Vive La Différence! Make Your Bathroom Stand Out From the Crowd
Transform your bathroom from standard to standout with these character-packed touches
Janet Dunn
15 April 2018
Houzz Australia Contributor. Former NZ House&Garden writer and stylist, and avid interior design enthusiast. Ex-restaurateur and caterer, with a Professional Certificate in Gastronomy, University of Adelaide.
Houzz Australia Contributor. Former NZ House&Garden writer and stylist, and avid... More
Wouldn’t it be dull if our homes all looked the same? Many bathrooms follow the conventional approach with tidy built-in joinery and matching fittings and fixtures. If you don’t want a cookie-cutter bathroom, however, there are lots of ways to give it an original twist with minimal effort and modest expenditure. Take inspiration from these distinctive bathrooms.
Rummage and repurpose
If you love doing the rounds of ‘junktique’ markets and auctions, keep an eye out for pre-loved furniture that could step up for bathroom storage.
Before built-in cabinetry, kitchens had freestanding cupboards and dressers with shelving, drawers and compartments. They were made to last in solid timber and metal, not particleboard and veneer with plastic fittings like much of the modern furniture that’s available. With vintage style being all the rage, a kitchen cupboard like this retro-green beauty may not come cheap, but you’re paying for a versatile piece with the bonus of history and character.
If you love doing the rounds of ‘junktique’ markets and auctions, keep an eye out for pre-loved furniture that could step up for bathroom storage.
Before built-in cabinetry, kitchens had freestanding cupboards and dressers with shelving, drawers and compartments. They were made to last in solid timber and metal, not particleboard and veneer with plastic fittings like much of the modern furniture that’s available. With vintage style being all the rage, a kitchen cupboard like this retro-green beauty may not come cheap, but you’re paying for a versatile piece with the bonus of history and character.
Freestanding furniture such as vintage dressing tables, chests-of-drawers, glass-fronted display cabinets and linen presses are coming out of bedrooms and living areas and heading into bathrooms. Stripped of decades of paint, warm and tactile grainy timber offsets hard shiny surfaces. If you love the look of classic pedestal basins, tall cabinets like these make up for lost storage.
Bonus: You can always move freestanding furniture to another room or take it with you if you relocate.
Bonus: You can always move freestanding furniture to another room or take it with you if you relocate.
This farmhouse bathroom has had a practical modern makeover, but remains true to its character with a repurposed antique worktable made into a vanity unit. A rustic down-to-earth recycled timber benchtop is an unexpected contrast to the sleek surroundings.
Tip: Converting a vintage or antique piece into a vanity unit should be done by a professional, as plumbing must conform to building standards and heights may need to be adjusted.
Tip: Converting a vintage or antique piece into a vanity unit should be done by a professional, as plumbing must conform to building standards and heights may need to be adjusted.
Work with wicker
We’re in love with natural fibres right now, so look for hand-woven baskets and hampers with plenty of texture and irregularities – imperfection is in! Choose earthy tactile pieces in cane, bamboo, reed, rattan, willow and water hyacinth. This charming bathroom sports robust baskets and a vintage side table converted into a unique vanity. A curvy, modern basin and taps keep the look fresh.
Tip: Personalise baskets with stencilled labels. It’s easy with spray paint and a template.
We’re in love with natural fibres right now, so look for hand-woven baskets and hampers with plenty of texture and irregularities – imperfection is in! Choose earthy tactile pieces in cane, bamboo, reed, rattan, willow and water hyacinth. This charming bathroom sports robust baskets and a vintage side table converted into a unique vanity. A curvy, modern basin and taps keep the look fresh.
Tip: Personalise baskets with stencilled labels. It’s easy with spray paint and a template.
Show off shelves
A simple shelving unit makes a stylish statement in this bathroom, made all the more elegant because of the lack of unnecessary clutter. Open compartments show off a subtle wall colour and don’t crowd the space. Unsealed flat-pack shelving or modular cube storage to suit the size of your bathroom can be found at Ikea or Bunnings, often for less than $100. Painted any colour you like or stained a deep warm timber tone, you’ll have a unique and practical storage solution.
A simple shelving unit makes a stylish statement in this bathroom, made all the more elegant because of the lack of unnecessary clutter. Open compartments show off a subtle wall colour and don’t crowd the space. Unsealed flat-pack shelving or modular cube storage to suit the size of your bathroom can be found at Ikea or Bunnings, often for less than $100. Painted any colour you like or stained a deep warm timber tone, you’ll have a unique and practical storage solution.
Hang in there
Bathroom hardware has undergone a revolution and offers far more variety now than traditional polished or brushed chrome. As stylish as these new choices are, it’s more fun to hunt down vintage and antique knobs and knockers to hang hand towels or even attach to a bathroom door. This lovable brass whale would raise a smile every time you saw him.
Bathroom hardware has undergone a revolution and offers far more variety now than traditional polished or brushed chrome. As stylish as these new choices are, it’s more fun to hunt down vintage and antique knobs and knockers to hang hand towels or even attach to a bathroom door. This lovable brass whale would raise a smile every time you saw him.
Knockers have largely been replaced by electric doorbells, and smaller lightweight doors no longer need pulls. Luckily this means that lots of superseded door furniture has fetched up in markets and salvage shops. Imagine if your foraging uncovered a unique find like this equine beauty, just made for repurposing as a towel ring.
Show your true colours
We often choose the all-white route for bathrooms, for practical reasons and because they never seem to date. If all-white leaves you cold, add a colour you love and boost your bathroom’s character. This kids’ loft bathroom has no built-in storage and the owners have chosen sunny yellow for a painted vintage desk revamped with crystal knobs, and a matching cane-backed chair.
