aoife_oreilly26's Ideas
Factor in the removal of existing fittings It’s important to establish before the work commences who will be responsible for getting rid of the existing bathroom fittings and finishes. If your contractor has agreed to take care of this, make sure it’s included in their quote. If it isn’t included, you’ll be responsible for getting rid of the items, which means you’ll need to budget for hiring a skip or disposing of the items at the local dump.
Plan in advanceThe more organised you can be, the less likely it is that you’ll incur additional costs. These small projects have a tendency to drag on, so to ensure the contractor and crew are out of your hair as swiftly as possible, try to purchase everything before they start. This will ensure all goods are delivered as soon as they’re needed on site, avoiding unnecessary delays and cost overruns. Think about the details you’d like to include and discuss all of them before work begins. For example, if you want a recess in your shower to hold shampoo and body wash, be clear about this from the outset, as it will be difficult and costly to install after the tiler has started.
For gothic glam, turn tongue-and-groove over to the dark side with a deep paint colour. This Derwent wallpaper by Osborne & Little imbues the cloakroom with a sense of grandeur – even if it’s the smallest room in the house! A pale floor prevents the space from feeling claustrophobic by reflecting light from the ceiling spots.How have you decorated your cloakroom? Share your photos or tips in the Comments section.
Dabble with dark tonesEmbrace the dark in cosy cloakrooms that receive little natural light, decorating with saturated paints and interesting papers. This fun fish print will surprise visitors and give them lots to look at. Matching dark paintwork feels more contemporary than a stark white stripe of skirting board, so tone yours in, too.
Go bespoke A custom-made vanity unit will maximise surface space in a small cloakroom and provide additional storage. Rather than drawers, this design features a big basket for stashing extra toilet rolls and other bathroom bits and bobs. It’s always best to include smart storage in your plans if possible, as it’s easy to spoil a small space with freestanding solutions that won’t be as efficient.
Rainfall showers lead the wayAmong those who splashed out on a new shower, more than 70% decided to invest in a large, waterfall shower head, and this design choice was consistently popular across all age ranges, from millennials to the over 55s. The joy of singing in the shower shows no signs of fading – 15% of renovators even chose showerheads with built-in speakers – and a corner shower was the most popular design installed in new bathrooms. Nearly three-quarters of all homeowners who upgraded their showers plumped for a larger model – and the over 55s led the way with requesting this.Choosing a new shower? You might want to see these first
Be bold with blueThis twin bedroom majors in the shades of sea and sky with the patterned wallpaper taking centre stage and the ombre curtain fabric and throws completing the monochromatic blue scheme. Include neutral-toned upholstered headboards like these to give a bedroom a tailored edge and use plain neutral flooring to prevent pattern overload.
Put it to the floorKeep a living space airier by opting for furniture that leaves the floor on show. This room has a traditional twist with turned wood legs for sofas and armchair, and a slender-legged metal and glass coffee table that also helps keep the look light. Café-style shutters are winners when it comes to maximising daylight without letting passers-by look in.
Build floor-to-ceiling storageUsing vertical space – in other words, that bit of air over the top of your wardrobes that might otherwise remain unexploited – is a wise move. Fitted wardrobes will give you that streamlined hotel style so popular for master suites, and will make practical use of every available inch. By using the high cupboards for items you might only need to get to a couple of times a year, such as out-of-season clothes, you can free up more accessible storage, too.Find carpenters and joiners in your area to take on this kind of job
The seat: A coffee table that doubles as a footstoolWhy it’s a contender: Who doesn’t love a multi-tasker?If what you’re really hankering after is somewhere to put your feet up, then consider investing in an upholstered footstool. It means any sofa instantly becomes more relaxing, as you can stretch out your toes. It also adds a welcome softness to rooms. But it still handily doubles up as somewhere to balance hot drinks – just make sure you invest in a tea tray or two.
