We’ve spent so long focusing on other areas of the house, and in particular this summer, the garden, that we’ve neglected a couple of rooms. One being the upstairs bathroom. We rarely use it these days, preferring the walk in shower in the downstairs renovated bathroom. But the bathroom upstairs has just really needed a bit of TLC to get it back on its feet, and we decided that this could be a quick big tick on the to-do list, as it didn’t involve ripping anything out or completely redecorating.
It was refurbished a couple of years back, when the tiny bath was taken out and a full sized one fitted in its place. A new, bigger capacity boiler, made this possible as the previous boiler barely filled more than few centimetres, even in the tiny bath. The cheapo sink and sanitary ware were also replaced, and walls and floor and woodwork painted. We used a vintage wooden ladder across the painted beams to suspend faux foliage, reducing the feeling height, so everything really has been in place for it to be a nice room. We just needed to add a few finishing touches to make it more comfortable and therefore more useable. And, we think it’s now a bathroom that we’ll get a whole lot more use out of, over the coming winter months.
What we’ve done has cost very little, as it’s largely been an exercise in accessorising, but it has made a huge difference. Firstly – and we can’t believe this has actually take us so long! – we put up a shower rail. We’ve always had a shower head extension, but felt that a shower curtain would make the room make feel smaller, so have never had one. Therefore making the shower head completely redundant as water just went everywhere. A single rail, suspended from the beams, has made all the difference, as contrary to what we thought, having a curtain doesn’t make any difference, as when it’s not in use, it’s hung over a big silver hook on the wall behind the bath.
For relatively little expense, the towels were also replaced – what we had were clashing with the bolder shower curtain and these fluffy IKEA bath sheets and hand towels were just the perfect match. The wooden ladder rail was brought back into the bathroom and towels now sit neatly, right beside the sink, as the gap between sink & wall is just right for the rail. Another IKEA bargain – at just €4 – was the little sage green storage rack, with two very strong suction pads. Perfect for shampoos and conditioners and right beside the shower, so no more fumbling about to find them. Sage green candles and reed diffusers just add a little bit of luxury, as well as a big silver lantern under the sink – providing a gorgeous glow when relaxing in the bath. Perhaps the best thing about this bathroom, is that it’s tucked away, at the top of the house and so is completely private as it’s too high to be overlooked. We do have a roller blind at the recessed window, just in case any visitors want real privacy, but we’re OK with the fact that absolutely no-one can see in, so most of the time it’s rolled up. In the summer, it’s great to lie in the bath and only see the tops of the trees and the sky – and now it’s darker much earlier, if conditions are right, you can shower or bathe and just have the stars for company.
