Bathroom Renovations

From dingy timber to dayspa dream

The designer tips and tricks behind a spectacularly modern bathroom transformation
Lux Bathrooms

We give you the budget breakdown and reno steps from go to woah.

This family used to close the door when friends came over!

As the only one in the house and adjacent to the living area, this bathroom was both impractical and an eyesore. A complete bathroom renovation was imperative.

Enter design and build duo Kyle McGregor and Kerrie Richardson from Lux Bathrooms. Now unrecognisable the bathroom has been transformed and presents like a day spa with its sleek finishes and calming colour palette.

Bathroom renovation from dingey to dayspa | Home Beautiful Magazine Australia
(Credit: Crib Creative)
Bathroom renovation from dingey to dayspa | Home Beautiful Magazine Australia
(Credit: Crib Creative)

The works

Kitchen & bathroom designer Kerrie produced a new layout that conceals the toilet from sight and positioned the vanity directly opposite the door. This transformed the bathroom into an inviting space, with the family no longer having to close the doors when guests visited. Another priority for the family was an open shower.

In keeping with the clean look of the design, managing director & builder Kyle built two nib walls to create a wall recess shelf – used to house shower products and create a functional yet stylish clutter-free ambiance.

While undertaking renovations, Kyle discovered that there was no screed on the floor, so he had to cut the entire floor slab out and install a new concrete slab.

The bathroom also doubles as a laundry, now cleverly concealing a compact, built-in unit behind glass white sliding doors. The doors double as a lighting feature to gently illuminate the room.

“For toilets that look into a living or entertainment space, think about how you will conceal the toilet in the new layout”

Kerrie Richardson, Lux Bathrooms, Kitchen & Bathroom Designer
Bathroom renovation from dingey to dayspa | Home Beautiful Magazine Australia
(Credit: Crib Creative)

Products used

Mizu Bliss Shower Mixer (chrome)

Mizu Drift Twin with rail shower 300

Mizu Drift Straight toilet roll holder (chrome)

The Gap Rimless close coupled, back to wall toilet

Milli Axon multi towel rail swivel

Artisan above counter basin rectangle 490mm

Mizu Bliss extended basin mixer

Bathroom renovation from dingey to dayspa | Home Beautiful Magazine Australia
(Credit: Crib Creative)

Budget breakdown 

Building modifications – $4,000

Laundry Glass Sliding Doors – $1,300

Custom-made Vanity Unit – $3,330

Caesarstone Vanity Top – $1,100

Reece Bathroom Accessories – $3,615

Painting – $600

Tiles (supply only) – $2,700

Bathroom renovation from dingey to dayspa | Home Beautiful Magazine Australia
(Credit: Crib Creative)

Tips and tricks

Building tips from Kyle:

  • Most renovators build a double-skinned brick nib wall to achieve a recessed shelf. A good tip is to build a single skinned wall with a recessed shelf, and glue aqua plasterboard or James Hardies to the back of the brick wall. This creates a suitable substrate to tile and takes up half the space.
  • The original walls in the bathroom were steel stud and plasterboard. I removed the plasterboard and tied brick nib walls into the original brick work to achieve the correct strength and prevent future cracking of the tiles.

Design tips from Kerrie:

  • To create a calm, moody and relaxing feel, use a selection of textures and colours to attain balance and harmony. In this case, I paired white and grey hues with chrome and matt black bathroom accessories. I also added feature lighting to the mirror to enhance the relaxing atmosphere.
  • For toilets that look into a living or entertainment space, think about how you will conceal the toilet in the new layout.

  • Consider using the vanity as a feature – so that it is the first thing guests see when the door is open. This way, it can become an extension of the space rather than something that needs to be hidden.

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