A small bathroom makeover with a great tile effect

'A small bathroom makeover with a gret tile effect' blog post banner

White tiled shower roomimage credit: The Design Chaser

Many homes have one or more small-sized bathrooms, if you have one you’ll want to make the space seem as large as possible. Knowing how to choose the right wall and floor tiles is a great start in doing this.

Choosing the wrong tiles can make a small bathroom look as though there’s even less space in it. You just need to put a little thought into your remodelling to reverse that and create a roomy feel.

white tiled bathroomimage credit: Into the Gloss

The Colour

A bathroom is always going to appear larger if its décor is mostly light in colour; cream or traditional white are an excellent choice if you want to create the effect of space. Of course, these colours may be a little too traditional and basic for some tastes. If you want to add a splash of colour to the proceedings do it with a mirror with a bright frame. This has the added advantage of being another giver of a feeling of space. Your towels can also be a great way of brightening your bathing area. You can even complement accessories with edgings for the tiled area.

green tiled showerimage credit: James Balston Photography

The Size

It’s not a good idea to use really large tiles in a smaller-sized bathroom; likewise very small tiles are not ideal. The smaller the tiles, the larger the amount of grout that’s visible. You can click here to learn more. Medium-sized tiles are usually the best choice, less grouting and less cutting than would be required for larger tiles. That being said, where there’s very little exposed wall, such as between units, smaller tiles can be the optimum way of filling a hard to tile area.

blue mosaic tiled wall border above a WCimage credit: Better Homes and Gardens

The Pattern

Huge, fussy patterns are not a good idea in a small space; they’re overwhelming and lead to an overfull feel. Likewise, really intricate patterns in the minimum of space can be very uneasy on the eye and feel a little claustrophobic. If you want to use patterned tiles in a small bathroom makeover, the best way to do it is to use them intermittently; as a splash back or as a border. Another technique of adding interest to a bathroom without reducing the appearance of space is to choose light, same-coloured tiles that have some texture to them.

dark tiles on a bathroom wall laid on the diagonalimage credit: Home Designing

The Installation

Most people lay their bathroom tiles in a traditional straight row, straight tile pattern; it’s by far the most popular positioning technique. Taking a detour from the norm, by adopting a diagonal pattern, fools the eyes into thinking that the area covered by the tiles is larger than it actually is. Another great way of giving the sense of additional dimension to a bathroom is to use matching wall and floor tiles in a lighter tone. By doing this you allow the interior design to flow right through the room which makes it seem less cluttered and larger.

A small space can be just as beautiful as a larger one; a small bathroom makeover simply requires a little creativity of thought.




Pick of the Pads: Battle for Hastings

"Pick of the Pads" blog post banner

'The Battle for Hastings' article in a Telegraph Magazine

 

For this month’s Pick of the Pads we’ve chosen the home of stylist, Leida Nassir-Pour and her partner, writer Will Evans. It was featured in a March 2014 edition of Telegraph Magazine.

range cooker in an interior decoration article in the Telegraph Magazine

We love the house of course, but we can also relate to their thoughts of life in Brighton. They subsequently moved to Hastings where there was lots of future potential & money stretched further in the property market. We’ve fond memories of drives out along the coast to Hastings. It had a different vibe to Brighton – it wasn’t quite as smart in places, but had real energy.  Lots of unspoilt buildings – the old town in particular is very pretty. There were some great shops and a fab place for fish & chips as we remember. It’s no doubt kept evolving at a pace since our visits there during the nineties and early noughties.

shelves and cupboards in an interior decoration article in the Telegraph Magazine

Leida & Will have done loads of work to their house – which is still ongoing. Their home is part of a former pub built in the early 19th century. We love the eclectic mix of antiques, vintage & industrial.

bedroom in an interior decoration article in the Telegraph Magazine

The spaces are full of unique & interesting objects without being cluttered. The varying warm tones of wood are very much in evidence, with richly patinated floorboards & furniture – also contrasting harder surfaces such as painted brickwork, ceramic tiles & steel.

roll top bath in an interior decoration article in the Telegraph Magazine

It seems a very functional house – lots of natural light – and everything looks to have its place. There’s open shelving and hanging space for tools & utensils allowing easy access.

chest of drawers in an interior decoration article in the Telegraph Magazine

The move to Hastings is now very much complete as Leida has also opened a shop in the town –  Warp & Weft. She sells a range of select and carefully curated garments, accessories and products for the home; much of which echoes the style and feel of her own house.

