Bathroom Inspiration (And Maybe Some Shopping…)

Well, this seems to be becoming a habit. It’s been two weeks since my last blog post… which is far too long, in my opinion. The good news is that it’s because I have been very busy prepping and DIY’ing like a madman! There are some great posts lined up for the next few weeks, one of which I’m extremely excited about…

I AM DOING THE TOILET AS WE SPEAK!

Let me just clarify that by this I mean that I am currently bathroom planning. Yet again, I have been sidetracked away from the task at hand (remember the guest bedroom planning post?) and been drawn to some shiny new things elsewhere, whilst busy pinning bathroom inspiration images. Let me show you where it all began…

Bathroom Inspiration; The Pretty That Started It All.

THIS.

This piece of shiny gorgeousness is what motivated me to pull out my finger and get on with the bathroom renovation. I hadn’t planned on doing it right now, but one look at this and I was sold. Sod saving for the extension, sod the spare room, I WANT A BRASS SHOWER AND I WANT IT NOW!!

Have you ever tried to source brass bathroom fittings? Neither had I, until recently. Seriously, I have spent ages trawling the internet for affordable brassware that didn’t involve having to resort to prostitution just to buy a click-clack waste. If I had gone down the prostitution route, then there are some gorgeous options out there that wouldn’t look out-of-place in Architectural Digest.

However, my morals (pah!) stood in the way and I opted for my trusty backup plan; Ebay. Also, as we know, I love a bargain.

Then there’s the Problem…

Still, even venturing going down the ‘pricey’ route, I have struggled to find options for a brass shower waste, other than those in-floor square grates. Does anyone know of any good sources??

*On a side note, it’s so infuriating knowing that most good quality British bathroom fittings are solid brass with chrome plate. Grrr! Also, it seems that in the U.S. brass fittings are readily available. Is this the case? Or does Pinterest mislead us??

Although the shower has some quite traditional elements, the tap options (in my price range) weren’t really the style I’m after. I wanted something a little more contemporary for the bath and basin and found that many of the options available were just a bit too ‘stylized’. I wanted something that has clean lines and is very ‘functional’. It really doesn’t bother me that everything isn’t the exact same style. I quite like the idea of co-ordination rather than ‘matchey-matchey’.

Then I saw this…

So clean and simple, which I love in contrast with the slightly aged brass.

So, having found two items that both Brian and I absolutely loved (I was convinced he would hate the brass, but how wrong was I?! He drooled over it as much as I did!), the quest had begun; Operation bathroom inspiration.

Bathroom Inspiration; Goals!

One of the best and worst parts of planning, is looking for images of your dream room. You fall in love with an image, then realise that there is no way you’ll ever afford it. I can cope with this when it comes to living rooms and bedrooms…you can pretty much fake up, DIY or ‘hack’ anything. When it comes to bathrooms, that’s not so easy. I’ve spray painted many things, but ‘fake’ brass taps is a step too far even for me. Though I may have to resort to spray paint eventually!

Here are the top 5 bathrooms I have been swooning over recently online.

1.

Image by Come Down To The Woods on Instagram

The lovely Katie from Come Down To The Woods, doesn’t know it yet, but I’m coming to live with her. I’ll happily sleep in this bath, it’s not a problem. This is serious bathroom goals. Everything ‘goes’ but is cleverly co-ordinated, rather than ‘matched’. I love the energy in this room.

2.

Image via Eclectic Bathroom

This is more about the mix of old and new, than the exact colours… I’d like to create this contrast through accessories and perhaps furniture.

3.

I love the dark moody atmosphere, pierced by the white. I also love the tub with floor standing filler and the gorgeous geometric hexagon tiles.

4.

Image via Houzz

Totally OTT…I love it! Look at that bath!!

5.

Image by Michaelis Boyd via Pinterest

The warm natural materials, contrasting with the geometric floor is just stunning.

 

 

Having sourced most of the hardware and the actual bathroom (I don’t want to say ‘suite’ ‘cos that makes me heave) the renovation is underway. I still haven’t pinned down some of the finer details yet, but expect a bathroom rendering sometime soon!