Bathroom Makeover Vintage Scandinavian pink and black, Carters rose, reeded glass, downstairs toilet

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Reader, meet Vera, my newly-pink blousy downstairs bathroom, if she had a name this would surely be it. Equal parts Barbara Cartland and Milanese cafe, she is bold and beautiful, a tiny bit stylised, and arriving fashionably late.

I feel that I may have left you hanging a bit with this makeover reveal, having posted a teaser back in April(!). But as with buses, you wait for months to see a new makeover on this blog and then two turn up at once! Instead of being a result of my tardiness I have a legitimate reason for not posting, I waited a long time for a handmade bespoke product which you will see was worth waiting for at the end of piece.

The Paint Colours

When I set out to plan this makeover I felt sure that bold and stylised would be perfect for a small space, and I couldn’t be more smug about the result. For a cupboard-like space that had received little love over the years, it now feels like it’s singing. Which is in no small part a debt to the materials. Can we start by talking about the colour. I mean, who would have guessed that a deeply pretty carnation-ish pink would look so sophisticated? I love, love, love the colours in here. The main walls are painted in Carter’s Rose by Proper Good Paint with woodwork on cupboard, window and door in Amara’s Slipper and skirting boards in Maple’s Cloth from the same range. I think there’s a real delicacy to these shades despite the statement of the central pink. It brings such a feeling of joy to see these happy feminine shades behind the door each time I open it.

Materials

As this is such a small space, some cohesion, was needed, so alongside the pinks, I decided that decided that lines would create consistency and a nice flow between the different surfaces of this space. Looking at the room from the door, you will see that the lines on the reeded glass of the window are echoed in the tiles on the splash-back (which are Bamboo porcelain tiles from Ca Pietra) and again on the reeded panelling below which I made to cover our very utilitarian MDF cupboard that houses the electrics and meter. This cut out a lot of noise and really streamlined the space, it also adds exactly the design edge I was looking for.

Terrazzo

Having been quite disciplined with cohesion, to add a little tension I had fun with the flooring. Unless you are very new around here (and if so, welcome), you probably know that I am obsessed with terrazzo, I would likely cover each floor of the house in it if I could. It’s a material I have loved for nearly a decade and one which never fails to wow me. The Piazza Geo Gris Terrazzo design I chose from Ca Pietra is a real luxury piece, made with the most beautiful natural stone and quartz. And though the floor in here is tiny (exactly the right size for two of these scale large tiles in fact), I think it provides just the right tension in the space, and is the true show-stopping element that the room would feel incomplete without.

Accessories

The Final decisions were accessories for the room, this is usually the fun part, but I found all of the decisions in here a joy to make. I bought a street photography print from a BLM fundraiser last year and it couldn’t be more apt in here, the pink of the lady’s dress in the foreground grabs your attention and pulls you into the shot, which I’ve found is a real conversation piece with friends. I kept the black hardware from Ferm Living in the shape of towel and toilet roll holder, ditto the tap which was an eBay find several years ago. I pushed the boat out with my lighting choice, choosing the classic Flowerpot VP1 Pendant by &Tradition which is a lovely design piece built to last. I also bought a stylish black cord light pull from Dowsing & Reynolds. Black is a great foil to pink preventing it from becoming too girly, and I think these small injections of black add just the right balance.

Mirror

The final accessory and a showstopper it is, was the Fine Edge Mirror by Heals. Mirror, mirror, on the wall who’s the fairest of them all? – definitely you! The black lines of this organic fluidly shaped mirror are so stylish and it really takes the feel of the room up a notch. I am so smitten with this room, it feels like pure joy. What do you think?