12 bathroom renovation ideas to inspire your next project
There’s nothing quite as exciting as a renovation project. Daunting, yes, fraught with indecision, of course, but exciting nonetheless. And if the prospect of a bathroom renovation once conjured visions of shiny but lifeless showrooms and a week of debate about acrylic bath panels, don't fret.
Updating the spaces of today calls for a light-hearted inquiry into tongue and groove panelling and wallpapered ceilings. It's all a lot more fun.
If the thought of turning your home into a building site doesn't thrill you – who can muster any enthusiasm at the sight of dust sheets after all? – there are plenty of smaller projects that require little more than a spare afternoon and a paintbrush. These can satisfy an itch for change without a total reimagining of your space and how it functions.
Below, we revisit some of the most stylish bathrooms from our archives and beyond that are full of brilliant renovation ideas...
Go for wallpaper
Forgo the predictable run of tiles and use wallpaper instead. Tongue and grove panelling and painted floorboards offer protection from splashes, and a coat of decorator's varnish prevents wallpaper from bubbling or peeling. This pattern-stamped haven belongs to textile designer Molly Mahon, who understands the cosy, tented effect of papering a pitched ceiling.
Pictured: Coral Wallpaper at Molly Mahon
Enhance your entrance
In this wet room designed by Richard and Anne De Wolf, an arched stained glass doorway makes quite an entrance. A great choice for a light-starved ensuite, and the effect could be replicated on a smaller scale on shower panels.
Saturate with colour
Painting your surfaces in a uniform colour maximises the feeling of space in a small room – too many colours can feel just as crowded as too many accessories. Michael Rolland, Managing Director at The Paint Shed, recommends Farrow & Ball's Dead Flat range or Little Greene's Intelligent range for the job. "These paints are versatile and designed for a variety of surfaces, making them ideal for colour drenching," he says. "With options for walls, radiators, skirting boards and more, they provide the freedom to bring this trend to life in every corner of your home.” A lot of bathtubs can be spruced up with acrylic-based paints, alongside UPVC window frames.
Add tongue and groove panelling
Tongue and groove panelling is the antidote to shiny surfaces, and creates a charming farmhouse-style bathroom. It is a bit of a covert money-saver too – unlike tiles, it can be repainted at a moment's notice. Enthusiastic DIY-ers can create a similar ledged door to add to the farmhouse effect, but there are plenty of retailers who can save you the effort.
Hang art
If you believe that there is no such thing as a cluttered wall, take a leaf out of interior designer Jodie Hazlewood's book and fill empty space with art. British cloakrooms and bathrooms have historically been a place to display items with an ironic or humorous twist, so to hang old portraits or brash pop art is to uphold a playful side of our design heritage.
Change your finishes
Toning down the glossiness of a bathroom can make it feel more rustic. Showroom-standard chrome fittings and gleaming white tiles should be the first to go. Designer Christina Salway picked a perfectly patinated bathtub, reddish floorboards and a whole wall of textured Zellige tiles to better suit the architecture of her farmhouse.
Create a feature shower
Tiny shower cubicles are an opportunity to use wish-list tiles in an affordable way. This is quite reminiscent of a Mediterranean bathrooms where walk-in showers are commonly designed without glass partitions – tiling from floor to ceiling has the effect of enclosing the space in the absence of a physical divider. It's particularly effective if you use tiles a touch darker than the rest of the space, to create an intimate and enveloping feeling as you step inside.
Pictured: Georgina Bath Towel at Rebecca Udall, for similar tiles, try Ca'Pietra's Deck Chair Tiles in Royal Blue
Soften it all
It’s all too easy to end up with lots of hard, shiny surfaces in a bathroom, so go the route of Tori Murphy, and soften everything up with gauzy and romantic lace sheers, plump upholstered stools and a smattering of antiques.
Pictured: Belvoir Lace Curtain at Tori Murphy
Repurpose antiques
If you’re averse to bland bathroom units and modern sanitaryware, consider antiques instead. A handsome mahogany dresser can hide away linens and cleaning material, and an old trestle table can become a sink unit with a bit of clever (and professional) repurposing – see the rest of this vintage Cotswolds bathroom for inspiration. If you go down this route, be conscious of any details that might jar – spotlights won't cut it – and choose antiqued or patinated fixtures, off-white enamelware and finishes that are a bit rough and time-worn.
Future-proof your renovation
Relying on classic patterns will ensure your renovation will feel timeless through the coming years. In this farmhouse bathroom renovation, the duo behind the Jersey Ice Cream Co. chose an unfailingly tasteful checkerboard tile to upgrade their shower.
Update with new hardware
A simple change of hardware can bring new life to a bathroom. In Landon McAfee’s cabin bathroom, a vintage sink is updated with new faucets. Shower heads and bath mixers can be changed from chrome to brass, which moves an entire scheme in a new direction, and shiny towel rails swapped for elegant vintage reproductions.
Fulfil a wish list design
Indulge in a bit of design whimsy with a freestanding bath incorporated into a bedroom à la designer Jodie Hazlewood. There are endless practical considerations here around plumbing, ventilation and waterproofing – but the result is wonderfully indulgent and, at the same time, such a marvellous use of space.
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