Scallop-edge tiles and antique furniture gave this bathroom a 1930s-inspired glow-up

Period homes are known for their beautiful original features, but if your property is in need of a complete renovation, it can be a costly process. Despite that, it gives you the chance to create exactly what you want in terms of decor and layout, which is exactly what this couple did.

Kitchen designer Khaliya Lewis, from Suffolk, took on a 1930's project with her partner Tim, knowing full well it needed work. The pair documented their renovation ideas on their Instagram account @property_planning_pair. 

1930s style bathroom makeover

Having worked their way around the house, it was the bathroom that really caused a stir as one of the most impressive transformations to date, with it nearly unrecognisable.

Flipping the dated upstairs bathroom into a vintage dream wasn't a quick process, the project took roughly nine months to complete. Despite that, it was well worth the wait, and the couple, who recently had their home valued, were surprised to find out that it's now worth £175,000 more than when they bought it!

Before

It's hard to imagine that this small toilet would soon become part of a much larger bathroom, complete with a freestanding bath and antique furniture. From the dated wallpaper to the pipework and flooring, it was overdue an update. 

While there was some work the pair had to outsource, what they could do, they did themselves.

'We started from scratch in this room, taking the room back to brickwork before the house had a rewire,' Khaliya told retailer Joseph Joseph. 'We also installed a new, curved stud wall, which followed the curve on the freestanding bath that we wanted.'

After

A far cry from its previous state, the bathroom was given a subtle nod to the 1930s with delicate scallop-edge tiles lining the wall behind the freestanding bath. The couple saved hundreds of pounds by picking the tiles up online at Facebook Marketplace. It was this type of shopping around that helped keep costs down whilst keeping up with current bathroom tile trends.

'We also did our research on various installation elements, which resulted in Tim building the curved stud wall and me tiling it,' Khaliya explains. 

The wall tiles weren't the only nod to the Art Deco era. Khaliya sourced a lovely vintage vanity unit to mount the basin on to complement the bathroom ideas. 

'The vanity unit is one of my favourite features and it was purchased through an antique dealer via eBay for £150,' she says.

'The top was removed and given to a local stonemason I work with as a template, to be remade in a calacatta marble style of quartz. It took a lot more effort than an off-the-shelf product but the result is a one-off, beautiful piece of furniture that creates a unique focal point in the room.' 

The upstairs bathroom renovation cost roughly £2,450, which Khaliya says was 'pretty close' to the original budget. And with the recent house valuation, the investment was worth it in the end.