To ask you to show me your bathrooms?

[ItsFineReally]

I'm thinking of updating my bathroom but could so with some real life inspo rather than magazine images of bathrooms that are larger than my entire upstairs.

Would anyone oblige me by sharing some pictures of what they've had done recently?

And more importantly any pitfalls of current trends that you'd now advise against? My bathroom is now at least 15 years old so definitely behind the times.

I’d definitely advise to stay away from black sinks!! We’ve got a black glossy bathroom sink and it’s the bane of my life!

We put our dream bathroom in. Beautiful tiles which reminded me of holidays abroad. Then we moved house! But it definitely let us sell it for more money.

I had been looking at black matte taps and wondered if they'd be difficult to clean...

Is it watermarks in general on the black?

Makes all the difference when you love a room, doesn't it?

It shows up that annoying bathroom dust that happens, I clean daily anyway but I have to clean it because of the dust. If anyone touches it it leaves fingerprints. If it’s not dried properly after being cleaned or used it looks smeared. I’d definitely not recommend. Ours is gloss but I would imagine matte black taps would show up every watermark.

Don't put in waterfall taps! We had one fitted to the bathroom basin when we had a refit. It was a nightmare to clean and it was difficult to get pressure right - it either dribbled or shot everywhere!

Also, I would 100% recommend Vado products for brassware. First of all our plumber (who is also a friend) swears by them, and we have been extremely impressed with the quality (NB the waterfall tap wasn't Vado!). Second, their after sales care in excellent! We broke a bit off the shower rail recently (our fault). I contacted them to try and get a spare, expecting to pay as we broke it. But as it was less than 5 years old they sent one out free of charge within 24 hours.

Thanks for the heads up - sounds like it would drive me insane!

I'd also recommend steering clear of black in your new bathroom OP, as it's going to date very quickly. You're better off stick with white sanitary ware and chrome taps, etc. Also, if you don't want it to date quickly, be sure not to use any of the 'trendy' tiles etc. as they'll date much more quickly. We're about to have our ensuite done, and are going for white sanitary ware, chrome taps, etc. white brick effect tiles, with wood plank effect floor tiles, then I will add colour with paint/wallpaper, towels, blind, etc. That way when I get fed up with the colours, I can change things very inexpensively, whereas changing a shower screen with a black framework on for example, will be a lot more work and expense. Just my thoughts

@MathsMum3 Appreciate the recommendations too! Not come across Vado before so I'm Googling now...

I second RoastDinnerSmellsNice, go for classic sanitary ware and tiles and add character with paint etc. If you like a deep bath don’t have a bath filler (no taps the water comes from the overflow). I’ve got one but it limits how deep you can have the water. I also like big tiles as it limits the amount of grout to keep clean!

We have black matte taps and shower fitments and we have no problem keeping them clean. Maybe it's hard water? The only time it's noticeable they need wiping down is after toothpaste spatter from an electric toothbrush. Ugh!

Be careful with your brick effect tiles that they don't look like a public loo.

NC as mine is quite distinctive

We have just finished doing our bathroom. We went with shower panels, full height in the shower and halfway up the walls in the rest of the bathroom. So much easier to clean because of no grout lines which I felt I was forever cleaning when we had tiles.

Just had ours done - white sanitary ware, dark blue vanity unit and radiator and brushed brass taps/fittings with white/grey marble effect wall panels, grey floor tiles.

I saw the radiator first and loved it. Planned everything else around it!

I went for wall panels to avoid having grout to clean. We don't have space for a separate shower so got a wider bath and a waterfall shower. It's fantastic! Also got a hand held shower head. Think about if you want a mirror with light and defogging. Think about if you want underfloor heating, it's not expensive for a small space. Think about storage, we had a gap of about 13 inches behind the bath which was previously boxed in to the height of the bath. When we had the room redone the fitter installed a floor to ceiling cupboard there instead. The door is finished just like the walls and it's push to open, so it looks seemless, but I have so much storage now out of what was wasted space.

Photos aren't my bathroom, but show the radiator I have and the shower combo/setup I have

Just had my ensuite done with shower panels and I'd agree they are so much easier to keep clean. I've had them floor to ceiling all the way round so no painting either.
An anthracite radiator shows up less dust than the chrome ones.
A hand rail in the shower is useful.
Comfort height toilet is great.
Smooth gloss surfaces are easier to keep clean.
Make sure shower cubicle has enough space to move around in.

@Rhymetimegopo

Can we see the panels?

Avoid plastic!
Vado taps and shower
waterproof MDF panelling that can be painted.
Tiles from a discount place
Custom made Orla Keily blind

Not mine but very similar, just the basin vanity drawers are white gloss

Marble porcelain tiles
Chrome fittings
Ceiling Bluetooth speakers
Heated mirrored cabinet
Japanese loo seat

I debated so long over tiles, and was tempted by many blues and greens

But in the end decided marble never dates

I've seen some fantastic shower panels and next bathroom that needs doing might use those, but most likely marbled too

Vado customer service is excellent
They've sent out tap and shower cartridges free when the arsehole of a developer didn't register the 10 year warranty.

I love your tiles. I've got them in my bathroom too!

Here’s ours - there’s a big mirror over the towel rail now as well. Tiles v similar to yours @Moanyoldcow but a shade darker!

Agree it’s v hard to find small bathroom inspiration- all the places I looked had “small” bathrooms that would have been huge for us!

Photos are of main bathroom and en suite, both fairly recently done. Haven't regretted any part of it yet, so can't tell you what to avoid!

Loving these pics! Some superb looking colour mixes.

Not my bathroom but one I’m decorating for a friend.. The white walls in the second pic will be wallpapered too.

@RoastDinnerSmellsNice @SomersetClimber I veer between your (clearly sensible) advice and being drawn by trends! We'll be moving in the short to medium term rather than longer-term and therefore there's the hope it doesn't date too much before then... That's why we're still having a bath even though I'd much rather opt for a fancy huge walk-in shower.

@2025willbemytime I've seen white subway tiles look super expensive and classy, and also like a public toilet. I've no idea what made the difference either way!