Tag: bathroom remodel

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Saving money by using VJ panels instead of tiles in our new en suite reno

Welcome to the third and final Monday in a row (for a while, anyway!) of sharing a project from my very own home! I hope you enjoyed the flatpack built-in entertainment unit and the navy and gold laundry earlier in the month!

Light, bright and classic

Today, I’m sharing our en suite, which probably involved the most thought, planning, work and money, of the three projects we completed just before Christmas. Funnily enough, this room was the most modern (I’m guessing an 80s/90s extension) of them all when we moved in. Which is pretty funny when you consider the before pictures below! Hello, beige and brown!

Bathrooms are, by their very nature, bloody expensive rooms! And while we did a complete rip out and re-do with our main bathroom, we didn’t have the funds (nor did we consider them worth spending) to do the same for our en suite. But after almost four years, we really wanted to finally finish off the two remaining very dated rooms of this “nanna house,” this and the laundry. They were definitely a couple of pimples on an otherwise pretty face!

Where the shower wall tiles meet the wall panelling

We all know tiles and particularly tiling, add up in a bathroom reno. In a bid to avoid some of this cost, as well as the time and mess involved in a “real” bathroom reno (I have limited patience!), we decided to tile over the existing tiles (which is perfectly fine to do if your tiles are sound), and we did that with the floor tiles. The new floor tiles from TileCloud are as similar as we could find to the ones we used in the main bathroom.

We never considered DIY-ing this part and left it to a professional tiler. And yes, we waterproofed underneath, especially as we also took the opportunity to remove the hob around the shower! It was reassuring to find a quality copper fold shower tray underneath! The tilers did our laundry and front porch at the same time which cost less than doing the three jobs separately.

These tiles are very similar to those in our main bathroom and I adore the texture

Despite this whole tile-on-tile situation making me stress out a bit over how it would come together, it all worked out really well. We also tiled over the tiles within the shower itself. Again, we chose tiles as similar as we could to what we used in the main bathroom, again from TileCloud, for some continuity, keeping it all very simple and clean.

No fancy in-wall cistern here, just a new, slimline toilet to save money!

Where we really saved money (and also got a great look aesthetically), was in going over the remaining wall tiles with VJ panelling (which we painted the same blue/grey as the other VJ in our kitchen, dining and living rooms). While floor to ceiling tiles always look great, they’re really not that necessary unless you plan on throwing water around your room in a big way! And of course the cost of the tiles, and the tiler, adds up.

I initially planned for this paneling to be painted the same navy as our bedroom in order to achieve a nice flow from one room to the other, but I made a last minute call to go grey instead because I felt the dark blue would overpower the small room. I think this was a good call. The lesson learned here was not to feel you have to stick rigidly to your plan! Although we already had the navy paint and it feels a waste (I’ll find somewhere to use it with my love of navy!), we had leftover grey paint so thankfully it didn’t cost us any more.

We used clear silicone around the sink

We didn’t use Intrim’s VJ Board Pro in here (like we used in the living room) because MDF and wet rooms are not a match made in heaven. Intrim advised that a much more sensible option was their timber lining boards (their LB03 lining board in 185mm wide panels) which click together and come pre-primed and ready to paint any colour you like.

We kept everything in the same spot, just replacing with new, to save time and money.

The trickiest part of this entire room was working out how to attach the lining boards safely to the wall, covering the tiles, and how and where the shower tiles would meet the panelling without looking clunky. Lucky I had my superstar tradesman Trent Ayton from Pure Renovation Group on hand to come up with the solution because I sure didn’t have a clue! He didn’t feel that simply gluing the panels onto the wall tiles and adding a chair rail was secure enough.

In progress

He explains: “We made sure the existing tiles were sound and cleaned them well. Then we used a U-shaped metal tile trim that was both glued and screwed onto the existing tiled walls, then fit the VJ using quality adhesive. We used the same trim top and bottom and painted this the same as the timber so it all blends in well and you don’t even notice it’s metal.”

Trent looked after everything except the tiling, plumbing and electrical (really just replacing light switches and sockets with new, disconnecting the old mirror light and connecting the new, under-vanity LED light. Trent also gave me very helpful direction on which trades I needed and when in the process, allowing me to confidently project manage the job myself and save a lot of money.

We had hoped to use a Bunnings off the shelf shower screen (we replaced what was there when we moved in with one of these because the door kept getting stuck!) but after tiling over tiles on the wall and floor, things were not plumb enough! So that cost us more than we hoped ($800) but having semi-frameless does look much more streamlined.

