Make your dream bathroom a reality
Make your dream bathroom a reality. When her boiler went bust, Victoria Hargreaves used savvy shopping skills to make her dream bathroom a reality. Feature NATALIE OSBORN Photographer COLIN POOLE
Meet the renovators Victoria Hargreaves, a communications manager who also runs @thecraftyfox.uk on Instagram, lives here with her husband and two-year-old son Makeover brief Rework the layout to include a roll top bath, expose the original features and create a traditional yet playful scheme Project costs Sanitaryware £1,163 Tiling £200 Taps £82 Lighting £50 Paint £50 Accessories £200 Total spend £1,745.
Meet the renovators Victoria Hargreaves, a communications manager who also runs @thecraftyfox.uk on Instagram, lives here with her husband and two-year-old son Makeover brief Rework the layout to include a roll top bath, expose the original features and create a traditional yet playful scheme Project costs Sanitaryware £1,163 Tiling £200 Taps £82 Lighting £50 Paint £50 Accessories £200 Total spend £1,745.
WHAT WAS WRONG WITH YOUR ORIGINAL SPACE? The bathroom was incredibly dated, with a pink suite, no bath and ugly vinyl flooring. There was a boarded-up fireplace, and the shower, basin and loo were on one side in a line. It was functional but felt cramped, and looked pretty hideous.
DID YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANTED? I had always dreamed of having a roll-top bath – it’s just so romantic – and as we live in a Victorian terrace I wanted a traditional style. The big change was moving the basin across the bathroom to make better use of the space.
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU FACED? Taking on the tiling ourselves. It turns out that I’m the pro tiler in our family, but unfortunately I was eight and a half months pregnant at the time, so found it quite tricky!
HOW DID YOU MAKE YOUR BUDGET WORK? We allowed £3,500 (including a plumber), but replacing a broken boiler then wiped out half, so my bargain hunting skills were put to the test. Our bath was £639 in Bathstore but I found an ex-display one for £250 on eBay, which is where I got a lot of pieces from in the end. It really is amazing what you can find on there when you're on a budget.
WOULD YOU DO ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY? I would incorporate more lighting, specifically either side of the basin. Our finances didn’t stretch to an electrician, so the compromise was to hang two vintage-style pendants on each side of the mirror – they don’t work, but they look great!
HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW IT’S ALL FINISHED? I’m so proud of the bathroom. In fact it’s possibly my favourite room now. The biggest bonus is having a bath – and painting it pink has made me love it even more.
Shopping basket Sanitaryware Norfolk showering bath, £639, Bathstore; painted in Cherry Caramel matt emulsion, from £20 per 2.5ltrs, Valspar. Traditional shower kit, £199, Plumbworkz. Victorian traditional square WC, £139; black soft closing seat, £45, both Aqua Bliss. Sink unit in light grey, £380, Harvey George. Traditional oval shower curtain rail, £149.99, Shower Rails 4U Taps Edwardian basin tap and bath shower mixer set, £81.99, Bathroom Republic Tiling New York XL flat gloss white metro tile, £33 per sqm, Planet Tiles on eBay Lighting For similar sink lights, try the Bertie classic, £125, The Wall Lighting Company Paint Overtly Olive bathroom paint, £20 per 2.5ltrs, Dulux Accessories Parrot shower curtain, £6, George Home. Towels, from £5, Matalan. Bekväm step stool, £13, Ikea.
Sources: GoodHomes UK, September 2018
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