom. “I am so in love with this room proper now,” she says, “and whereas the black faucet seems to be nice, we reside in a tough water space the place limescale is a significant downside. I taught my household to dry the tap after each use and after six months it nonetheless seems to be like new.
“It is value investing in some plain white washcloths and utilizing them to dry off the {hardware} after every use — and you too can use them to shine mirrors and bathe screens.”
