Before & After: From dated ugly duckling to retro-mod swan

To say this bathroom was in much need of an update is an understatement! Being located in an older building with popular yesteryear features such as parquet flooring, it was important to ensure that the bathroom reflected this character as well.

Being a small bathroom, it was important to use visual elements to ensure the room looked as spacious as possible, which was achieved by using a few easy tricks. The first step was to modernize the bathroom by replacing the built-in bath with a shower. Using a frameless walk-in shower panel without doors removed any visual obstruction, allowing the eye to see all the way to the back wall.

The black-and-white chequerboard floor tiles laid in a diamond pattern not only visually draws the eye to the walls, making the space appear expansive, but the retro look maintains the character of the apartment. Combined with wooden vanities, this adds interest and warms up the black and white design.

Placing a wall-to-ceiling mirror on the back wall was another key element in making the space look bigger, as well as improving the lighting as it reflects more light in the bathroom. Adding floating shelves to the mirror brought a trendy and practical element allowing for extra storage and the display of interesting knick-knacks.

The wall lights create a striking feature by combining amber glass shades with vintage filament bulbs. The shape of the shades pull through the retro feel.

Round frameless mirrors complete the look by bringing the bathroom bang on trend.