I feel like I’ve been saying our bathroom is ‘done’ for a while now. But what with a few last minute snagging issues (a window where we forgot to buy a handle, a mirror we couldn’t find etc) it has taken a little while to feel ‘complete’.
I want to start by mentioning how difficult it is to actually ‘photograph’ this room. It’s actually quite narrow and most of it is hidden behind corners. The room was originally a separate toilet and bathroom, both quite unusable (the door to the toilet opened onto the staircase, and the ceiling under the toilet actually caved in shortly after we moved in) and there was a large water tank behind the bath deeming a third of the bathroom redundant.
I’m not really one for Before and After photos, I often prefer to be looking forward and show the finished result but thought these pictures might be useful to get an idea…
The first thing to be done was to make better use of the space, without doing any major (and costly) construction work. We knocked through the toilet wall, got rid of the water tank (with a brand new boiler and, in fact, new central heating system throughout the house) and extended the doorway. This larger doorway actually made a huge difference (and one we’d never considered before). The floor and ceilings all needed to be levelled as the rooms were at different heights.
We actually did very little
We were lucky with our builders, who started just after the new year and plumbed, tiled, fitted the bathroom suite and painted the room. So we actually did very little, freeing us up to work on other things.
We knew we wanted these tiles, after seeing them on a few Instagram accounts. They actually come as large tiles, so very cost effective per square metre.
We bought all the tiles from Topps Tiles and most of the fittings from Victorian Plumbing. Originally I was after brass fittings but when it came down to time restraints and money (we had to choose quickly as we couldn’t have a hot shower until the room was sorted!) we went for chrome fittings – especially as I fell in love with the sink, which had chrome legs and taps.
I have always wanted a Burlington sink, and drooled over them in the Hoxton Hotel’s bathrooms for ages. It’s definitely the priciest thing in our bathroom but I also think it’s the main thing you look at. And the thing about this house is that we’re now buying everything with a long-term plan and this will (hopefully) be our forever home.
Black Bathrooms
I had pinned loads of black bathrooms on Pinterest and was excited to do something bold in here. This paint is custom-mixed by Dulux, and it’s actually in between a charcoal and navy tone and in the bathroom recommended finish so it has a slight sheen. We tiled up until 2/3 of the wall so it wasn’t too dark and finished off with black hardware in the room such as the towel radiator, towel holders and the window.
Saving on the window
We bought a double glazed UPVC window rather than timber sash or black aluminium to save money as well as ease. It wasn’t a big window space and it’s covered anyway, and in fact the wood effect black window looks quite good.
I love basket bags for hiding all manor of sins. A wonky tile (underneath our sink!), bleach, cleaning wipes, spare toilet rolls…I use this Ikea one for all these bits and bobs under the sink.
I know it probably seems silly to have pictures up in a moist room, but I love having a few more personal items in the bathroom. None of these are expensive but I think adds a bit of personality to perhaps an otherwise stark monochrome room.
Needless to say, we love the new room and it is definitely our most appreciated room in the house after going without hot water for so long…
Thanks to Dulux for providing us with custom-mixed paint to help realise our dream bathroom. Follow me on a video tour below…
For more affordable interior inspiration click here.
It’s beautiful! Even though I rent and have no intention of buying (probably ever) I still really enjoy your interiors posts. Your home is going to look amazing when it’s all done! I especially love the walls and that sink, wow x
Hi Alex, beautiful bathroom! Sounds like it was an enormous relief to have it done quickly.
I have a spare full size floor sample (in the slate version) if you’d like it to replace the wonky tile? Your builders should come back and sort it for you. I’m just down the road from you, so if you do need it, send Chris down on the bus!
Rhi x
So lovely, Alex! I love the bold colour and the prints on the wall! We were without hot water for 5 weeks and when we got our bathroom finished, we were so excited! Enjoy it! Looking forward to seeign what you do with the rest of the house.
I’m following your house renovations with keen interest. We bought our house nearly three years ago…the bathroom is still outstanding (very functional but also very ugly!) Love what you did here! Well done for actually finishing a room – something I find hard to do!
Love the tiles so much!
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I love, love, the paint colour. Our bathroom needs doing up and I’d like to see if it would work for us, probably not as our ceilings are a lot lower than yours.
It looks absolutely fabulous. And I am super jealous of that black and white diamond H&M bathmat in the first photo as I only found it a few days ago when it was already out of stock! I will keep refreshing the page in hope…
Little question… do you have your pictures professionally mounted or do you do it yourself? I’ve done a few myself with card and they just don’t look as good! Thanks! 🙂
I love the bathroom – stunning and very aspirational. With the exposed bulb light fitment did you have to buy a special bulb? Asking for my mum who plans to have two hanging either side of a bed in her house and she’s debating over whether the bulbs will be too bright. Thanks x
Gorgeous bathroom ! It did look a bit grim beforehand…..
Just wondering – how stable is the ladder shelf? I quite fancy one myself but I’m worried it would slide down the wall.
