Be inspired by this brilliant bathroom transformation
Planning a new look for your bathroom? Check out this glamorous makeover and take away some ideas for your own project
Buying an old rental apartment in East Sussex gave the owners the chance to work with a blank canvas when it came to their bathroom. It was a small windowless room that had been created by stealing space from the living room and had basic sanitaryware, magnolia walls and cheap linoleum flooring that looked drab and uninspiring.
The couple wanted a bathroom design that would make their space look bigger and feel more luxurious, but without doing any major structural work, so to create more space they took out the false ceiling and moved the door to the left of the room.
The new layout created space for both a shower and a bath. 'We were adamant that we wanted a low-profile walk-in shower, plus a roll-top bath,' say the couple. And they managed to squeeze in both by opting for a compact bath and a shower with a wet-room-style floor instead of a bulky shower tray.
1/10 Glamorous gold bathroom
Inspiration for the gold detailing came from a stay at a glamorous London hotel where they saw the gold metro tiles around a pillar in the bar and thought they'd look amazing in the bathroom. 'The company we bought the fittings from advised us to keep the rest of the design simple, to avoid it looking like Liberace's en-suite!' the couple laugh, 'but we think that the white porcelain tones the look down enough to avoid that.'
Bath
The Brighton Bath Company
Similar floor tiles
Walls and Floors
2/10 Walk-in shower
The low-profile shower screen doors give the open wet-room look that the couple wanted. The tiled floor removes the need for a bulky shower tray.
Screen and shower fittings
Cifial
Similar gold tiles
Walls and Floors
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3/10 Smart tiling
Using grey grouting instead of white makes the metro tiles really stand out. The inset area provides storage space for shower kit.
White tiles
Topps Tiles
Shower fittings
Cifial
4/10 Glam radiator
A slimline towel warmer in a gold finish adds a touch of luxury, while still being functional.
Towel warmer
Bard & Brazier
Embroidered bath towel
House of Fraser
5/10 Chic basin
A wall-mounted sink in a smaller size maximises the space.
Basin
Duravit
Basin mixer tap
Cifial
6/10 Ornate bath
A slipper bath with ornate feet helps create the luxe look.
Bath
The Brighton Bath Company
Similar floor tiles
Walls and Floors
7/10 Gold taps
The basin fixtures, loo flush and bath mixer taps were all electroplated in gold to make sure that the shade was consistent.
Bath mixer in gold
Cifial
White metro tiles
Topps Tiles
8/10 Storage niche
Building a recess shelf into the shower gives valuable storage within the compact bathroom, while the gold tiles turn it into a feature.
Similar gold tiles
Walls and Floors
Toiletries
Attic
9/10 Luxe toiletries
Gold tiles add a touch of hotel-style luxury.
Similar gold tiles
Walls and Floors
Gold ginger jar
Mitzi B
10/10 Before the work was done
The bathroom before the makeover. What a transformation!
Lisa is Deputy Editor of Style at Home magazine and regularly contributes to sister title Ideal Home. She has written about interiors for more than 25 years and about pretty much every area of the home, from shopping and decorating, crafts and DIY to real home transformations and kitchen and bathroom makeovers. Homes and interiors have always been a passion and she never tires of nosying around gorgeous homes, whether on TV, online, in print or in person.
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