The LED light adds a touch of luxury in an otherwise quite basic en suite

The look and feel of this bathroom is very clean, light and modern (but also quite classic!). I really love the look of the VJ panels and I feel we added some important warmth and a bit of wow-factor with the beautiful vanity and mirror cabinet (thanks to Matt Michel for suggesting this size and style and letting me bounce ideas!) from The Blue Space. I loved that we were able to customise these Timberline products online, choosing options like the LED lighting (which is perfect for going to the bathroom in the middle of the night!), a white ceramic waste (which we also have in the main) and the timber veneer colour, which I’m thrilled with. I also love how the timber veneer is the same on the outside of the mirror cabinet to match the vanity below. It’s a very similar look to our more expensive solid timber vanity in the main bathroom.

I much prefer the view from our bedroom now!

We decided to use chrome tapware rather than matching the brass in the main bathroom, mainly to save money on having to replace the shower, and gold shower options are limited. We also avoided moving any plumbing unless we really had to (we had to move the plumbing up behind the vanity because we replaced a floor standing one with a floating option). We chose Meir tapware though, as we have for our kitchen, laundry and main bathroom, because we love the look and quality and it provided continuity in style if not colour. The wall hooks, towel rail and toilet roll holder are also from them.

I am delighted to say someone took the old vanity off our hands via Freecycle (who doesn’t hate landfill?) although the same cannot be said for the old toilet with the padded seat!

To avoid drilling into two layers of tiles (nerve-racking much? Plus, maintaining the integrity of the waterproofing), I researched the suction options and this Fusion-Loc brand from Bunnings (about $40) gets rave reviews, actually stays on, doesn’t rust and looks pretty good for a stick on option!

Every decision we made with this bathroom was a careful weigh-up between aesthetics and cost. This bathroom is not the showstopper the main bathroom is, but it wasn’t intended to be and frankly, we didn’t need it to be. We do really love it though, and the colour palette means it’s really light and bright, a far cry from the beige and brown!

However, as it didn’t end up being a navy bathroom to tie in with the navy master bedroom, I’m now thinking about re-painting the bedroom the same blue-grey to tie it back in with the bathroom (It never ends in this house!)! I have loved having a dark and moody bedroom but maybe I’m ready for a change! Dark walls also show up dust!

We finished off with a few accessories from my favourites Oliver Thom, including the navy Zone bin, Skandinavisk toiletries and Norm toilet brush. The Angus & Celeste pink jelly planter was a Christmas gift from my dad and adds a nice pop of colour.

We are replacing our old windows later this year and I’m looking forward to swapping the older sliding window (nicely hidden behind the shutters) with louvres. At this point, I’ll probably ditch the shutters as privacy and keeping light out aren’t considerations and louvres and shutters would be a bit much. What do you think?

I hope you get some ideas from our semi-budget en suite reno! Feel free to ask any questions in the comments!

The finer details

Vanity: 900mm Timberline Nevada Plus Wall Hung Vanity with Alpha Ceramic Top from The Blue Space.

Mirror cabinet: 600mm Timberline Jazz Arch shaving Cabinet from The Blue Space

We chose the Tasmanian Oak Woodmatt finish for both the above

Tiles: (Floor) Byron Travertine Look Ivory Matt and (Wall) Newport Gloss Large Square from TileCloud

Wall panelling: Intrim’s LB03 lining board in the 185mm wide panels

End trim to fix the panels to the wall: Roberts 12mm x 3.3m end trim from Bunnings

Paint: Chinchilla Fur in semi gloss from Haymes Paint (panels) and Light Frost by Haymes Paint (walls).

Taps, towel rail, robe hooks and toilet roll holder: from Meir

Trades: Pure Renovation Group

Accessories: Oliver Thom and (towels) Aura Home.

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Leigh Campbell shares new bathrooms, with plenty of skincare storage!

Beauty influencer Leigh Campbell, as you might expect, has a lot of skincare! So the original seventies bathroom and ensuite that came with her apartment weren’t cutting it. The overflow had to be kept in baby Alexander’s room! But her new bathrooms are storage heaven and a lot more stylish!

Managing to combine husband Rich’s industrial taste with her love of Moroccan/Turkish vibes, they’re serene but small spaces, where every inch has been maximised. Leigh splurged on handmade Moroccan feature tiles and saved on Bunnings tapware to achieve the reno, which wasn’t really in the budget.

“The original bathrooms were typical of 50 years ago: cream mosaic tiles (not in the good way), thick frosted glass shower and tiny vanities. Storage was dire,” says, Leigh who is executive editor at Mamamia, where she presents the very popular You Beauty podcast. When Leigh reviews makeup and skincare, whether it’s budget or luxury, people sit up and listen! But buying a home when you’re 37 weeks pregnant and then moving in with a newborn, isn’t something she recommends!

