Champagne taste on a beer budget – Bathrooms

I have been thinking a lot about how to achieve high end renovations with a low end budget. Champagne taste on a beer budget! There are many drivers behind this thinking. Perhaps you want to renovate or rebuild your home to be your Forever Home, but are economically restrained (or just prudent). Perhaps you want to renovate an investment property that might be subjected to less than respectful tenants, but you still can’t countenance producing a result with fittings sourced from your local hardware store or budget bathroom supplier. Perhaps you or your tenants are domestically challenged, but are hoping for Bathrooms and Kitchens that still look great without spending your days mopping the floors, cleaning the splashbacks and fighting the good fight against mould.

Here are some of my thoughts on Bathrooms:

1. Never skimp on waterproofing. It might be a hidden cost, but to scrimp is a false economy.
2. Underfloor heating is not worth the cost (at least in Australia) and doesn’t deliver enough heat to dry out wall tiles and prevent mould growth.
3. Combined heating/exhaust lights are effective at delivering instant warmth, removing steam and drying out tiled areas sufficiently to prevent mould growth. The attractiveness of combined heating/exhaust lights (such as Tastic) has improved significantly, and who spends their time looking at the ceiling anyway? They vent to the ceiling or roof cavity and so save the cost of ducting to the outside (which is really not necessary unless you are running an industrial laundry).
4. Pendant lighting and wall mounted lights (which I particularly dislike and think scream generic five star hotel) are unnecessary and don’t add much to the styling of Bathrooms and Powder Rooms (but do add cost). If you really have your heart set on lighting features, then install the combined heating/exhaust light at the centre of the Bathroom and install a pendant above the basin.
5. Whether or not the room allows for a separate bath to the shower, consider a freestanding bath. Composite stone freestanding baths are now readily available at very reasonable cost and are ultimately more cost effective, because you avoid the need for the cabinetry and tiling associated with a drop in bath.
6. I love the look of a seamless level moving from one flooring type to another. However, having a small lip up into Bathrooms and Laundries can deliver quite significant savings (and the vast majority of people will never notice or think twice about the change in level if they do).
7. Painted skirting boards in Bathrooms save on tiling and ensure no dirty water mop creep staining on wall tiles and wallpaper.
8. Limit tiling and incorporate painted walls/capped tongue and groove sheeting with painting skirting boards (using Kitchen Bathroom appropriate paint). This delivers a much softer result than fully tiled Bathrooms and is much cheaper to achieve.
9. Limiting tiling also limits grout, which in turn limits the opportunity for mould to grow. Darker grout, particularly in wet areas, is also useful to hide mould that does grow. I do not understand how mould growth in grout has not yet been conquered, but it looks like we need to continue to live with it (along with the common cold and Covid-19).
10. Wall hung toilets with hidden cisterns are undoubtedly chic (if a toilet can be chic). Back to wall toilets look almost as good for a fraction of the price (and look just as good if not better in a more traditionally styled Bathroom or Powder Room).
11. Freestanding console basins with drop in basins or with combined composite stone tops and under bench basins deliver a high end and timeless look. Console basins are quick and easy to install and comparable in price to cheap and nasty off the shelf cabinetry. They avoid the cost of bespoke cabinetry and they avoid the generic soulless look of most off the shelf cabinetry. They also don’t suffer from any wear and tear like cupboards (particularly with less than careful tenants or children). A stand alone cupboard or shelving unit, whether antique or contemporary, can introduce an interesting design feature instead.
12. If you feel an overwhelming need for inbuilt bathroom cabinetry, then wall hung units with classic door profiles deliver a great look on a budget.
13. High end knobs and handles are a great way to add luxe without breaking the budget.
14. Install polished or brushed stainless steel or nickel tapware and fittings for timelessness. Black and rose gold and copper may be all the rage at the moment, but will scream 2021 in a flash. Do you remember the apricot and peach basins and toilets with gold tapware and fittings from the 1980s? Looking at you, Christopher Skase and the Port Douglas Sheraton Mirage.
15. High end wallpaper in small areas, like Powder Rooms and Hall niches, delivers incredible style and luxe, but at a very small cost. You could replace a small area every year or so to switch things up!
16. Limit shower screen glass. One wall sheet of shower screen class with an opening to the shower area is a stylish minimalist look and a fraction of the cost of a fully enclosed shower area with a door. This can also work with a bath, by stacking the bath and shower; install the bath against the rear wall of the Bathroom, followed by the shower fittings, followed by a single sheet of toughened glass, followed by the toilet and basin.
17. Consider no shower screen glass at all; treating whole Bathroom as a wet area.
18. Fluted frameless shower screen glass is a very high end contemporary look without a significantly increased price, and consider Sapphire Glass for clear finish (with no blue green tint), again a very high end look achievable at minimal additional cost.
19. Avoid marble and other natural stone at all times.  Bathrooms and Kitchens are brutalised daily by acids (such as vinegar), acetones (such as nail polish remover) and strongly coloured liquids (such as hair dye, red wine and beetroot). Even a vigilant homeowner constantly armed with a damp sponge, or domestic help, will not win the fight. This is an issue whatever the colour of the marble or natural stone. Pale stones will stain and dark stones will stain and etch white! As beautiful as marble and natural stone is, it only looks good for five minutes.

