Cottage Bathroom and Laundry Reveal

Since we returned from our trip, I’ve been asked why I have not shown the reveal of our cottage bathroom. The main reason is, it was not finished. We returned from our holiday knowing there tiny details were needed to make this little room feel extra special. It was so dark and gloomy when we bought the house. It had not been cleaned in decades and I refused to go in there. But, because we only have one bathroom and guests will see it, I was determined to make the smallest room in the house one we were proud of. So, in this post you can see the changes we made to achieve a light filled and spacious feel to our cottage bathroom. .

The Cottage Bathroom and Laundry Before

The bathroom and laundry at Blackbird Cottage were separate rooms when we took over the house. The laundry was long and narrow, taking up the entire back of the house. We wanted to incorporate that space into the kitchen and take advantage of the view. So, we had to find a new home for the laundry.
The bathroom was quite generous in size, and because we were constrained by council and not allowed to move it, we decided to incorporate the laundry into the bathroom and make good use of the space. However, I cannot stand appliances on show unless they need to be. So I requested the design include a laundry cupboard to hide everything away. You can see the new layout in the plan above. The small space we worked in makes photography quite tricky.

The Design

The new cottage bathroom leads straight off the kitchen and is viewed from the back entry way. Believe me, if I could have changed this, I would, but we were so limited with choices it was easier to work with what we had. And honestly? I love the design. It works so well.

The first thing we did was move the door from the centre of the bathroom wall to the side, freeing up wall space for our oven on one side and the new toilet in the bathroom. We now had a small rectangular room in which to fit a toilet, shower, vanity and laundry cupboard. The next constraint was the council regulation of a sink being part of a laundry. The vanity did not count. I decided to use this as an opportunity to have two ‘vanity’ areas. We only have one bathroom and with the laundry sink doubling as a vanity area, we can use the bathroom at the same time. One person could be cleaning their teeth while the other is drying their hair.

To give us a bigger shower stall, the designer wanted a glass wall in the shower. I changed this for a solid floor to ceiling wall. This faces the door. It not only gives privacy if someone opens the door when you’re in the shower, but is a moment for art. Technically, there is now enough privacy in this small room to have the toilet, shower and vanity all being used at the same time. And all in a 2.8 x 3m space.

Finishing Touches in the Cottage Bathroom

After arriving back from our holiday, we lived with the bathroom for a few weeks. We installed a Thermosoft radiator to hand under the towels. Conveniently, it also heats the tiles near the vanity, so it’s almost like underfloor heating. We also took down the original hooks we’d installed and Gavin made a peg rail to match the one near the back entry.

Then it was time for the finishing touches to elevate the space and create a little cottage bathroom and laundry that packed a punch. Firstly, we used square trim pieces to give the cabinetry a more high end look. We also used left over wallpaper covered with clear plexiglass to create a splash back. I love how this turned out. I also added pulls and knobs from TradCo to create a more vintage feel.

Next, we put a block of Mirastone on the repurposed dressing table I converted into a vanity. . The mirror I bought from marketplace to use was far too heavy, so I found another one at Early Settler. The colour wasn’t to my taste, so I spray painted it copper to tie in with the tapware from ABI Interiors. We also used brushed copper tapware in the laundry area and shower recess. I love how it warms up the room.

Finally we added antique brass and porcelain hardware to the windows and doors. I used a length of copper tube to create a privacy curtain and we created a feature wall so there’s a real wow moment when you open the door.

Our washer-drier and cleaning supplies are tucked away behind the large double doors. There’s plenty of deep storage in there too.