Family Bathroom Renovation, the Reveal! Marble and Black makeover
Bathroom renovations are currently the number one work undertaken in our homes according to Instagram (and no this is not an official survey, just a personal observation!). Trends for 2018 have included everything from indigo tones to future-proofing your space but we all know that making changes to keep up with trends is not so easy in a room like your bathroom.
We started planning our two-bathroom remodels in August 2018 (placing orders for most of the products back then) and kicked off the makeover three weeks ago. It was a dusty and noisy three weeks but we got there in the end.
You can read more about these bathroom renovations, including a breakdown of labor cost, which is handy if your home is based in and around London.
Don't forget to check out the detailed cost for this project in the previous post which includes the detailed quote we received from our contractor IDL Contractors Limited - a company I wholeheartedly recommend to others. They turned my vision into reality, were so easy to work with, and offered advice and project management during the two-and-a-half weeks of the makeover.
Project: Warlingham Residential family bathroom renovation
Designer: Jenny Kakoudakis
Photography: Jenny Kakoudakis
Year: 2018
Cost: Under £10k
The Brief
Professional couple, Jenny & Anthony wanted a complete makeover of their family bathroom. There was unusable storage, the room felt dated, the mirror was small and off-center and the taps had seen better days. They wanted a small change in the bathroom layout to make the space feel bigger, and a timeless design that would add long-term value to the property. The focus should be on attention to detail and the 'little touches' of luxury.
The Before Photos
The room previously included a gold-framed shower and grey tiles; a sink to the right of the window and an off-center mirror as well as a toilet pan with visible cistern. In the corner of the room, we had a floor-to-ceiling storage unit which frankly looked shocking when you opened those doors.
It wasn't painted correctly, it wasn't very accessible, and just created another funny-shaped corner - and I hate boxed pipes and corners like that.
To complete the look, the previous owners also opted for gold bezels on the downlights and gold taps. I mean the whole room screamed GOLDFINGER.
The family bathroom reveal
Sometimes I really cannot believe how lucky I have been with the opportunities this blog has provided to me, in terms of brand collaborations.
I teamed once more with the same brands from the earlier ensuite bathroom update to create a modern family bathroom that would be primarily used by our son as well as by relatives/ guests. This means a shower was still relevant whereas a bathtub would make the space feel extremely small.
The result is a space filled with light, where textures more than colour take over and where the materials used are high-end without being ridiculously expensive.
VitrA Sento toilet pan | Aruba slimline vertical Radiator from Best Heating UK | Towels from John Lewis & Partners | Toilet Roll holder, MPRO Crosswater via Bathroom Village
The Lusso Stone Walk-in Shower enclosure
The shower cubicle we chose is the Industrial Kit B walk-in shower enclosure by LUSSO STONE. It is set in front of a combination of marble tiles and hexagon mosaic from Mandarin Stone. This one
I was a little apprehensive because there is NO DOOR and there's always the risk of water flowing out of the tray if at some point the pipe gets clogged with hair.
The Industrial KIT B that we bought fits over an 80x100cm tray - however, LUSSO STONE also does more sizes (this was the smallest I think). Good to know: You will have to drill some holes yourself into the LUSSO STONE shower frame.
REMEMBER: When installing a walk in shower enclosure with a supporting bar, the rule of thumb is that the supporting bar goes onto the screen that is closer to you.
You also need to know that the supporting bar comes in one size (1m long) and your builder will have to cut it to size. They will also need to drill holes in the metal frame to fix the supporting bar as well as drill a hole at the bottom of the panel so that if there is any water buildup, it will be able to flow out.
The Marble Tiles in this bathroom remodel
I loved the ALSACE HONED MARBLE tiles (from Mandarin Stone) that we had in the ensuite bathroom.
I used the same concept of 3 different sizes of the same tile (large format 30x60cm on the floor; metro style tiles; and hexagon mosaic) but this time I did not use the wood effect porcelain tiles inside the shower.
The reason for that is that I knew roughly that the Crittal-style shower frame would look much better against a light background. I did, however, use the ARGENTO MAPLE wood effect porcelain tiles to box, once again, the toilet.
Expert Feedback: My tiler's comment on the tiles was that the metro style tiles chipped more than he would have liked when he was cutting them to size, but explained this can be 'hidden' when you apply the grout.
Besides, marble is a natural stone so imperfections can be expected. With regards to the mosaic, he said it was really easy to work with. This is also why we applied it inside the little shampoo niche.
The VitrA Bathrooms Vanity
To continue with the black and white trend in this room, I turned to the top bathroom brand VitrA (have you seen them during the 2018 design shows? They have done amazingly well!). As the space was limited, I opted for their FRAME 60cm vanity unit with an integrated sink (comes with 1 taphole).
The Frame Vanity is extremely well made - seriously robust, much better than the Lusso Stone vanity we used in the Ensuite in terms of the material for the frame); it also has an LED strip inside so that when you open the draw, there's light in there. The drawer is soft-closed and has a cut-out for the bottle trap under the sink.
The tall radiator that is next to the window also has a towel rail on it so we will use that one for our hand towels.
Bathroom Taps in Black by Methven
The taps in this room are once again from Methven. The matt black Breeze wash basin mixer tap was used on the sink. We chose it for its simplistic single lever function, as this is going to be used mostly by our young son.
Inside the shower, we added the KAHA 2-outlet mixer shower valve, together with a shower head and a handset (to make cleaning the shower easier).
If you saw my previous review of the ensuite bathroom, I was very pleased by how robust these products were.
They are also well presented in their dedicated boxes. High end and they come with long warranties for peace of mind.
Products Used in this bathroom renovation
TILES
Metro tiles - Alsace Honed Marble 150x75 tiles, Mandarin Stone, £83.20 sqm
Cornice - Alsace Honed Marble cornice, Mandarin Stone, £13.14 per tile
Herringbone tiles - Alsace Honed Marble herringbone Mosaic, Mandarin Stone, £137.56 sqm
Wood effect tiles - Argento Maple Porcelain Tiles, Mandarin Stone, £46.80 sqm
SANITARYWARE
Toilet pan - Sento short wall hang wc, VitrA
Toilet frame - Rapid Installation for Wall-Hung Wc Pans (Floor Mounted) Application Set, VitrA
Matt Black Flush Plate - Loop R Mechanic Control Panel, VitrA
Vanity with Sink - FRAME, VitrA, with LED inside the drawer
TAPS
Breeze basin mixer black, Methven, £195
Concealed Mixer Valve - Kaha Concealed Mixer Valve Matt Black (2 Outlets), Methven, £510
Hand Shower, Krome Range, Methven, £127
Shower head, Wall Mounted Shower Arm & Head - Black, Methven, £113
FINISHING TOUCHES
Radiator, Milano Aruba - White Vertical Designer Radiator 1600mm x 354mm, Best Heating UK, £141.95
Towel Rail for Milano Aruba radiators, Best Heating UK, £29.95
LED Mirror, Pebble Grey, Globe Slimline LED Illuminated Bathroom Mirror with Demister & Motion Sensor Switch (500 x 600 mm), £99
Toilet roll holder, MPRO in black Crosswater, The Bathroom Village, £50
Robe Hooks, MPRO in black Crosswater, The Bathroom Village, £45
Grout - BAL, Topps Tiles
Trim - The Foundry Range, Topps Tiles
So what do you think dear friends? Have we done well here? Which product caught your eye?
