Before and after: from drab, dated bathroom to tranquil space with plenty of personality

The owners of this two-bedroom Victorian semi in Yorkshire had a challenge on their hands to transform their dated bathroom into a space they wanted to spend their time. After putting it off for three years, they decided to tackle the renovations themselves, from plumbing and layout to design, which they say 'drastically kept costs down and, although it may have taken a little longer, we were able to stay within our budget'.

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'The bathroom was poorly laid out, with wasted space,' the owner says. 'The walls were covered in a dated blue paper and the fixtures were falling apart. The vinyl floor had begun to warp, and the beige mosaic wall tiles weren't our taste.'

'We had a generous amount of space to work with, so my aim was to rework the layout to fit in a freestanding bath and a walk-in shower. I wanted metro tiles to feature, and wanted the room to become a peaceful retreat.'

'The vintage-inspired bath is my favourite part of the room and it feels like a completely different space to when we first bought the house. I went for simple white metro tiles to keep the look clean and then painted the walls in a subtle blush pink colour.'

Try laminate flooring in a bathroom – it's a practical choice and comes in a whole range of designs.

Get the look
Buy now: Similar The Bath Co. Dulwich roll top bath with white ball and claw feet, £429, Victoria Plumbing
Buy now: Similar Gympie Oak effect Flooring, £15.97 for  2m sq pack, B&Q
Buy now: Similar Bevelled Brick White Gloss Wall Tiles, £9.95 per sq m, Walls and Floors

'To make the room fit in with the rest of the house, I couldn't resist adding a few rustic touches in the smaller details, and some plants to make it feel fresh and homely.'

Get the look
Buy now: Similar Large Flat Top Oriental Stool, £145, Shimu
Buy now: Similar Double Head Succulent in Concrete Pot, £25, Marks & Spencer

'The ornate window frosting had been installed by the previous owners. The detailed design makes a cute feature.'

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'We had the bespoke vanity unit made to fit the countertop his-and-hers sinks I bought from Soak.'

Get the look
Buy now: Similar Alicia Countertop Basin, £59.99 each, Soak
Buy now: Edmonton Modern Black Kitchen Mixer Tap, £49.95 each, Victoria Plumbing
Buy now: Turin Black Heated Towel Rail, £89.95, Victoria Plumbing

'I found these letters at a Newark Antiques Fair and they make an unusual piece of art.' To help with bathroom humidity, paint wooden wall letters with eggshell.

Get the look
Buy now: Similar Rico Alphabet Decor Letters, £5 each, John Lewis

'I made the shelf using a scaffolding bard and I'm always adding to the collection of trinkets on there!'

Get the look
Buy now: Similar Triangle Frame Shelf, £59,50, The Farthing

'The frame of the shower screen sparked the idea to source black hardware to match... the pink on the walls balances out the more industrial feel of the black fixtures and fittings and gives the room a sense of calm.' Don't forget to shop around with different suppliers - it works out cheaper and you can get a more individual look rather than off-the-shelf designs.

Get the look
Buy now: Similar Harbour Status Matt Black Frame Easy Clean Walk In Panel, £623.75, Drench

Related: Before and after: from bland bathroom to a space 
to enjoy every day

'Now the hard work is finished, it's so rewarding to finally enjoy the room we spent so long planning - it was definitely worth the wait!'