“We renovated the kitchen right away because it was unliveable but hadn’t planned on doing the bathrooms so soon after. Then we were heading overseas for a wedding so figured it made sense to do them (and the laundry) while we were already going to be out of the home and the cats would be in boarding. Two birds with one stone and all that.”

“I really needed a lot of face-level storage. I kept asking for it to be bigger! Before we renovated I had secondary storage in my son’s room. He’s one now and accumulating ‘stuff’ of his own so I really needed a proper solution in the bathroom.”

They moved the toilet in the main bathroom so they could accommodate a bigger vanity and also changed the separate bath and shower to a shower over bath. “Not the chicest option but good for resale and the spot for the bath before was simply too small.” Leigh couldn’t handle the thought of cleaning behind a freestanding tub, but getting rid of it altogether was never an option as she enjoys a relaxing soak.

Beauty cupboard goals!

While Rich definitely had a say in the reno of the three-bedroom apartment in Sydney’s Randwick, he left most of the decisions to Leigh. “He stopped me when I wanted a teal concrete sink though, so I knew my limits!”

If the reno newbies had their time again, they’d have done the kitchen, bathrooms and laundry all in one go, before moving in, for cost and consistency. “Renovating when the apartment has your things in it is not ideal. I am still cleaning dust off surfaces, mostly inside my wardrobe, every single day,” Leigh, 38, says.

The improved storage has been the best improvement to the functionality of the bathrooms, and a bigger bath to bathe Alexander too. And while those handmade feature tiles were $200 per sqm, Leigh says they make her heart sing and you can’t put a price on that! “All our matte black tap ware is Mondella from Bunnings; really good prices but still with a 10-year warranty, which was important.”

The Concrete Cloudburst Ceasarstone vanity tops with their textured finish, are another favourite element. Leigh no longer cringes every time she takes a shower, and her evening bath has become much more enjoyable and spa-like.

When it came to the laundry, she had the ingenious idea to incorporate a built-in kitty litter for her two much-loved cats. “Before, we had a huge plastic dome in the laundry for their kitty litter. Not chic. When I was designing the space, I opted for a shallow basin so I could fit their toilet underneath. A doggy door was cut into the cupboard door and there you have it: a built-in kitty toilet.”

While the multitude of decisions can make bathrooms one of the most stressful rooms to renovate, Leigh’s a woman who knows what she wants, and the hardest thing for her was actually wait times. “That’s a lesson learned for next time.”

The You Beauty podcast | Follow Leigh on Instagram

Photography: Jacqui Turk

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Waterproof wallpaper the star in interior designer’s bold bathroom

It’s a myth that interior designers live in perfect homes, and Donna Allen waited a long 15 years to get her dream bathroom renovation, complete with a bold waterproof wallpaper!

While the 1970s bathroom had had a few cosmetic changes, like removing the original mauve wallpaper, she lived with it for much longer than she anticipated, but it was worth the wait! “As interior designers we can be our own worst client. If only I had several homes to indulge in all of my favourite things!

“In the end though, renovating my own home is a privilege for several reasons. It gives me the opportunity to push design boundaries that may be difficult to do with a client, it allows me to experience first-hand what it is like to live through a renovation and therefore better support my clients through the process, and it gives me a chance to even more closely collaborate with my suppliers and trades.”

BEFORE

Donna has a bit of an obsession with new and different materials and how they can be successfully incorporated into a design, so when she came across the waterproof wallpaper at a trade fair two years ago, she knew she wanted it for her bathroom. The challenge was in selecting the design from the many available options!

AFTER
BEFORE

She also consciously chose a majority of Australian products. “We are so lucky to have access to the calibre of designers and artisans in Australia that we do and I am keen to support and showcase them whenever possible, both personally and in my business.”  

With such a statement wallpaper (Arctic Wind by Wall & Deco, from Pure Interiors), Donna, who owns The Space Within, says the room needed some strong supporting players for balance.

“More subtle but equally stunning are the terrazzo floor tiles from Barefoot Living. The colours of the aggregate are soft but the large chip size gives the tile substance. The other hero is the freestanding Amélie bath from Rogerseller. It is a modern take on a traditional clawfoot bath and the fluid lines mirror that of the wallpaper.”  

Ensuring the existing slab was structurally sound was one of the biggest challenges at the outset of the project. “Our original plan was to replace the slab completely but as we demolished the existing bathroom, we realised that because of how it was tied into the walls of the house, we wouldn’t be able to. We had to bring a structural engineer who advised that the full slab needed reinforcement from underneath.”  

