Problem room: ‘I’ve proven that small bathrooms can still feel

INSIDER INFO

THE HOMEOWNER

I’m Mel Sinclair, 38, a hairdresser and owner of a business making dried flower arrangements (@the.naturalstylist). I live here with my husband, Greig, 40, a gas technician, and our children Abbey, 11, and Mila, nine.

THE HOME A threebedroom, detached house, built in 1997, in Fife, Scotland. We bought it in November 2021 and I share my renovation story on Instagram @its_all_ about_the_house.

THE PROBLEM It was a small, narrow space and felt difficult to move around in. A large radiator made it feel even narrower and when you opened the door it would hit the side of the bath.

THE SOLUTION The aim was to make it feel more spacious with clever design and layout tricks. Adding a sliding door, moving a radiator, and opting for a wall-hung basin and curved bath has given the

‘I’ve proven that small bathrooms can still feel luxurious’

Careful planning, a plethora of space-saving tricks, a neutral palette and textured details have made Mel Sinclair’s compact bathroom feel like a spa hotel

Having bought a bigger house with scope for a future garage conversion, Mel and Greig Sinclair hired a team of tradespeople to tackle the bedrooms and bathroom first. They’d been living with Greig’s parents for eight months, having sold their previous home to be in a good buying position, and stayed another month while the bathroom was taken back to brick and given a false ceiling to cover Artex. ‘You couldn’t get two people in the cramped bathroom,’ says Mel. ‘We needed to make the best possible use of the space.’

The couple considered converting the neighbouring cupboard into a shower cubicle, but instead it became a wardrobe in their bedroom. This meant they could block up the old entrance on the landing

Before

TIMELESS TILES Hexagonal floor tiles were the starting point for the neutral scheme. ‘I think tiles are what makes a bathroom,’ says Mel. ‘If you choose something classic and timeless, you can always change accessories around it’

and fit a sliding door to the bathroom. Another game-changer was removing the bulky chrome radiator and opting for electric underfloor heating. ‘The radiator was right in your eyeline as soon as you opened the door,’ explains Mel. ‘Those two changes have made a huge difference.’

Wanting to show off the hexagon floor tiles she’d chosen, Mel opted for a curved freestanding bath and a slim wall-hung vanity unit. ‘Greig thought it would look cramped, as the new bath is bigger than the previous one, but the space actually feels wider,’ says Mel. ‘The bath is slightly taller but it’s less wide, so it didn’t feel like it was pushed into one corner,’ she says. ‘And the curved shape also softens things.’

Picking a light, neutral and minimal scheme was also a wise move in a small space. ‘Bathrooms can be cold and clinical sometimes,’ says Mel. ‘So, I wanted to create texture and warmth with beige and putty tones, along with brushed-brass fittings.’

When it came to ceiling lighting, Mel found a smoked glass design. ‘It was the only one I’d seen that was suitable for bathrooms but wasn’t just a plain glass flush design,’ she says. Fluted wall tiles, which she matched with a fluted-glass cabinet, were the last piece of the jigsaw. ‘I got a sample and they worked perfectly with the floor tiles. I was a bit dubious about how it would look on all four walls, as I’d only seen it to partial height, but thankfully it looked brilliant.’

The process wasn’t without its issues, though. Initially, they ordered the wrongsized bath and they also had to wait two weeks for the carpet to be laid in the hall and landing before the sliding door could be fitted. But Mel is now delighted with the new bathroom. ‘I don’t think there’s much more we could’ve done with the space,’ she says. ‘If I did it again, the only thing I’d add is a hanging light next to the mirror in the corner. I always create a moodboard and the bathroom is pretty much the same as I’d planned, so I’m over the moon with it.’

INDUSTRIAL LINES This glass and metal wall cabinet gives much needed extra storage and has a modern, industrial vibe. The vertical lines of the fluted tiles and ribbed glass work perfectly together

SWEET PETITE A slim wall-hung vanity unit and basin that’s meant for a cloakroom is a great space-saving sink option for small family bathrooms, too BOLD AS BRASS A wall-hung brushed-brass tap and shower takes up less space than a floor-standing design, and the bath bridge is a repurposed B&Q shelf. ‘The girls enjoy a bath and I use it every day as the shower attachment is great for washing my hair,’ says Mel

SHOPPING LIST

Milano Irwell bath, £674.99; Milano Ballam toilet, £223.99; Milano Bexley Dark Oak

wall-hung open shelf cloakroom vanity

unit with basin, £349.99, all Big Bathroom Shop. Single-lever wall-mounted swivel bath filler, £199.99; for a similar tap try

solid-brass single-lever monobloc basin

tap in Brushed Gold, £129.99, both Homary. Flute wall tiles in White Décor, £59.85 per sq m, Topps Tiles. Hendrix Ivory hexagon floor tiles, £77.78 per sq m, Mandarin Stone. Corben flush ceiling light, £90, MADE.com.

For a similar mirror try Gold metal arch

mirror with shelf and hooks, £115, Oliver Bonas. Ferm Living Haze wall cabinet in cashmere and reeded glass, £335, Huh Store. Griege cotton bath towels, £17.99 for two; for a similar lantern try large seagrass lantern, £19.99, both H&M. For a similar vase try Athena Grey vase, £16.50, Harrison Cropper. Twisted hazel, £4 per stem, @the.naturalstylist on Instagram.

TOTAL COST: £3,300