Eclectic Bathroom Ideas :: Small Details

It can be really be hard sometimes to give a new bathroom a sense of identity...

I have certainly found that a challenge with my own bathroom refurbishment - which is finally being priced at the moment... yippee!

When you are refurbishing a bathroom you will naturally wish to install new tap-wear, basins, bath or shower and then tile the floors and walls. In some cases this can leave you with a room that feels cold and lacks identity.

So here's a few small furniture and decoration details that I have left over from my own bathroom inspiration research that can easily be added to give character and warmth to a new bathroom.

Love the warm rug on the stone floor, the small pots and the off white colour palette!

Love the basin and the small timber stools!

Love the bathroom with a timber floor and the use of natural finishes...

Have fun.

Decorating With Ladders :: In The Bathroom

I am now looking at the fun decorative part of my bathroom renovation and have always wanted to incorporate ladders in a bathroom. 

They are great a piece of furniture that can be both practical and decorative, act as storage for towels or as a simple towel rack. 

Easy to find, cheap to recycle and they make a nice decorative DIY project. 

I am just loving these below...

images from Pinterest, Remodelvista & Pottery Barn

I just have to find space for them...

Have fun.

Bathroom Design Ideas :: Basins & Sinks

My bathroom is a little on the small side to accommodate this collection of floor mounted and counter top sinks and basins.

However they are still lovely to look at.

I love these... such a pure design!

images from Neutra

This bathroom collection by Neutra perfectly incorporates nature with modern bathroom fixtures. The combination of the stone and the Kauri wood creates a harmonious balance of calm and relaxation for any bathroom.

I will have to purchase a home with a larger bathroom next time just so that I can install one of these freestanding stone basins.

Have fun.

Bathroom design ideas :: Lighting & details

Back onto my bathroom renovation this week. Seems like it has been ages but I can only fit this little reno in between my client's projects.

I was looking for some tiling ideas when I stumbled across this bathroom design by Ara Design Studio. They have soften what could have been another clinical bathroom with the use of feature lighting, rectangle tiles and bevelled mirror panels.

Images from Ara Design & Vogue Living

The combination of the little vintage Japanese lantern and the non-rectified glazed terracotta tiles creates a soft feel to room whilst the use of mirrors gives the illusion that the room is much bigger and lighter. 

Great character bathroom!

Have fun.

Small bathroom renovation :: Before

I thought today I would share with you one of my current projects.

A few years ago we carried out a major reconstruction of our home prior to moving in. As we had only a few weeks for the reconstruction / renovation and needed a site bathroom facility for the contractors we left our small bathroom to be renovated at a later date.

The time has come to say goodbye to the old bathroom and start the design and build process.

Firstly I start with taking some photos, measure the area and create a brief.

The before photo! Hmmmmm small bathroom...  

The existing bathroom plan

My brief is to design a bathroom that:

• Can be used by both young families and working couples.
• Is a relaxing bathroom experience when the lights are low.
• Uses recycled finishes and furniture where possible.
• Uses energy and water saving fittings.
• Creates maximum effect on a small budget.

As you can see from the images this bathroom is very small and probably the smallest bathroom I have had to design! Let the challenge commence...

If you have renovated a small bathroom recently I would love to hear of your stories.

Will update next week. Have a great week.

Recycled timber furniture

Today I am going to interrupt my flow on kitchens but return next week with food recycling ideas for your kitchen...

Yesterday I spent a delightful morning strolling around the Bangalow Markets. I love these markets as you never know what local craft talent you will discover.

I am currently in the process of renovating our 1950's bathroom so I have been on the look out for a piece of recycled furniture, a table or a cabinet that can be restored and used as my bathroom vanity storage unit. It has been months and has been a difficult task to source this item as the item needs to be no bigger 350mm deep and requires storage space. Most furniture is a lot deeper than this and with limited storage.

So I was excited to discover Johnny from Plank Furniture, a local furniture maker who makes custom built furniture made from recycled and reclaimed timber materials. He uses mostly local Australian Hardwood timbers such as Tassie Oak, Ironbark, Camphor, Silky Oak, and Cedar sourced in the Northern Rivers area of NSW.

His talents not only lie with making furniture but he can also build recycled timber kitchens and kitchen counters!

images via Plank Furniture

I will definitely be interested in pulling together some recycled timber furniture ideas for my bathroom and will let you know how it all progresses.