Some example fittings that deliver a high end look without breaking the bank

Laufen is a 125 year old Swiss bathroom fittings brand which delivers high end and timeless design but is not expensive. Duravit, a German brand established 200 years ago, is another (with some impressive designers such as Philippe Starck).

Toilet

Console basin

Wall hung vanity

Alternatively, I love a wall hung shaker style vanity.  Timeless. Stay with me with this image. A Quartz or Caesartone composite stone top is an available option (without the splashback shown in the image). Inset basins are available. Brushed nickel seashell handles are also available (or high end handles could be sourced and used).

I also like this one for a more modern but still traditional and timeless look.   

Painted wall panelling

Painted wall panelling is an incredibly economical way to deliver a very high end look.

Some wall tile initial thoughts

Opulence – Products – Surface Gallery – I love the tile “Splash” in this collection using a herringbone/double herringbone placement.  Scroll through this gallery link for Splash and other examples.

Kasbah – Moroccan Tiles – Products – Surface Gallery – I like the tile “Aqua Gloss” to echo blue tones used elsewhere.  Scroll through this gallery link for Aqua Gloss and other examples.

OXFORD HAND MADE TILES – Products – Surface Gallery – I like the tile “Light Blue” in both sizes, using a herringbone/double herringbone placement for the 75mm x 300mm or a straight placement for the 130mm x 130mm.  Scroll through this gallery link for Light Blue and other examples.

Some floor tile initial thoughts

Encaustic Tiles – There are many cheaply made, but not necessarily budget option, encaustic tiles available. I have had bad experiences with most, except for the imported encaustic tiles available from the Olde English Tile Company – https://www.oldeenglishtiles.com.au/collections/encaustics-tiles#collection_id__feature-encaustics. These are produced by Winklemans and are seriously good quality. Sealing is absolutely optional and they stand up to high traffic. Have a browse. My favourites are Seville01, Amsterdam 01, Amsterdam 03, Deauville 02, Deauville 03, Vieuz-Lille 03. They are all timeless designs and will deliver a high end finish.

Di Marmo Terrazzo Porcelain Tiles – Products – Surface Gallery – I am definitely warming to terrazzo and terrazzo look floor tiles, and I think they look good pared with polished floor boards and with polished concrete.

Venus – Products – Surface Gallery – These warrant being looked at in person.

Quality Porcelain Tiles – Products – Surface Gallery – Again, these warrant being looked at these in person, but could be an interesting choice if you have polished concrete beyond tiled areas.  I like the large format sizes to minimise grout (which keeps everything looking new for longer, particularly with less than careful tenants).

Some more examples of my ideas

Now let me start thinking about Kitchens…..