Oh it’s very stable!! Not slipped once x
Very chic interiors from your mum! This came with this bulb so not sure – you can get different types of brightness with bulbs so maybe ask in store x
Thank you! So Wilkinson do frames with the mount already inside – genius! xx
I think high ceilings definitely help….seen a few pictures on instagram where they’ve apinted the ceiling too and looks amazing! Tiling up the wall also helps ‘lift’ the colour so it’s not too dark x
Thanks Aileen! The builders including the tiling and painting in the price DEFINITELY helped with finishing a room! x
It’s so hard to explain how hard it is, filling up buckets from outside, not being to do any DIY for fear of not being able to wash hands after etc! A bathroom is so, so important and makes me appreciate it all the more now! x
Haha! Do you know what, when we still don’t have a working kitchen and cant take our shoes off until we go to bed, it doesn’t bother me anymore – funny how your worries move on when you have other things going on. A year ago that would’ve driven me insane but now I just cover it with a basket!
Thank you!! Yes we are so lucky to be able to get this house, all lucky circumstances, and although it’s hard sometimes I know it will be worth it! xx
What a lovely space! We’ve had a picture on our bathroom wall for ten years with no signs of moisture damage – we do have a ventilation system though. At the end of the day, if yours do get a bit wrinkly then they’re easy to change.
I love the way your wall tiles are staggered, it just adds a little something. Not to mention your floor tiles…
Just a thought, we have a squeegee from Vipp (danish company) for our bathroom that is stylish for keeping our shower as limescale free (how sensible were black tiles?) as possible. You can buy replacement rubber blades for them, ours is at least 5 years old and hasn’t needed to be replaced yet!
I absolutely love this! It is beautiful. Well done for getting one room of the house finished. I am SO getting those floor tiles from Topp Tiles…..maybe for my lean to/back entry way to my house. Please keep the renovations posts coming, they are such a delight to read xxx
It’s beautiful, well done! I’m planning to do my bathroom later this year so you’ve given me some ideas, especially around the paint and your fittings. The small details make all the difference and you’ve nailed it!
Oh good to know!! The build up has already started and in no mood to be religiously scrubbing! xx
This looks lovely, where did you get your mirror from?
Love it, looks amazing! I have been eyeing exactly the same sink, haha! Great to see the before and after as we have a similar set up in terms of pre bathroom being two separate rooms… Debating whether it’s worth the hassle of knocking through, we’re ex council and I am worried that getting planning permission to change the window will be a headache. Anyway, we’re quite near you (Stroud Green) and I was wondering if you could possibly kindly share your builders’ details please? I always think a personal recommendation is so good when it comes to these things!
Love it! We were doing our bathrooms at the same time, and I concur – it’s hideous without one (and ours was only for a few days) x
This is lovely, Alex. I really want to steal your sink for my bathroom renovation (I live in NZ so don’t worry, you are pretty safe)! I’ll have to see if I can find something similar here.
Looks great! Can I ask where you get your windows from and which ones? Boring question but I need to get some myself!
lovely to see it Alex! A really good job to both of you xx
Not at all! This one was UPVC actually, wood effect from Windowlines. We want sash timber for the rest of the house but as it was small and only looks out to an alleyway, this saved money and looks pretty good! xx
Thank you xxx feels so good to have a shower!
Aah – good luck with yours! Sure you’ll find something (it will be a pretty expensive trip, otherwise!) x
The knock through was no hassle – it wasn’t a structural wall (as there would never have been an upstairs bathroom in the original house) so was relatively simple….oh yes planning permissions tricky – we are waiting for 2 party wall answers as I type!). And re: builder i totally would, but we are now back in a waiting list for ours as I’ve already recommended him to about 5 people !! So after we’ve got him back I am happy to! Hoping to start our study in late April if you can wait? Email me alex@the-frugality.com.gridhosted.co.uk xx
Thanks! Maisons du Monde – it was around £65 (still cheaper than Habitat etc) – but when I received it, it had a sticker on it saying €49.99 which was a bit gutting!
Thank you! We had to make a lot of decisions pretty quickly but so pleased with it – good luck with yours! x
Thank you so much! Yes those tiles are the best bit, for sure! xx
Hi Alex, I’ve been following you for a while, since you bought the same light as us from BHS ??!! The one that now graces your lovely new bathroom. I love the interiors pieces you post. We used to have a lovely home, a mixture of scandi style with antique touches and eclectic finds from our travels, but since our twins were born in October 2015, our beautiful home now resembles more of a soft play place!! Perhaps you could recommend some interiors bloggers who have children that might provide some welcome inspiration? Our house is small and our twinkles have ALOT of stuff!! Thanks Alex. Best wishes for everything you do. Lindsay Reed
Have you seen Erica Davies’ blog? She has kids…I’m not sure who else, sorry! x
Great bathroom!! Thanks for the tour, tips and links, so helpful. I’m doing up our bathroom at the moment (black and white too obviously! but going for hexagon wall tiles and black and white marble look floor) and having the same issue you mentioned in your video – I’m trying to go for ‘antique gold’ brass fittings, but can’t find it all to much! So frustrating, their missing a trick there. Our space is also teeny, may I please ask what exact bath you went for? Are you able to send me a link to it please? Was it Victorian Plumbing also? Thank you so much. ? ?