Home is in the North 2014

'Home is in the North' blog post banner

Natalie Laura Ellen bee illustrated paper and mug

We spent a very enjoyable few hours at the ‘Home is in the North’ event on Saturday.

exterior view of Halle St Peter's

It was held at Hallé St Peter’s in Ancoats, Manchester – another great choice of venue by The Social Butterfly’s Rachel Adams, the show’s organiser.

Ancoats billboard

Ancoats is an interesting part of Manchester – the steady process of regeneration is ongoing. There are some wonderful buildings – unspoilt, Victorian gems – brick terraces, old pubs, churches and former industrial sites.

view of the ceiling of Halle St Peter's

Hallé St Peter’s is one such building with it’s magnificent sense of space & light.

interior view of Halle St Peter's showing Heather Linnett's upholstered items in the foreground

It really came to life with all the amazing homewares on display – and exhibitors were the perfect mix of familiar faces and new talent.

coffee sack upholstered seat of one of Heather Linnett's chairs

Heather Linnitt aka Eclectic Chair is someone whose work we highlighted at last year’s Independent Interiors Show. We love her soft furnishings & upholstery work – using coffee sacks, vintage and retro fabrics. The Stig Lindberg-style fabric chair was a stunner – and we’d happily give house room to the Papua New Guinea coffee sack sofa too!

Heather Linnett's armchair upholstered in retro Sanderson fabric

We also saw the mosaic art of Amanda McCrann at that same event last year. Her stall was very eye-catching once more. The artwork is available in the form of original pieces or alternatively, prints & stationery incorporating her distinctive designs.

Amanda McCrann's 'Kiss' mosaic

Annabel Perrin was also there this weekend.

Annabel Perrin's patterned tea towels

Her fabric designs are a real joy – full of life, colour & vintage charm.

Annabel Perrin's patterned fabric

Anthony Hughes‘ work was new to us. We had a nice chat with him about the influence of industrial architecture & detailing on his work – finding beauty in the mundane & neglected… and our shared love of a good pylon!

Anthony Hughes' pylon fabric cushion

His range of stationery, wallpaper & fabric uses the photographs & artwork he produces at his Leeds base.

selection of Anthony Hughes' fabric cushions and wallpaper

The cotton fabric is made in Edinburgh & cushions feather-filled – temptation was rising!

Anthony Hughes' ductile print cushion

Blooming Balconies was a very friendly & approachable team – and their display provided a real blast of colour in the hall.

Blooming Balconies' banner

They design a range of containers & tubs, some with clever fittings for railings & drainpipes. Their stall looked perfect next to a sunny window.

Blooming Balconies' stall

There was no lack of colour on Charlotte Nash‘s display either.

Charlotte Nash's colourful light flex with Plumen bulb

Her work incorporates braiding, crochet, paper-cut & collage. She had some very striking mirrors, artwork & lighting on view. She’s fresh out of university, so we hope her future is as bright as her creations!

part of Charlotte Nash's display

Grey Moose Designs only had a small display, but their vintage industrial lights grabbed your attention from all over the large church space.

Grey Moose's industrial lamp display

Skill, imagination & high quality craftsmanship were clear to see on Richard’s recycled & re-purposed lighting.

Grey Moose's industrial lamp display

He could no doubt do a great job on the vintage spotlight we picked up recently.

detail from Grey Moose's Bullfinch industrial lamp

One of our favourite exhibitors on the day was Kate Bufton.

