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Makeover: Alex's Bathroom
A coat of paint makes all the difference in the smallest room in the flat!
So, the tiling is all finished and our bathroom is looking posh and shiny.
Here’s how it looked when we moved in two years ago and what it looked like a few weeks ago so you can see some of the progress we’ve made.
Thanks amazing landlord!
Obviously a major re-tiling is not a mini-makeover, and that aspect of it is not what this post is about, but just in case my fellow tenants are interested, we struck another deal with our landlord during this redecoration. We paid for the materials, he did the work. The opposite of our garden deal last year, but we weren’t comfortable with all that plumbing, and it was definitely worth having a pro do it.
What I want to write about today is the final touch, which makes a dramatic difference and is also a cheap and easy makeover, tiles or no tiles.
It’s as simple as this – a new coat of paint and a big ol fancy mirror.
Our bathroom has no windows, so no natural light, which was the reason we painted it all white when we first moved in. But we thought we'd be braver with this redecoration – why not paint it a dark colour? There's enough white in the tiles to stop it becoming a cave, and it’s a stunning shade of grey-blue.
For those with an I-Spy book of paint colours, this is Farrow & Ball's new-for-2014 Stiffkey Blue. It's very pretty, and really makes the gilt frame of the mirror look spectacular.
We’ve also gone for a few gold frames in our selection of pictures on the opposite wall. Here’s what it looked like before…
And here’s what it looks like now…
The space feels completely transformed, and the effect looks a whole lot more expensive than it actually was.
We are considering painting the shelves and ceiling to match, for an even more encompassing wash of colour.
So that's our tip – even in a small space you can be bold with colour and accessories, and somehow the teeny-ness of the room enhances the dramatic effect. After all, a big fancy mirror in a big room will raise no eyebrows, but playing with colour and scale in a small space can have a huge impact. Give it a try!