Thursday 24 November 2016

The bathroom

Whilst we have felt it necessary to redecorate every room, as we couldn't cope with the colour schemes, we have been very fortunate in many respects with this house...

The bathroom suite is white and perfectly fine, so doesn't need replacing
The carpet up the stairs and throughout the first floor rooms was quite new, plain cream and in good condition. I just hired a carpet cleaner one day and gave it the once over.
The kitchen units were absolutely fine as were the utility room ones, so no need for expensive refits
The windows are all double glazed. Some of the hinges have worn out and one of the sealed units has 'blown' but a much less pricey job to repair than replace all new

All of these things have meant that we have been able to completely change the feel of the house without spending a lot of money. Everything we have needed, except for the two rugs, has been sourced second hand or passed on by people who no longer needed the item. I reckon we could easily have spent £50,000 plus already if we'd had to do kitchens, carpets and bathrooms ...and just think of all the mess and chaos involved too!
I do have to think though that if the previous owners had just toned down the colour scheme BEFORE putting it on the market, they could have got quite a bit more for the house...but of course, I'm also pleased they didn't!!

The bathroom upstairs is a decent size and has a bath and separate shower enclosure. There is a heated towel rail and underfloor heating, although we have yet to make that work! The tiles and enamelware are white too. There was a large bathroom cabinet fitted into the recess above the toilet. It had a mirror attached to it originally, but with its positioning behind the toilet, that wasn't working for me! I was imagining that removing the mirror would destroy the cabinet door, but all it left was two little screw holes. I've covered them with a little wooden heart, which I have painted to match the medicine storage unit brought from our previous house. So, no money spent yet....well except for the tin of paint.

The walls were a combo of turquoise and caramel. That had to go. Out came the white again - four coats this time!
I scraped out and replaced the silicone around the window and sink; all of the woodwork was sanded and glossed and I whitened all of the grout with one of those sponge applicators  (a very tedious job, but it does make it all look a lot fresher)


There had been a metal mirrored shelf unti with light above the sink, but I REALLY didn't like it. We had looked in a local bathroom shop for a new cupboard and found a lovely one...£200! Ikea had a cabinet of similar style and dimension for £60. We had an electrician to de commission the light and replace it with a shaver socket, which we put inside the new cabinet to keep things neat. It did mean cutting a whole in the back, but at £60, I didn't mind.

I added one of my lovely handles to each cabinet - bought in bulk as they were better value that way. 

Inside the cabinet - it's slimline because its directly over the sink, but is perfect for storing all the toothbrush holders. I bought them very cheaply in a pound shop and my daughter labelled them with a permanent marker. 

I don't know about you, but every toilet roll holder I have ever owned, has drooped! I decided to dispense with them altogether  this time and bought this rather natty number. It even stores spare loo rolls neatly 

 
Who'd have thought a post about repainting a bathroom could be so long?!!



20 comments:

  1. I think you have done a fantastic job all over the house and the bathroom is wonderful!

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  2. You've done a brilliant job in every room that you have shown us. It would be interesting to get a proper valuation of the house now that you have redecorated it all. I bet you are already sitting on a good bit of well deserved profit :-)

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    1. Ooh that's a good idea. I might have to ask the estate agent to pop in when they area in the area. It would be funny to get the same one! It might make me far too smug though and no-one likes smugness!!

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  3. You have done a great job in all the rooms so far. As Sue says it would be interesting to see what the valuation of the property would be now.

    God bless.

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  4. I love how your using accessories to add character and interest rather than garish colours, love the loo roll holder :-)

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    1. And so much simpler to tweak if you fancy a new look too!

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  5. You are certainly blessed with a lovely home and your refurbishments have made an amazing difference.

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    1. It really is a very elegant and beautifully proportioned house, so we have had very good 'bones' to work with :)

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  6. Your bathroom is now as smart as in any boutique hotel, and the basket for the loo rolls with the holder across the top is an excellent idea, I love baskets like this in a bathroom, rustic against all the plain sanitary ware. I have the spare loo rolls in a basket, too. And we keep our toothbrushes in a cabinet (one husband made, so even less than your lovely Ikea one for £60, tee-hee!) ... it's more hygienic to keep toothbrushes in a cabinet than out on display in a room in which there is a loo.
    Are you going to add coloured or plain white towels?
    Margaret P
    www.margaretpowling.com

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  7. Sadly Mr D wouldn't have been making cupboards :( presently we have the light brown and taupe towels from our old house on the go in there which look fine with the baskets and slightly country feel of the bathroom. I'm not great at keeping whites, white so it would be a huge risk to go down the white towel route - much as I love the idea!

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    1. I have just posted a piece on Colefax & Fowler and a lovely new book On the Fringe, which might be of interest to you as you have been really busy creating such lovely schemes in your home www.margaretpowling.com
      Taupe towels would look good, also pale green, or turquoise, or even burnt orange (but not all together!)
      Margaret P

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  8. Love the loo roll, basket/holder, never seen one like it before.

    As for the underfloor heating - don't bother to do too much to get it going because a)unless you run it all the time youhave to remember to put it on about 3 hours before you need it
    b)it takes half a day to warm up to really toasty
    c) the bits under the floor only runs well for about 2 years
    d)the thermostat/workings bit stops working if it isn't used

    The voice of experience and a wasted several £100 speaks!!

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    1. Great advice thanks! Personally I'm not that bothered either way as im not generally in there long enough to care!

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  9. Oh I love that toilet roll holder!! That is really something. You have done a great job. Your bathroom looks new and stylish. Have a lovely weekend, Pam in Norway

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  10. Love your toilet roll holder...perfect.

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  11. I love how your using accessories to add character and interest rather than garish colours, love the loo roll holder :-)


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