Transforming our small bathroom: mood board and plans

[Advertisement – this is a collaborative post with Crosswater, who have offered me a press discount, but all words and opinions are my own]

Chris and I are about to embark on the next stage of our ongoing house renovation: rejigging the first-floor layout to turn our ensuite into a proper upstairs bathroom. It’s something that we’ve been saving up to do ever since we bought the place six years ago, and although it’s set to cause a couple of weeks of dust and chaos, I know it’s going to make a big difference to the way we live.

Our main bathroom is on the ground floor – not a problem when it’s just the two of us, but it means guests have to go up and down the stairs. I worry that it could become a struggle for our parents in the future, and that it might limit re-sale potential as it certainly won’t appeal to families with young kids. What’s more, as you can see in the below photos, the design of the existing ensuite wasn’t thought through at all, resulting in awkward angles, a total lack of storage and an impossible-to-clean gap between the shower and toilet-cistern enclosure.

So, the plan is to block up the existing door between our bedroom and the ensuite, open up a new door from the landing, and totally redo the interior. Not only will this create a much more practical and stylish bathroom that everyone can use, it will also give us scope to rearrange the bedroom and add some much-needed wardrobes in there. I’ll talk about the bedroom in more detail in a future post, but today I want to focus on the bathroom itself, especially as we have a few tricky challenges to overcome.

The first is the room’s tiny size. The changes aren’t going to make it any bigger or create any natural light, so we’re going to keep the overall look simple and bright so as not to overwhelm the space. The sanitaryware will be timeless white, the walls will be clad in matte-white metro tiles, and we’ve chosen grey stone tiles for the floor. Oak elements and a few marble accessories will add a bit of warmth, texture and interest.

Getting the layout right is also going to be key, particularly as we’ll still have a diagonal wall to contend with. The new door will be installed where the sink currently is and will open inwards, meaning we’ll have to opt for a narrow one (60cm as opposed to the standard 76cm) to enable it to swing past the toilet. The sink will then move to sit where the existing door is, and we’ll mount it on a vanity unit to add some storage. The modular ‘Infinity’ system from bathroom-design experts Crosswater will be ideal, as it’s made up of various components that can be configured in all sorts of different ways; it’s also wall-hung, giving us some valuable extra floor space. The circular mirror above it will contrast nicely with the unit’s clean lines and bounce in some natural light from the landing.

Crosswater has come to the rescue with the shower enclosure, too. I’m keen to replace the quadrant shape we have at the moment with a square one as I think it will look a lot more contemporary, but we’ll still need something with sliding doors as there’s no room for anything else. The corner-opening ‘Edge’ enclosure is ideal, and it’s one of the sleekest and most minimalist sliding-door designs I’ve come across.

Another issue we have deal with is Bristol’s very hard water, which means limescale is a constant battle. As much as I love matte-black taps and fittings, they’d be a total no-no here. Instead, we’re opting for classic chrome, which I think will prove a little more trend-resistant in any case. We’re also going to use wall-mounted taps and a wall-mounted shower with no external rail, thereby minimising the amount of exposed fixtures that might accumulate limescale over time.

For the finishing touches, I’m planning to add understated accessories in marble and wood, thick grey-waffle towels, some lovely lotions and scented candles, and perhaps a leafy plant if I can find a variety that will cope with the low light. The space may be tiny and the bathtub will be in the main bathroom downstairs, but I still want it to have a relaxing, spa-like feel that’s conducive to a bit of pampering!

Here’s the mood board that I’ve put together for the project:

We’ll be starting the work later this month, so I’ll reveal the finished space soon. In the meantime, I hope the above provides a bit of inspiration for anyone else grappling with their own small bathroom. And if you’re interested in buying any Crosswater products for your own home, there’s up to 50% off in its sale until 8th November – browse the full range here.

‘Before’ photos and mood-board tile and accessory images by Abi Dare; top-left mood board image via Shutterstock; all other photography via Crosswater