A few small but strategic changes were made to the layout to get the most out of the space. By moving the toilet to the opposite wall, Donna created room for a separate shower and freestanding bath. She also changed the hinged door to a cavity slider, which created much more circulation space.  “The bathroom feels larger now even though we didn’t change the footprint.”

Donna and her husband Chris love the end result. “It’s a space that is both calming and refreshing at the same time. Stepping into the room is like taking a swim in the ocean on a hot summer’s day. It’s such a luxury to have a long, deep bath to relax in!”

Donna shares some expert tips for anyone embarking on a bathroom renovation, which can be stressful, expensive and take several weeks, if not months!

“A bathroom renovation encompasses almost all of the trades that a full home renovation would require, often in the smallest of spaces so it is expensive and can be stressful. Engaging a trusted team is paramount. If you don’t have a trusted builder, ask for recommendations from people you know who have recently renovated.

“Start your planning by pulling together your scope. Be clear on what things are must-haves, what are nice-to-have and what you definitely do not want.  Then talk to your builder and/or trades to determine what opportunities and constraints you have. Questions to ask include: can you move the plumbing relatively easily, can the footprint be enlarged, if necessary, and, if your wish list includes something like a freestanding stone bath, are structural changes required to accommodate it?  

“Then, working to scale, play with the layout so that it works for how you like to live. Only then should you begin selecting your fixtures, fittings and finishes.”

While many people bang on about resale and making design choices that appeal to broad markets and aren’t polarising, Donna, controversially, says resale is just an excuse to play it safe!

“The only time I think the question of resale should get a vote is if you are renovating specifically to sell. Otherwise, make the decisions and choices that are going to create a space you love. It’s your home, and one of the biggest investments you’ll ever make, after all!”  

This isn’t the only room in Donna’s house, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, to feature wallpaper. She’s just installed a wall mural from Kingdom Home in the laundry, she has a bold leopard design in her home office from These Walls and Banksia from Porters Paints in the dining room.

She describes her aesthetic as coastal cool. “It’s an eclectic mix of edgy industrial and modern beach with a dash of traditional. I believe a great interior is like a delicious recipe – start with high quality key ingredients then add the right mix of spices and herbs to bring it to life.”

Photography: Helen Ward

For more on Donna and her work | For more on the waterproof wallpaper

Wallpaper in Australia: is it more popular overseas?

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Interiors Addict bathroom reno 2: what I chose and why

There is so much to share about my recent bathroom reno and I couldn’t possibly fit it all into the reveal post, so I’m sharing a little more detail today, with why I chose the things I did and how those decisions have (thankfully!) worked out really well. Phew!

TILES: In some ways, this is the starting point; the blank canvas! In the 2.5 years of saving up and waiting to do the bathroom, I was sure I’d go for a feature patterned floor, therefore keeping the walls simple. And feature floors certainly only got more popular during that time. But when it came to it, because we were knocking the WC and bathroom together and trying to get so much (i.e. separate shower and 1700mm bath) into a still quite small space, I decided it wouldn’t be the best idea. A simpler floor has, I’m sure, given the illusion of more space. And with the other choices I made, I was very conscious of not having too many heroes (hello gold tapware and hardware, solid timber vanity and big tub!).

In my last bathroom, we used subways but I wanted something a bit different as subways are definitely everywhere! I loved the smaller and uneven look of the tiles we chose and the size makes them a bit different to the more popular larger format wall tiles. So although we went for white tiles with white grout, I felt there was enough texture there for it to still look interesting. And I couldn’t love the end result more! Until the grout went in I was a little worried it was looking like a public toilet, and I did question and re-question the decision to have them stacked rather than laid in a brick pattern. But all’s well that ends well! I also almost went for a feature tile in the niche (probably a pastel coloured version of the same tile) but with the brass trim on those, I felt that was enough. Restraint is hard though, let me tell you!

I knew I wanted something matte and simple for the floor and I love these (they’re more greige than grey although the name of them is grey). So far, they’re hiding dirt and a variety of hair colours very well! They also dry quickly which is a consideration with an open shower.

My selections

Floor tile: Noosa Matt Travertine Look Grey tile from TileCloud

Wall tile: Avalon Gloss Large Square White Tile from TileCloud

TILE TRIM: Probably one of the cheapest things in the bathroom, but one that gets a heap of comments and compliments, is the brass tile trim, which I found online. It caused me a fair bit of angst because although chrome would never have worked, it was quite a brave choice and I knew it wouldn’t match perfectly with the tapware. But white wouldn’t have looked half as good! And without a feature tile in the niches, they needed this little je ne sais quoi!

