When we first saw our bathroom it was a bit of a mess - it needed a paint and it looked very tired. The taps were from the '80's, as were the handles, and the tiles seemed old fashioned and ugly. The benchtop was laminate soaked with water, the bumps strategically hidden with a few pot plants. It didn't take long to spruce her up though - a good paint, a few plants, a wooden blind, a few prints - and we were happy enough.

The 'before' bathroom

I can't believe we were cooking in here whilst we made the kitche, with a board over the bathtub as a bench. Needless to say that sink and taps were covered in paint - they definitely had to go, and we replaced the top with a piece of timber and put a $30 sink in and a $10 tap.

But what I really really thought would look lovely was some nice warm tapware. Not just any tapware either - I wanted a particular warm brushed nickel from Yabby, which is just gorgeous but a little pricey. Could I justify it for the first time in my life? And if we weren't spending 20k on a reno, perhaps some bling would spruce her up enough to make us feel we really, really didn't have to?

Since I'd worked a bit last term, and the EOFY sales were on, I decided that the tapware were an essential purchase. Yeah yeah I know, it's a first world luxury to choose beautiful tapware, but for the first time in my life, I wanted something matching and beautiful. So the basin tap was replaced - an easy job, and now the cold comes out the cold tap and the hot out of the hot, thanks to Jamie.

Next was the bath taps and spout, and the shower. Whilst the tiles might look dated, they actually suited the warm brushed nickel, lifting the vibe.

I love the tapware so much that it seemed like angels were singing in my bathroom, though I concede that would be fucking annoying whilst you were trying to relax.

Jamie went around and put gap filler along the skirting boards and filled in any holes and gaps - a DIY bodger's delight, though it honestly did make a lot of difference to the overall 'cared for' vibe.

After shopping for gorgeous soap in a place in Daylesford, I needed another soap dish - so off to the beach for a stone I went. It's a beautiful, sleepy, relaxing 'nidra' soap - to die for, although not by drowning in the bath or turning into a prune for being in there so long.

Next we're replacing the rail with a shower glass and getting a solid timber door, and I want to regrout the floors and replace the frosted glass with clear glass so I can see out. I also want to replace the toilet and cistern as it's quiet old but I think our budget is stretched thin. At least we aren't spending 20k, which would make my personal angels cry.

Update:

I'd left this in drafts for ages and totally forgot about it. We DID replace the glass.

So glad to have got rid of the rusty rail and mouldy shower curtain! We are yet to do the regrouping but to be fair it's a job neither of us are keen to tackle.

As for the lovely new door and toilet, we can't afford that right now sadly. On to other projects, like the kitchen window and the splashback tiling!