Just renovated the en suite but not sure about it. Please help

[Harbourlife]

So we bought a house 5 years ago and I decided to find a builder who will renovate our en suite as was fed up with cleaning the grout and the tiles (we live in the area with hard water). It wasn’t looking too ugly, but mouldy in places and some tiles started to discolour.

Our builder talked me into installing the panels instead as it will be super easy to clean. Now the work is completed, I’m not sure if I like it as it looks a bit cheap🤔

The house is 10 years old and we will be planning to move in about 7-8 years time because of the school situation.

My question is: do you think the en suite looks tacky? Would you buy it if you liked the rest of the house? Everything works well and I like how clean it is, but really started doubting myself whether I should have gone for tiles instead.. oh dear!

I’ve attached the before and after pics.

I'm going to go against the grain here and say that I don't mind the wall colour - for me the issue is the colour of the floor tiles. They are too creamy/beige to go against the white of the marble so it looks a bit jarring. It would look better with big white tiles (we had similar in a previous house, not as hard to keep clean as you would think) or some sort of black and white tiles. I asked an AI tool to replace the flooring with white tiles and it did this!

We have white panels with silver glittery flecks in our en suite shower, they are much easier to keep clean than the tiles we had previously as it's so poorly ventilated that it got mouldy easily despite frequent cleaning.

Did you reuse the sink? Pedestal sinks are a pain re storage. Ie there isn’t any.

@evilharpy That flooring looks like wood. Which you can get as tiles. I like large format non slip tiles. Just a bit off white would have been better. You don’t want small format beige that fights with the panel.

Nicer than those black tiles. I think the panel in the shower is ok, but I’d have gone for tiles elsewhere. I suspect your builder was thinking of his own ease (fiddlier to do tiles). I completely agree with those saying the walls need repainting. I’d go for a colour darker than the panels, kind of a rich, warm milky coffee colour or whatever goes best with the colour on the panels.

I was just about to say this !! X

Panels look gorgeous but the colour paint is really washed out and bland. A dark colour or something would make the panels pop even more and give a cosy vibe. Agree on the flooring but panels themselves look lovely :)

I think tiles always look classier. Panels will forever be associated with cheap guesthouses. I guess the good news is that your shower room is now very generic-looking, OP, and will appeal to people who like that generic, character-free look.

Builders almost always recommend what's quickest and easiest for them (and also what will make them most money). Tiling is a specialist art and tilers cost money. Panels don't require the same skill.

Thanks! The floor wasn’t changed as well as the toilet and sink as they were both working and we’re trying to save money. But I agree, a different floor is needed.

Yes, we didn’t replace the original sink, toilet and floor tiles. Trying to save and also we are not going to stay in this house for forever.

I would definitely go for a nicer sink next time.

Absolutely, I agree. I’ve learned from this experience and next time will think twice before agreeing with the builder.

I wanted something simple and generic, me and my husband have different tastes so couldn’t agree anyway.

The floor tiles and the panels clash colour wise but on the whole it looks bright and airy. I wouldn't worry about decisions you make now as 7 years is a long time!

The marble looks way better! The room looks so fresh as well. I like black but it was too dark. Looks professional now.

Sorry - really not keen on that. It looks very late 80s/early 90s.

Assuming the beige is after?

I got talked into different cupboards that I wanted by my builder (probably as he thought they would be easier to install).

We have wet wall. It's not necessarily what I'd have chosen but in 19 years it looks exactly the same and my cleaning is shoddy!

I just have to spray mould and mildew cleaner in the silicone sealant once in a while.

I would recommend a squeegee. Quick wipe when done saves a huge amount of condensation too which is a bonus in a small space.

It doesn't go with the flooring and the paint colours off 🤭

I'm sorry to say that I don't like the final result, it looks souless and unstylish.

I think you could work with it though. Add some plants and art.

As others have said the cool walls are jarring with the panel colours (and the floor).
A colour like this would make things a bit more harmonious.

Is the floor new too?

It looks lovely

No worries, I appreciate every honest comment. Can you please guide me what would you add as art or plants? I’m hopeless at this.

What colour did you go for? Does the wet wall mean the panels? Sorry I’m still new to this. Thanks x

No, the floor is old as well as the toilet and sink. Could I please ask what app do you use for the coloured walls? I like it!

I think the panels look nice. I wish the shower door was taller, or frameless.
but this wouldn’t affect my decision to buy a house. As I could improve it.

Sure - it's a one I used a while back called "Paint tester"
I've only ever used the free one and it's a bit annoying with ads but it gives you a good idea of what colours will go.
I've taken a photo of the % of colour mixes to get that colour on my last photo.

Rubber plants and fiddleleaf plants always look good and do well in moist areas.

Arts personal but I'd go for a few large flower market prints, or prints for the are you live in (like London prints for example). Or graphical prints if you want less fuss and more generic. I'd keep the pictures at 50/70cm type of size, nothing small.

Or an extra large multipictiure frame with colourful family pics.

I think you are unsure because you did have black and white - thus opposite, and therefore there was an impact value
now you have beige and what is it blue ? and they really just don't go that well together. and all just looks a bit bland.

I think some simple dark wood framed pictures would look nice and yes some plants as per previous poster.