Help me tart up awful bathroom (pics included)

[harrietm87]

We're doing a major house refurb atm. The only room that the previous owners did was the tiny bathroom. We really don't like it, but can't afford to change it for a while, so hoping can make it look a bit better with some paint, lighting and accessories.

We will eventually have a shower room, so this will mainly be used for bathing our baby when it's here. We can't change the grey tiles but I'd be willing to go fairly wacky for the wall
colour - a bright green or yellow maybe? We were thinking a cabinet/mirror with light over the sink.

Any advice/suggestions welcome!

Better picture

It's really not that awful, just a bit stark at the moment. Get some plants and candles etc on the windowsill to soften it up.

Personally I think a wacky colour would make it look worse, but everyone has different taste.

I think a soft pink would help to warm it up a bit.

I agree that a bright colour will make it look worse.

It just needs accessorising. You need a nice large mirrors, some pictures a roman blind to soften the window, a plant, a shelf above the doorway to put baskets on, a freestanding toilet roll holder, a towel rail and some posh toiletries.

I'd keep the walls very light.

A nice fabric blind to soften the window. Some hanging plants

and a really soft fluffy bath mat

It just needs a couple of pictures, mirrors, flowers in the window. And better lighting maybe. The tiles are quite nice. Most colours really will work with grey if you are really keen on a bright wacky one. I'd probably go with a tonal version of the grey though. (Boring, I know)

Thanks for all the speedy responses! You've actually made me feel better about it already. The house is a Victorian terrace and we're refurbishing it to try and put the character/original features back in, so would never have chosen those tiles which are quite modern/industrial. Love the soft pink suggestion!

Not sure about a bright colour on the walls, but maybe a crisp white? Or fo a bit of bling something with a shimmer? Def a mirror, and I take it you don't have a window? so a large mirror. Some bright pictures on the wall would help, shelves with various plants (Peace Lily are good for bathrooms, and spider plants will add dangling interest).
I look forward to reading others suggestions and seeing what you end up doing.

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A mother of pearl type white on the wall would go well with grey

That's really not awful at all. Maybe not to your taste but it's all clean and a blank canvas. You could put pretty much anything in there really. I don't like the idea of a bright colour. I'd go with white paint and add warmth and colour with accessories. Maybe one of those wood bath shelf things (they seem to be The Thing on instagram atm) or some wooden shelves on one of the walls. Plants are big this year (!) and would add some life. Big fluffy white towels. One on a hook on the back of the door. A 3 wick candle somewhere, little t-light holders.

Basically I think it just needs some warmth and texture adding. The room itself is fine.

I prefer it to my bathroom.
I'd go for texture. So ferny plant on the windowsill, and one of those very chunky Bathmats. Also a bit gilt curly edged mirror.

Glass shelves behind the toilet to hold your towels would look lovely!
You can get lovely little brackets to hold the glass, that you don't notice at all.
I'm not usually a fan of carpet in bathrooms, but think I may consider it in yours, especially if it,s only for a few years.

We have a grey and white bathroom. I bought a geometric grey and white roller blind from John Lewis, very soft and fluffy grey and white Christy towels and a peace lily and just embraced the grey. Added a huge mirrored wall cabinet too and painted the walls a pale grey/white. It looks so much better. It us our family bathroom so there are loads of bath toys which I would like to lose in favour of smart toiletries, which would like help. Could you fit a sleek cabinet?

I’d go for a soft grey or off white too. Agree about roman blinds and plants, candles etc.
Add a towel rail and a lovely bath mat and it will be a different room.
It just needs softening up a bit.

I agree with a soft pink on the painted wall. I would go for a Roman blind to soften the look - Personally I would choose a nice chintzy—overblown-roses type fabric picking up the grey tiles and pink wall colors. But I like contemporary and vintage/traditional together. I’d tie it together further with nice fluffy tiles in shades of pink and grey

Can you get the rest of the walls tiled? It doesn’t need to be the same - even a bright white will lift it. Small bathroom walls can really suffer from all the consensation.

Grey and yellow is very in trend so actually a few accessories and your bathroom is ultra fashionable. I saw some great bits in Sainsbury’s Home department today. Really good prices too

I was expecting something like this by the title

Barbara Cartlands guest loo?

me too Slightly

I love those tiles.

I'd keep the walls light / plain
I'd accessorise with brightly coloured stuff

Then when your bored you can change them

I would paint the walls white (£20) & buy a big mirror (Argos) probably £30.

Then save the money for when its done up properly. You can splash out on more expensive things, like taps, rather than spending twice.

It's not that bad.

Bright towels, big mirror and some lovely hand soaps, candles and it'll be fine.

LOL to the pink bathroom!!

Maybe pale lilac on the walls, mirrors along the left hand side to make it feel bigger though as the door opens that way it won't help much. If you put them over the bath to break up the grey tiles they might be a pain to keep mist free....

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01GI7CYWK/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?psc=1&tag=mumsnetforum-21 Duckboard on the floor to break up the white floor tiles and possibly tongue and groove panels for the bath. You could mirror the tongue and groove panels on the wall opposite the bath but the effect might be lost by the door opening on to it...

I like the colour of the wooden blinds in Vitology's picture and you could perhaps put some similar coloured baskets on a shelf above the loo.

Cabinet over the sink... www.tesco.com/direct/vonhaus-colonial-style-mirror-white-cabinet-for-the-bathroom/399-3038.prd?skuId=399-3038