I’m totally okay with the two golds not being exactly the same too!

My selection:

L Angle brass trim from Tile Stone Paver

BATH: I cannot rave enough about this bath! I have always been against squashing a freestanding bath into a small space because I don’t think it looks great visually, not to mention the issue of cleaning behind it. So when I started to see a few of these back-to-wall or D-shape baths on the market I knew straightaway this was my perfect solution! So while it is technically freestanding, it is right up against the wall on one side.

We had a hob bath in my last bathroom which we tiled up the side of and I didn’t like how many right angles there were! Here I love that we have the curve of a freestanding tub without it really being one. It definitely adds to the sense of space as well. And a curve is always a good thing in a room full of squares and rectangles, which a bathroom usually is by default.

So there’s technically still a gap at this end to clean around, but you can’t have it all when you’re working with a tight space!

Regular readers will know I love my baths and have a soak almost every single night, summer or winter! I really wanted to have a decent sized bath if we could manage to fit it. And this one is so deep and amazing! The good thing about a deep bath is that you can lie back against it, without your head being above the top of it. It’s like a bedhead in the bath, if that makes sense! We switched out the waste it came with for a tiger bronze one from Meir to match the taps and shower.

My selection:

Eden Freestanding 1700mm Bath from Highgrove Bathrooms

VANITY: After getting custom blackbutt solid timber vanities from Ingrain Designs in our last bathroom, I didn’t even consider getting the vanity for this room from anywhere else! But while blackbutt is quite a statement, knotty timber, I wanted something more subtle here so we went for reclaimed Tassie oak (more on this in a future blog post).

The clever and stunning handle-free design of the vanity was a very easy choice! And the matching shaving cabinet above is a larger version of what we had in the old place and has so much storage (seriously, we must have increased our storage ten-fold from the old bathroom) it makes me very happy! And yes, all our regular toiletries live in here while only the fancy stuff is allowed in the bath and shoer niches. We’ll see how long this rule lasts…

I knew the timber would warm up the all-white space and work beautifully with the warm tones of the tapware and other hardware. It’s a real showstopper!

My selections:

Vanity: V1 Bathroom Vanity from Ingrain Designs (available in a choice of timbers and sizes)

Mirror cabinet: Mirror Mirror from Ingrain Designs

TAPWARE &  SHOWER: This was one of the easier choices because I’d already used a Meir tiger bronze tap in my kitchen and I love it! And as well as wanting to make the bathroom somewhat consistent with the kitchen, I was always going to choose gold! If you’ve seen the rest of our home, that will be obvious!

My selections:

Meir Tiger Bronze round wall mixers, round combination shower rail, round curved spouts, round toilet roll holder, bath popup waste, square floor grate and robe hooks (instead of towel rails).

TOILET: I’ve never cared much for fancy toilets or putting much thought into which one I’d like, but that changed with this bathroom. Bringing the WC and bathroom together meant, obviously, having a loo in the bathroom. and because space was tight it ended up right next to the bath and there was no space for a nib wall or anything like that to disguise it (although it is behind the door, so when the door’s open and you walk past, you don’t see the toilet).

This wall hung one not only adds to the sense of space, but it is so simple and compact, it just blends in. And you don’t really want to make a feature of your toilet! The white glass flush plate also adds to the streamlined and subtle look. I can’t believe how excited I got about this toilet with its in-wall cistern! Who knew?! And it’s a Philippe Starck collaboration. What more can I say?!

My selection:

Duravit ME by Starck Wall Mounted Toilet from Bathe

Viega Visign white glass flush plate from Bathe

Viega Eco Plus in wall cistern from Bathe

BASIN: I love a lot about this basin, from its generous size to its white ceramic waste (so sleek) to its beautiful and simple curved shape (see above under bath choice regarding curves!). I also learnt from my last bathroom reno that it would be best to right align rather than centre it, giving more useable space to the left side. It’s a large sink (600mm wide) but it works perfectly on the 1200mm vanity. You can’t go wrong with an established brand like Duravit and once I told the staff at Bathe what I was after, they helpfully shortlisted a few for me and it was love at first sight!

My selection:

Duravit Luv Washbowl 600x400mm from Bathe

I have so much more to share about choosing and working with our builder, our electrical choices (mostly fancy lighting!), getting the floorplan right from the start, but I’ll leave it here for today! I hope you find this useful!

This bathroom before & after

More of our home reno

Photography: Jacqui Turk