I found you could get taps, but then what about the sink hole for the bath…?! It was a bit mind boggling! The bath I can’t seem to log in and check, the websites a bit useless – it was just a normal bath and we bought the screen separately. It was quite narrow to fit our space. What I would say is that the square edge one I’m not the happiest with, I wish I’d got one with a curved back more in-keeping with victorian style….it feels like the only modern item in the bathroom…
Your bathroom looks amazing, I am going to steal a lot of your ideas! With the tiles on the wall – did you use a black grout or was it dark grey please?
It was dark grey! Good luck! x
Thanks Alex. Just watched your video, been meaning to do that ever since you posted it. I mostly did my bathroom on a budget. I’m in a 1940’s house so I left the suite (cast iron bath and typical plain white sink) and updated taps, waste etc. Looking for a bit of a change and because I did as you have and half tiled, its easy.
A lick of paint is in order. I’m just looking to change my all white theme to a dark ish grey… perhaps a touch lighter than the colour you have but something similar,
I enjoy your blog, both fashion and home provide inspiration and ideas for any budget. I find it very refreshing. Thanks for everything! Becky
Thanks so much becky! Lucky your old tenants left you a nice bath – we’re trying to keep as many original features as we can here, as they’re so rare xx
Hi Alexandra
I love absolutely your blog! Its changed the way I shop, all for the better, and I am constantly inspired by your style as well as travel and interior ideas.
I am in the process of buying a house which is just like yours, in lovely North London and we will be embarking on a similar (and scary) renovation project. We will also need to knock through our toilet and bathroom as you have done here so I was wondering if you could possibly share the details of your builder as they have done a sterling job, as is clear from above!
This would be hugely appreciated as I am would always prefer to find trades men or woman via a recommendation. Thanks so much for considering this request and I look forward to seeing your project come together.
Warmest regards
Simone
Hi Simone,
Of course – how exciting! Whereabouts in North London? My builder is quite busy as I have already recommended him to a few people (!) but happy to – do you mind emailing me @alex@the-frugality.com.gridhosted.co.uk just because I only really have his email and mobile and he may not want that public! Alex xx
Thank you so much! We will be off Green Lanes if all goes well. I’ll DM you. X
I’ve been keenly following your renovation works and I just love how you’ve fitted the bathroom! We’re in the process of buying a place which will definitely need some work done to it and at the risk of coming off a bit weird I was wondering if you’d be comfortable sharing your builders details with us? Completely understand if not! Ps you have incredible resilience – I’m terrified of the prospect of not being able to live through such a significant project
Of course! He told me he has 30% more work from my recommendations!! He is a bit busy because of that but happy to recommend – if you email me alex@the-frugality.com.gridhosted.co.uk I’ll pass it on (as I just have his number and email!) xx
Love Green Lanes! xx
I’m so sorry I didn’t respond to this – thanks so much for coming back to me! For some reason I thought I would get a notification email thingee – just goes to show how terrible I am with this sort of thing! We’ll definitely be emailing you – we’re a few months away from needing someone but always good to know that there’s someone out there that comes highly recommended! Thanks again!
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Looks really great, a very boring question but what size are your white tiles, we’re about to do our bathroom and can’t decide between 15×15 or 20×20. Thank you in advance. Sarah
20 x 20 I think, 15 x 15 are quarry tiles…x
Thank you.
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Love the paint colour! Is it Dulux? Do you know code/ colour name?
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I really love this bathroom (and your ensuite). Don’t suppose you remember what the bath is?
Also, how did you manage to tile the sides of the bath (and still have access if necessary?)
Thank you
Sorry can’t remember the bath name – but our builders cut a seam in the tiles so you can pull a panel back if needed x
I love your bathroom! Just one question. Is the bath from Victorian Plumbing too? I had wanted a free standing roll top bath but your tiled bath looks fab and is much more budget friendly and practical! X
Yes it’s Victorian Plumbing but not sure I still have the link sadly xx
Hi – Random question. I love your mirror but on the website it says “Only available in stoe” and the only London store is Debenhams in Westfield which doesn’t appear to have it… Did you have to go somewhere special to collect it??
The black mirror? It’s from Maison du Monde xx
hi Alex
Can I ask a Q re your toilet. I notice you have a trad one with lever handle flushes in both bathrooms.
With the close coupled toilet, do you have any issues with the seat getting scratched? We have one and when you lift the lid it hits against the lever which causes enamel to get chipped. We’ve got a refund now but not sure if all trad toilets with levers do this? Does your seat sit flush against the cistern when you raise it? Worried about finding the right replacement!
Thanks!
No, I don’t think ours touches that much, and as it’s soft close it doesn’t tend to bang anything too much – sorry, not much help! x
Looks great – which grout colour did you use for the walls and floor?
Thanks
We used’ash’ grout x