Kate Bufton's Harry Potter book transformation under a glass dome

She manipulates the shape & form of old books to produce her artwork – framed pictures and these stunning glass domes.

Kate Bufton's framed butterfly book transformation

Katherine Lees also had a very photogenic display. Her exquisite, hand-decorated ceramics in the form of old bottles & keys to form vessels & jewellery were getting lots of attention.

Katherine Lees' ceramic display

It was very hard to walk away from the orange & grey quilt produced by Lisa Watson and pictured below. She incorporates traditional Harris Tweed & sumptuous velvet fabrics into her creations. Gorgeous!

Lisa Watson's handmade velvet and Harris Tweed heirloom quilts

We were very taken by Natalie Laura Ellen‘s stall.

Natalie Laura Ellen's bee illustrated wares

Her gorgeous range of stationery, fabric & ceramics was superbly displayed using vintage crates, drawers & step ladders.

Natalie Laura Ellen's buttons

Lovely attention to detail with handmade labels & signage too.

Natalie Laura Ellen's cards

The Northern Letters display always grabs your attention.

Northern Letters' price list

This time it was the bold, monochrome, graphic quality of pieces that made the display stand out.

Northern Letters' display

We loved this table produced by Oh, Bother. It’s made from recycled wooden palettes. They had all kinds of interesting, quirky pieces to buy.

Oh Bother's display

Rachel Britch is another recent graduate – her lighting surprised us when we touched it. We thought it was soft & fluffy from a distance, but it actually had a stiff, bristly feel.

Rachel Britch's lamp display

Rachel Johns is a near-neighbour from the Calder Valley – Hebden Bridge to be precise. She uses ink & thread – producing much of her artwork with a big stick. Yes, that’s a big stick. It’s very distinctive – whimsical & playful.

Rachel Johns' artwork display

There were practical workshops taking place throughout the day…

sewing workshop at Home is in the North event in Ancoats, Manchester

…with sewing machines whirring and paintbrushes twitching.

Swoon Worthy painting workshop at Home is in the North event in Ancoats, Manchester

We’ll end with the What I Always Wanted display.

Mr Right and appliqué dog cushions

They had the perfect cushions for Justin & Fudge. In addition to their ready to buy products, handmade fabric items can be custom made to capture favourite buildings, street scenes, people or pets.

detail from What I Always Wanted's display

This has been quite a lengthy post and we’ve only mentioned about half the exhibitors! Keep an eye out for the next event – whether you’re a potential exhibitor or customer. Hopefully we’ve given a flavour of this well run & well attended show. We have a camper van fund that we’re trying really hard to build up, otherwise we would have left Home is in the North with a car packed with goodies. Tripod light, eight cushions, large quilt, table, glass dome, some tea towels, two pictures, box of stationery, set of mugs, three flower tubs – and a sofa!

Gimme Five! Wallpapers

"Gimme Five!" blog post banner

selection of 5 large patterned wallpapers

We’ve been glued to the recent series, Great Interior Design Challenge over on BBC2. One of the things we enjoyed seeing was all the amazing, statement wallpapers many of the contestants used in their rooms. From Jordan’s handmade origami to Susan’s big, blousy florals to Sarah’s dainty Chinoiserie.

The resurgence in wallpaper is showing no sign of diminishing. Not so many years ago the only wallpaper in view was that awful wood chip that was almost impossible to remove. Thank goodness things has moved on! Here are a few other great designs we’ve found around the web.

  1. Figs – posset – £59.95, Missprint
  2. Dungeness wallpaper – concrete – £50.00, Mini Moderns
  3. Vintage wallpaper, large rolls of 1970s floral wall covering – £18.70, Etsy
  4. Coastal Cottages – £120, by Jessica Hogarth Designs Notonthehighstreet
  5. Beech Leaves in kraft – £69.00, Hannah Nunn