RENOVATION STORIES – BATHROOM MAKEOVER BEFORE

Our dream of a plant-filled bohemian vintage bathroom has long been in the works. As you know by now, the renovation train has slowed right down here. After a few hectic months of freelance work and running the store, we are slowly getting going again and so I thought it was time to give you a tour of the bathroom before we rip down all the remaining tiles and more.We joyously started this renovation project in January, the shower was declared out of bounds (last September) due to leaky grout and a fear of safety for the floor underneath. We started excitedly smashing off the tiles, removed the old sink and cupboard and useful shelving, (ahem) and had new windows fitted. Then nothing, no more time. We have been making the best of it and storing all our excess bath products in a bag hanging on the back of the door!Pipes have been capped and are poking up out of the floor and walls, the washing machine is plumbed in through the hallway wall, at the moment the hose goes out through the shower tray waste. The toilet has no button on it, that fell off months ago and now we just have some weird lever style handle! The bathroom has a tiled floor, all four walls were tiled and inside the windows too – EVERY bloody surface. Whoever decorated this room before grouted the floor tiles directly to the floor boards too (thanks), so they are pretty much ruined. The plaster is now crumbling and falling off all over the place. But we are kind of in love with the shabby bricks.Despite these quirks, we have battled on for the past six months. I am now quite accustomed to having a moon or candlelit bath under the shadowy leaves of Audrey II (she is a 15-year-old beast of a rubber plant). But the time has come to get this room and the kitchen finished before autumn. I want to be settled, snug (and able to bake and shower) for the cosy season.We have been sourcing things for this room since we moved in. The bath we got on eBay, shelves are huge chunks of driftwood we dragged back up the cliffs from the beach, a possible vintage sink was given to us by a friend – and we are lucky enough to be working with the lovely folks from Mira to refit the shower enclosure. Not being able to shower in our own home for almost a year has become more than annoying, so I have to admit – rather like a rabid Audrey II – I almost bit their arms off when they offered to help us upgrade our shower situation. Neither they or I knew it was going to take so long to get here – but we are finally making progress.The old shower we removed was an ugly plastic nightmare and we have always coveted an old fashioned looking shower fitting. The new look room will be a mix of vintage and modern, rustic textures and clean lines. I wanted a shower enclosure that would look clean and neat so we are using pale tiles inside on two walls and a clear wall of glass on the remaining side. No door, we will walk in from an open end. Old fashioned style with a modern twist that will compliment the rustic finish of the other elements we will add to the room. See below for my mini list of hopes for the room and a photo guide of what we’ll be moving and building in here. We absolutely hate waste, so are trying to re-purpose as much as possible back into the project or use elsewhere in the house and garden. The last of the tiles are being taken off and the partition walls are coming down next week. We will re-use the timber to block up two doorways, the bath will be used outside as a mini pond or sunken planter, the toilet will remain as it will be perfectly fine with the addition of a working button and shiny new black seat. Now we need to pin down that plumber of ours for a date with our copper pipes because Dean will have his hands full finishing the Kitchen! Below is the shower we chose and you can see the divider panel here, plus a few other elements similar to what we will be adding to the room. The section of exposed brick is still being haggled over, would you keep it?!

Above – Mirror – Cox & Cox, Realm Mixer Shower – Mira, Organic Bath Potion and Hand Towel – The Future Kept, Composite Slate look Shower Tray – Matki, Taps and Counter Top Sink – Victorian Plumbing. Arrow icons on photos by Freepic via – Flaticon here!

Disclosure – we are lucky to be working with Mira to upgrade our bathroom and hopefully a few other brands to finish the room (I’ll keep you posted on those). This collaboration is for products we have chosen to suit our style only (not payment), all words, images and opinions are my own. I hope you enjoy the inspiration post and reveal to follow! x