Easy Furniture Updates Anyone Can Do
We often choose the all-white route for bathrooms, for practical reasons and because they never seem to date. If all-white leaves you cold, add a colour you love and boost your bathroom’s character. This kids’ loft bathroom has no built-in storage and the owners have chosen sunny yellow for a painted vintage desk revamped with crystal knobs, and a matching cane-backed chair.
Easy Furniture Updates Anyone Can Do
The owners of this bathroom in Poland chose an unusual colour palette – a gorgeous smokey plum on the upper walls, crisp white, and pink accessories. It’s a nod to on-trend jewel colours, and the wall cabinets bring to mind old-fashioned shaving cabinets from the ’40s and ’50s. Put together, it’s an interesting balance of modern and traditional.
Linger on a lounge
The last word in luxury is a bathroom big enough for a full-length sofa, chaise or daybed. We don’t all have the space, but if you do, forget subtle and go to town with bold fabrics and zingy colour contrasts. This bathroom is basically white with a small pattern on the tiled floor. Its personality shines, however, from a mix of black and white shapes, accents of rich yellow and the dramatic zig-zag upholstery fabric. Note the space-saving style of the backless slim-line sofa.
The last word in luxury is a bathroom big enough for a full-length sofa, chaise or daybed. We don’t all have the space, but if you do, forget subtle and go to town with bold fabrics and zingy colour contrasts. This bathroom is basically white with a small pattern on the tiled floor. Its personality shines, however, from a mix of black and white shapes, accents of rich yellow and the dramatic zig-zag upholstery fabric. Note the space-saving style of the backless slim-line sofa.
Another idea for a bigger bathroom, a gorgeous inviting daybed, piled with cushions, would be the perfect spot for pampering your feet or just chilling out after a relaxing bath. With cute repurposed cabinets and clawfoot bath, this pale bathroom avoids any hint of sterility and looks fresh and original.
How to Mix and Match Your Bathroom Basics
How to Mix and Match Your Bathroom Basics
Choose a chair
With less space to spare, you may be able to squeeze in a stunning chair. It’s amazing the difference it can make to bathroom ambience. With no other purpose than to add a touch of decadence, a leopard-print upholstered bergère chair – along with a sheepskin rug and delicate gilded bath-side table – makes this bathroom a mouthwatering, luxurious sanctuary.
With less space to spare, you may be able to squeeze in a stunning chair. It’s amazing the difference it can make to bathroom ambience. With no other purpose than to add a touch of decadence, a leopard-print upholstered bergère chair – along with a sheepskin rug and delicate gilded bath-side table – makes this bathroom a mouthwatering, luxurious sanctuary.
It doesn’t take a lot to boost a bathroom from bland to memorable, and vintage isn’t the only way to give it something special. If you’re not into repurposing and restoring, but thrive in a modern minimalist space, check out this super-sleek clean-cut bathroom. It’s elegant and quite plain – what a great move to position that sensational rocking chair so it pulls all eyes to its quirky angles and curves.
Find a cool stool
Even the smallest bathroom has space for a stool or two. They multi-task as bath-side tables, leg-ups for tiny folk, step ladders for hard-to-reach items and cleaning, plant stands, towel stacks, doorstops and more. For a stool as good-looking as it is useful, look for a chunky chap like this one in rugged recycled timber.
Even the smallest bathroom has space for a stool or two. They multi-task as bath-side tables, leg-ups for tiny folk, step ladders for hard-to-reach items and cleaning, plant stands, towel stacks, doorstops and more. For a stool as good-looking as it is useful, look for a chunky chap like this one in rugged recycled timber.
This could be the narrowest bathroom in the world. But the owner was undaunted when it came to packing in personality. From the stool-cum-mini-vanity, brass basin and dusty blue exposed brick to the eclectic accessories, it’s a tiny treasure that makes a lasting impression.
Browse more eclectic bathrooms
Browse more eclectic bathrooms
Drift away
There’s something about driftwood that makes us think of salty air and sandy feet, a romanticism about where it’s been and how far it’s travelled. The fantastical shapes, wave-worn texture and bleached silvery grain have inspired many creative uses, but this vanity support must be a one-off. Shell mirror frames and boat cleat door handles are nautical touches in this unforgettable beachside bathroom.
There’s something about driftwood that makes us think of salty air and sandy feet, a romanticism about where it’s been and how far it’s travelled. The fantastical shapes, wave-worn texture and bleached silvery grain have inspired many creative uses, but this vanity support must be a one-off. Shell mirror frames and boat cleat door handles are nautical touches in this unforgettable beachside bathroom.
Go for rust and retro
A different look – maybe a little too different for some – but everything in this unconventional bathroom is recycled, upcycled, revamped, repainted, repurposed, restored and reborn. Its owner travels to the beat of her own drum, and this bathroom certainly isn’t short on personality!
renovations
A different look – maybe a little too different for some – but everything in this unconventional bathroom is recycled, upcycled, revamped, repainted, repurposed, restored and reborn. Its owner travels to the beat of her own drum, and this bathroom certainly isn’t short on personality!
renovations
Tell us
Does your bathroom stand out from the crowd? Share what you’ve done to give it character by leaving your ideas in the Comment section. And if you enjoyed this story, like it, bookmark it, save the photos and share your thoughts below. Join the conversation.
More
Read more about bathroom
Does your bathroom stand out from the crowd? Share what you’ve done to give it character by leaving your ideas in the Comment section. And if you enjoyed this story, like it, bookmark it, save the photos and share your thoughts below. Join the conversation.
More
Read more about bathroom
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Here is the picture of the black clawfoot tub in the bathroom.
Great work, Nancy!