Makeover Bathroom Design Gallery

Mold, crumbling plaster, rotten window frames – this room had it all. So how did it take on its current fabulous finish?

This former bedroom was stripped right back, the plaster was replaced, along with the windows and electrics, and new plumbing was introduced to create a room that was generous-sized, ideal for a family.

To give the room a feeling of real glamour, the chimney breast was blocked up to create enough space for twin vanity units, both of which have plenty of storage space beneath the sinks for bathroom bottles. The free-standing bath sits centrally framed beneath the window and, halfway up the alcove wall, a bathroom TV was set into the mosaic tiles.

Good bathroom lighting is important to plan in. The long mirror above the vanity units is lit by wall lights, while the rest of the room is kept bright with halogen spots. Both these measures help the room feel like it’s lit by daylight, even at night.

Stuck in the 1980s, this bathroom had one big drawback: boxed in pipework behind the toilet and at the end of the bath, both of which created ugly lines within the room.

This classic bathroom layout is one that many of us are stuck with. So how to make it look good while being practical?

The right hand wall was brought forward to hide the pipework and to allow for a built-in cupboard and a wall-hung, back-to-the-wall toilet. Doing so kept the bathroom storage hidden and gave the room the straight lines it lacked before, helping it to feel bigger and better.

To add an element of decoration to an otherwise cramped space, plain tiles were rejected in favor of traditionally patterned ones with a metallic glimmer. These bathroom tiles were carried on to the bath panel, and this continuation helps exaggerates space, too.

Whether wallpaper or tiles ensure it has a glimmer to it if it’s in a small space. Doing so creates a feeling of depth and helps reflect light. A towel rail sits at the end of the bath, which helps save space elsewhere, and a plain glass screen blends into the background to help heighten the feeling of space.

This bathroom is L-shaped, has a sloping ceiling over the bath and one tiny window – so getting any kind of character into the scheme, while adding storage space, and was a real project.

This tiny room battled postage stamp size dimensions, a sloping ceiling and small window. So how did it succeed?

There wasn’t much choice for the layout of this room, so the only space for storage was above the loo. Combining hidden storage with open shelving allows for both a tidy space that has an element of display – a must if you want to bring some character into a small room. To enhance space, the scheme was basically all-white, with hints of blue in the tiles, towels, bottles and the pale blue of the wall behind the toilet and sink.

A large mirror sitting above the sink also helps bounce light around the room. Good lighting is also key. The tiny proportions of this room, exacerbated by the sloping ceiling above the bath meant that even a full-sized, fixed shower screen was out of the question. So, a folding screen that could be put flat back against the wall meant that the bath was accessible.