Big Ideas: A floral bathroom

This floral bathroom has a completely different feel to the Industrial bathroom I’ve already shared in this Big Ideas series, it’s a lot softer and romantic, but like the previous room set needs a fair sized room to reproduce. The roll top bath and large mirror look great, but they both need space don’t they?

The Big Ideas for this bathroom are:

1. Decorative beading: a characterful and quick way to update a room

2. Vintage mirror: mirrors always make rooms appear larger

3. Freestanding furniture: storage, that’s easy to move

4. Roll-top bath: make it the real focus of the room

5. Real flowers: scent and luxury all over

Roll top baths have to take centre stage, don’t they? And this one’s angled to really shout about its presence - the large free standing mirror is giving it some competition. But the fresh flowers, don’t they add a touch of luxury, how practical they’d be longer-term I’m not so sure, but they do look pretty and add to the overall feel of the room.

The beading gives the room a classic feel, and are relatively easy to add - you can buy beading painted white so that removes a job, although the trickiest part is still likely to be mastering the mitred corner, but once you get the hang of it, it’s not quite so bad.

What do you think?

Big Ideas: An Industrial Bathroom

At this year’s Ideal Home Show there were some extra kitchen and bathroom room sets right at back of the hall, and while you know how much I love a room set or several, I’m surprised that I’ve not shared any of these yet.

As well as this one, there’s another four to come in this series of posts which cover the room sets with “Big Ideas.” The first is this industrial bathroom, which has a classic and almost oriental feel to it, its Big Ideas are:

1. Wood-effect walls: tiles that are waterproof, but have an authentic look

2. Tin bath: it keeps the heat, is symmetrically shaped

3. Walk-in shower: frameless glass and easy to clean

4. His & Hers double basins: wall mounted taps

5. Patterned floor: a classic twist and budget friendly

That tub.

Not many rooms could take a tub like that and do it justice, it’s not one to squeeze into a space is it? For me it’s the simplicity and symmetry of the central tub, set against a relatively plain background and on that modern patterned floor, which isn’t too dissimilar to the pattern on my blog header.

Go on, scroll up and check, I know you want to. I just did too!

But it’s not just the big impact stuff, the wire baskets under the sinks are a favourite of mine too. And wood tiles, remember when I saw those in Portugal earlier this year? I was an admirer then when I realised the tiles in the Totally tropical loos were actual tiles, and not floor tiles on the wall!

The simple lines, and lack of frame, on the shower is also a win for me. I’m not a fan of super enclosed showers, and I know that MOH would be very much up for a shower tray that’s that low off the ground. It was something we wanted when we put our shower in, but our budget didn’t stretch to that.

So Big Ideas that I think work well, what do you think?

A dramatic kitchen room set

It’s been a while since I shared a room set, and today is the last of the main room sets at this year’s Ideal Home Show. But it’s not the last of the room sets from that show as there were some more, bonus, room sets towards the back of the show. They were smaller but all bathrooms and kitchens so there’ll be some more to ogle at at some point.

Looking through my pictures though I was surprised I’d not already shared this one, as it’s a beauty. And totally my colours. Sadly it’s too dark for our kitchen space, and we don’t actually need a new kitchen having replaced ours only in 2013. But a girl can lust, can’t she?

And when it’s as gorgeous as that, the answer to my question is obviously yes!

Earlier in the year “mixed metallics” was a thing, and maybe still is, but this kitchen is the best example I’ve found of that trend. Copper and brass mix together with ease, and while my natural inclination would be to scrinch my nose up at the thought of those together, they go a lot better than I ever imagined.

The stools though, aren’t they great? And the integrated breakfast bar is done well and I can see this being a really flexible and social space.

In fact, when can I move in?

The metallics also lift the dark coloured units, and I think more of us should have some decorative areas in our functional spaces, because if we don’t like the look of somewhere we’re fickle things aren’t we and avoid spending time there. And in a space like this, that’d be a real shame.

So, what do you think - hit or miss for this dark and earthy with mixed metallics kitchen?