BEFORE & AFTER | Laundry & Bathroom

BATHROOMbefore BlackbirdBATHROOM1 BlackbirdBathroom2GET THE LOOK | Cape Cod bath towel by Ottoloom, $73.00, ottoloom.co.nz, Fog Linen basket $39.00, paperplanestore.com, Fog Linen Wash Cloth, $24.00, fatherrabbit.com, Indigo House Shoes, $135.00, mavisandosborn.com, Amber Shower Shower Bottles, $18.00, theblackbird.co.nz, Mediterranean Sea Sponge, $39.00, paperplanestore.com, Fog Linen Knitted Floor Mat, $89.00, fatherrabbit.com, Walls, Resene Alabaster, Vanity, Resene Double Alabaster, Floor, Resene Smoky Green.

Good golly, she was a little rough when we saw her. And not much better after the move. The bath tub was stained and had sunken in the move south, in fact it was held together with duct tape for the first 4 months of living there. The walls pale blue were stained with years of mould, not quite the sanctuary that a bathroom should and with a square meterage of only 3m, we were now not only wrestling with budget but also with space. However, we aren’t one to shy away from a challenge.

Gutting the bathroom but keeping the plumbing in the same place was the key. We quickly disposed of the old enamel bath with it’s years of yellow stain and replacing it with a near new bath off TradeMe. Creating space without knocking down walls was a priority, so to maximise space we took off the existing inward opening door, replacing it with an old T&G door hung on industrial castors we found at the local wreckers. Choosing a recessed mirrored cabinet creates a sense of space and light and allows for added storage with out loosing precious elbowroom. Adding baskets under the vanity keep bits in bobs in place while looking sharp.

Deciding to make our own vanity to replace the previous eye sore was a relatively easy and cheaper option. After constructing the console out of plywood, we painted the face with Resene Double Alabaster and sealed it with Resene Graffiti Shield. Bringing back the DIY leather pulls, adding an off set ceramic basin and new tape ware we were done for under $300.00 . Once again following my hard and fast rule of fresh and clean we gibed and painted the walls in Resene Black White dressing up the floor in a dusty green, Resene Smokey Green. We also chose to tile, and went with a cost effective square tile adding texture with a charcoal grout, leaving us with a crisp new space at steal. Although it is not a task to be taken lightly, tiling yourself is achieve-able . Make sure you measure and then measure again, it’s all about that straight line. Playing around with grout can transform mundane into mod. TIP : The smaller your tile you use, the trickier the process. Using larger tiles leaves less room for errors.

BEFORElaundry BlackbirdLaunrdy BlackbirdLaundry2 BlackbirdLaundry3

GET THE LOOK : Cane Laundry Basket, $70.00, theblackbird.co.nz , Linen Keep-All Bag, $88.00, theblackbird.co.nz, Carpet Beater, $39.00, paperplanestore.com, Fog Linen Basket, $36.00, fatherrabbit.com, Cleaning Cloths, $18.00 each, fatherrabbit.com, Scrubbing Brush, $$8.95, www.ecostoredirect.co.nz, Indigo Ceramic Bowl, $28.00, theblackbird.co.nz, Bees Wax Candles, $8.50 each, fatherrabbit.com, Walls in Resene Atomic, Floors in Resene Smoky Green, Everything else Stylist Own.

The laundry on the other hand wasn’t in extreme disrepair, just a little tired and in serious need of extra storage.

For most people the laundry is a dull and uneventful place not worth much musing, but I like a good laundry l. It needs to be practical, but also easy on the eyes. Opting to contrast the white on white house, and fulfil my yearning for a dark room,  we went for Resene Atomic on the walls, adding drama and complimenting the continued Resene Smoky Green floors. Pulling out the old tub we replaced it with a concrete tub from the wreckers on a built in plywood cabinet for hidden storage, and added a bench top for those extra bits and bobs. We decided to leave the plywood unpainted enhancing it’s natural tones and sealing it against any moisture with a satin polyurethane. Now back to practicality, the handy husband made brackets, shelves and a rail to hang everything from the laundry basket and ironing board to the carpet beater.

All in all, a bit of elbow grease and out of the box thinking left us with fresh new spaces at steal.

 

Until next time

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15 thoughts on “BEFORE & AFTER | Laundry & Bathroom

  1. Once again you have out done your selves. What gorgeous spaces. We are in the begining stages of renovating our first home on a very non exist budget. I love reading your blog for inspiration. Keep it up.

  2. Everything looks beautiful! You did such a fantastic job. I’m in love with the plywood cabinets and what I can see of the concrete basin. I’d love to see more of it!

  3. Gem, your bathroom and laundry look amazing in every way! Love the shibori ironing board cover! Did you make it?

  4. Hi Gem – we don’t know each other, but we have a Redstone in common (I’m Jordan’s sister). Loving your blog for inspiration for our own lil do-up. We’re just about to do a similar plywood bench for our new kitchen, and wondering if you would be able to tell me what thickness you used (i.e. did you glue two sheets of ply together, or buy a sheet at a ready-made thickness?). Thanks so much! Tilly

    1. Hi Tilly!
      Ha! Small world!
      Sorry its taken me a while to get back to you! We used a 25mm Ply and doubled just the edges ( the rest is framed out ) – ANy more questions, just email me on hello@theblackbird.co.nz, Good Luck! x

  5. I know this is an old post but I have been trawling back through to find some indoor plant inspiration. What is the beautiful cascading plant above your vanity in the bathroom? I need it in my life! x

    1. Hi Gemma!

      That is a type Hoya! They are a beautiful and hardy plant with the sweetest white and pink wax flowers! Good Luck!

  6. Hi! I know this is an older post, but I love it, and we are about to reno our bathroom… I’m wondering if you wouldn’t mind sharing what the dimensions of your white tiles and where you found them? Thanks!

  7. I love the rug. I own a few Pakistani rugs, both high pile and low pile. One of them, luckily not the most expensive, got messed up by a second floor bathroom leak.

    It was devastating to see as our sofa suffered the same fate. We got help from Euro Plumbing to fix the issue and do the renovation as well. The price is quite high but reasonable. I advise everyone to check your 2nd floor or 3rd floor bathrooms regularly, otherwise, you’d have the same tragic experience as we did.

    Euro Plumbing – https://www.auckland.plumbing is the best we worked with so far. The gentleman Troy owned the task and the work his did team is really worth the money.

    Again, I love that rug. :)

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