Embrace curvesLiving in a round tower might sound like something from a fairytale, but to ensure a happy ending, some clever design decisions have to be made. Swedish blogger Dasha Girine’s home in Stockholm is a luxurious curvy apartment packed with original features, and she’s filled it with clever furniture choices to make the most of its stunning shape. “You need to have a curved sofa in a round room, otherwise you’d lose a lot of floor space,” Girine says. “I could have had a rectangular dining table, but the space is better optimised with a round one.” Look around the rest of this curvy home
Be inspired by the surroundingsCharacter doesn’t have to mean bold colours and zany design, as this beautiful, pared-back Irish cottage brilliantly demonstrates. As owner Brian Spain puts it: “There’s so much going on outside the cottage – an ever-changing landscape of 100 square kilometres – that the interior needed to be comfortable, cosy and uncluttered, using a simple palette of natural materials.” Originally a mountain shelter for goats, the walls were intact, but with no render on them. “The floor was mud, and the roof was dried moss and thatch,” explains Spain. To painstakingly bring the cottage back to life, Spain used new larch roof timbers foraged from the forest behind the cottage, lime-rendered walls, wooden sash windows and furnishings crafted from local Douglas fir. See the rest of this beautiful Irish cottage
Keep it neutralThe floor-to-ceiling bookcases convert this living room into a cosy library space. The book spines and artwork introduce a riot of colour, so furniture fabrics are kept neutral and understated. A collection of colourful cushions have been added for extra flair. While it’s tempting to introduce two sofas facing each other, here the single Eames Lounge chair prevents the room from feeling claustrophobic.Discover 9 more ways to enrich your home with textiles
Position for functionIn a long, narrow space, there are different options when configuring the furniture. Here, the midcentury modern-inspired sofa has been placed against a wall to create a natural pathway. Another nifty idea is adding a coffee table with a glass top, which helps keep the appearance of an open and free space.
Underplay the colourIt’s worth having a few furniture pieces in the same colour palette as the walls themselves. Even large items, such as these matching armchairs, will blend into the room which, in turn, visually enlarges the space. For even more continuity, the delicate fabric of the ottoman mimics the two chair cushions, bringing balance to the compact living area.
Try multi-purpose coffee tables and ottomansWhile it’s essential to squeeze in adequate seating, don’t overdo it – adding too many sofas or large ottomans can make a space feel smaller. This room designed by Arent & Pyke introduces compact coffee tables that work double time. They’re handy, decorative and easily rearranged, while the upholstered ottoman can be used as a footrest, coffee table or extra seating. For greater impact, introduce a standing light, like this Artemide Tolomeo Mega floor lamp, in the least-used corner.
Play with symmetryThis tiny apartment is packed with clever space-saving ideas, not least of which are the two pocket doors shown reflected in the mirrored wall behind the sofa. Two regular doors in a room this compact would have eaten into valuable floor space, impacting the furniture arrangement. But using two neatly symmetrical pocket doors instead provided a much smarter solution. The doors can slide discreetly and efficiently back into the wall to open up and connect the three spaces when required and they also allow a better flow throughout the space.Would you use a pocket door in your living space? Tell us in the Comments section.
Think about a colour splashBecause of the ‘now you see it, now you don’t’ element to pocket doors, they can be a really fun way to play with colour in an interior, changing the feel of a room from practical to playful in an instant.The bold turquoise door in this open-plan kitchen-diner shows how a sliding pocket door can add something special to the interior of a space. If you’re considering something similar, keep in mind that the colour needs to work well when viewed from either side, so it will need to complement the décor of the room beyond.
Keep a hallway clutter freeA busy hallway with lots of connecting doors and opening cupboards is a prime location for a sliding pocket door. By gliding neatly to one side to allow access to a room beyond, as shown in this hallway, a pocket door is one less thing to trip over or bump into, allowing for better circulation around a house and more floor space in a hectic entryway.With a subte shade of light grey and a simple fuss-free design, this neat sliding door subtly slots into the Scandi-style interior of this hallway. Take a leaf out of this door’s book and choose a style and colour that blends with your existing décor to ensure it looks right at home.
Lesson 2: How to create a cosy feelThe designer of this snug sleepspace added two elements that upped its cosy credentials. First, she suggested teaming the oatmeal linen bed and headboard with a dark blue feature wall. Her clients were nervous about using such a dark colour at first, but they now love the cocooning feel of the deep tone. The designer also added some warmth to the windows with cost-effective thick curtains. Rather than splashing out on made-to-measure ones, she bought three pairs of Ikea cotton drapes and had them sewn together to make them feel full and luxurious. See more of this Edwardian home that was totally transformed
Prepare for unforeseen problemsIt’s hard to get a handle on the full extent of the works until everything has been stripped out. Depending on the age of your home and its general condition, you might have to spend a lot on fixing or preparing your walls and floor. For example, once the original floor finishes have been removed, you may find the surface isn’t perfectly even. To level it, the contractors will have to lay a special compound, and a change in floor level might even lead to doors having to be adjusted. Unforeseen extras like these will add to the cost.
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