What didn’t you like about your old bathroom?
It was so grotty! It had years of baked-on grime
that wouldn’t budge, the bath was all rusty, the
mirror was hung so you had to bend down to
see your face and the space was a mudroom,
laundry and bathroom all in one, but separated
by walls and doors – so a very strange space.
What was the inspiration behind your new design?
We knew we wanted to knock out the walls and
create one big room, but were nervous because
we’d never done a bathroom reno. We got our
friend Lily Thompson from Ewing & Co Interior
Design to draw up some concepts and show us
some tile samples, which helped us decide on
the palette. We chose stone-look floor tiles, brass
tapware and ocean-coloured wall tiles.
How did you decide on the new layout? This is
where Mico Bathrooms’ expertise and online
3D design planner came in very handy! You just
hop online and fill in your measurements, and
then you can drop in your vanity, bath, shower
and so on, and have a play. It really helped us
visualise the space.
How did you want the new bathroom to look and
feel? How does it fit with your home as a whole?
Our home was built in the 1950s and has lots
of original mid-century features, so we wanted
it to have a retro vibe. We ummed and aahed
about the shower as we had a large space and
wanted to do something special. I had my heart
set on a tile enclosure – I love the cosy, cave-
like feeling. We almost went for glass when
we started getting tiling quotes, because it’s
definitely costly, but I’m so glad we stuck to our
guns. Glass would have looked too ‘new’. We
also worked with Eric Thompson from Pacific
Coast Kitchens on a floating plywood vanity
which we love! We repurposed the brass knobs
from some existing cabinetry.
How did you choose the materials? Brass tapware
was the first big decision and the other colours
and materials were chosen to complement it. In
hindsight, brass was a big call because it meant
we had to follow through on all the matching
fixtures and fittings, for example the tile trim,
sink and bath wastes, and rails.
BEFORE AFTERyhg | 113M