Next week I will return with how to incorporate food recycling options within your kitchen.

Have a great week.

Renovation tips :: Trade secrets for a greener and healthier home

With all the rebuilding that will begin to take place this year I thought the best thing I could do is to share some trade secrets with a series of greener and healthier renovation and decoration tips to help when it comes to redecorating or rebuilding your home.

These tips will not only create a healthier home but will reduce your bills and also save you money in the long term with a more effective selection of finishes, furniture, appliances and equipment.

I have listed a few subject ideas below and in my questionnaire at the top of my blog. Feel free to let me know if there are any other specific topics or issues you would like to me to cover.

What does "Low VOC" paint mean?

Healthy, natural and eco paints

Natural fabrics and fibres

"Low VOC" materials and finishes

How to create a greener kitchen

How to create a greener bathroom

How to choose greener appliances and equipment

Recycling ideas for the home

I welcome and look forward to your comments and suggestions. Have fun...

Bathroom lighting ideas :: Moroccan and Turkish lamps

The holidays are now here and so I have a little extra time to spend on finishing things off around my own home. Tasks for this week include finding a reclaimed vanity unit and some mood lighting ideas for the bathroom.

In keeping with the Christmas spirit and looking for mood lighting for relaxing in the bathroom I am considering hanging a Moroccan or Turkish light. We have quite high ceilings so there should be enough space to hang a lamp and the light, shadows and colour cast should look great on the walls.

After a little searching I have found a few lamps that I quite like...

white wave design, just moroccan, this next, palmyra design & lush lighting

I have also remembered that I have a few lamps from Turkey in storage under the house that I purchased once in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul a few years ago. I will have to search for those and see what condition that are still in. Have fun.

Bathroom design ideas :: Little details

Sometimes it's the little details that make a room...

I have been looking for ideas to add some interest to my small bathroom design. With the high cost of refurbishing a bathroom I am quite keen to introduce some ideas with cheaper recycled elements.

For those like me that live in a warmer climate and do not have a radiator in their bathroom, an old ladder can easily be used to throw those bathroom towels over.

Vessels can also make lovely additions to any bathroom design with a variety of uses. Instead of buying a new vase an old milk bottle, cup or jug can make a lovely vase.

images from Debi Treloar & Baileys Home and Garden 

Similarly, decorative side tables and wicker baskets can and an extra dimension and additional storage to any bathroom design. Have fun.

Small bathroom design ideas :: Mirrors

If any of you are following my journey to explore the options when designing a small bathroom I have another tip for you.

With small bathrooms it is all about introducing detail into the room. Even though larger mirrors can make a room feel bigger they also reduce the opportunities you have to introduce detail into a small space. Sometimes there is just not enough depth in a small room to allow for these built in storage mirrors. I will deal with storage in a later post.

Instead you can introduce a smaller decorative mirror or two. Better still would be to recycle an old picture frame and convert it into a mirror to add interest, detail and character.

image via House and Home

image via Homes and Gardens

top image via Living etc and bottom image via Decorpad

images via Living etc, House to Home & Carolina Eclectic

image via Anna Spiro

Above are just a few examples I have found that I hope you will find inspiring. Have fun.

Small bathroom design ideas :: Vessel basins

I am still looking for a recyled bathroom vanity unit but in the mean time I have stumbled across these lovely vessel basins. These basins sit entirely above counter and can make an attractive detail to any small bathroom. We are all used to the white ceramic variety but they can also be made from bamboo, copper or stone (travertine or marble).

These are just a few that I have found recently.

bamboo basin image via stone forest

image via decorfair

images via colours of Mexico

images via china sink & treasures of old Mexico

I may now have to revise my previous white china selection as these are so full of character. Have fun.

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Searching for tiles & small basins

The hunt for bathroom tiles and small hand basins has begun...

I am looking for small tiles to balance a larger tile size for the small bathroom. Using small tiles balanced with a larger tile can add an extra detail to a room size which does not allow much space to add many details. 

I have also decided on a slim oval hand basin to sit on a recycled vanity unit and will be going to look around Brisbane's reclaim yards tomorrow for a piece of furniture that can be used for the vanity and also provide some much needed storage. Have fun.