Giving a 1940s bathroom a new lease on life

"We wanted a separate bath and shower, as well as a new vanity and toilet," says Paul. "We already had a layout in mind but we needed to find a designer who could source the right materials and fittings and bring it all together."

After getting several quotes, Paul and Amanda enlisted the help of Lorene Warwick from Bathrooms Are Us. Lorene gave the couple's desired layout the big thumbs up and immediately set about helping them turn their vision into reality.

"With the accessories and tapware, Paul and Amanda didn't know where to start," she says. "We suggested certain products for them to go and look at that we thought would fit within their design. Along the way, they also decided they wanted a spa instead of an ordinary bath, just to push the bathroom up to that next level of sophistication."

One thing that Paul and Amanda did have very firm ideas about was the bathroom's colour scheme. In fact, long before they started thinking builders and plumbers, Paul had fallen in love with a tiling concept he'd come across in a showroom.

"We wanted something that wouldn't be too fashionable and wouldn't date too quickly," he says. "The look we were after was clean and neutral-looking with a bit of colour added through feature tiles."

But getting the exact tiles they wanted wasn't so straightforward. When Paul finally placed the order – just a couple of weeks before Lorene and her team were to get started – he was told that the wall tiles would take at least a month to arrive and the feature tiles he had his heart set on weren't available at all.

"Unfortunately I had the impression that the tiles would only take a couple of weeks to arrive once I'd placed the order," says Paul. "In the end, I had to find them somewhere else. Luckily, they were ordered and delivered within three days, but all the confusion ended up holding the job back."

Nevertheless, Paul and Lorene both agree that the finished product looks a million bucks.

"I do love Paul and Amanda's tiling design in the shower," says Lorene. "With the vertical feature strip being as wide as it is, it's really got that wow factor."

Paul also adores the luxury and convenience of the separate shower. "Most of the homes in Brisbane have just showers over the bath, so this is the first time we've experienced a separate shower," he says.

As for the gorgeous spa bath, Paul, Amanda and the kids love that too, but for the moment the water-wise family is limiting its use to special occasions. 

Lorene Warwick

Bathrooms Are Us

What was the owners' brief to you?

They wanted to do something contemporary but it still had to be practical for their two small kids. They had done a lot of research before they started and they'd come up with some good ideas. We were pretty much in agreement from the start about the new layout and we just fine-tuned it.

How did you go about choosing the fittings?

With the accessories and the tapware, Paul and Amanda didn't know where to start, so we gave them guidance. We suggested certain products for them to go and look at that we thought would fit within the design they came up with. 

What was the biggest challenge along the way?

Getting the project up and running. Amanda and Paul had chosen the tiles before we even got there, but they soon discovered that they couldn't get the ones they wanted for weeks and weeks, and we couldn't set a start date until we knew they were ready to go. 

What advice would you give to other renovators if they're to avoid this problem?

At the time of choosing your tiles, be sure of their availability, even if you're just in the planning stages. If they're imported from overseas there could be long delays and people usually want to get their bathrooms started yesterday!

What's your favourite part of the bathroom?

I think the tiling is my favourite part because it’s the thing that just finishes the bathroom off. Despite the difficulties in getting the product, I do love Paul and Amanda's tiling design in the shower. With the vertical feature strip being as wide as it is it's really got that wow factor.

Paul and Amanda

What was the old bathroom like?

It was the original 1940s bathroom. It had a long shower/bath on the left-hand side of the window and the toilet was on the right-hand side. There was a big cupboard where the shower is now and the vanity was quite horrible. It was all painted a lilac colour with white tiles. 

What did you want to achieve with the new bathroom?

We wanted to fit in a separate bath and shower, and a new toilet and vanity. So we wanted to basically gut it out and start again. We already had a layout in mind, so the brief to the designer was to source materials and fittings that would work within our layout.

How did you go about choosing the colour scheme?

We wanted something that wouldn't be too fashionable and wouldn't date. We just wanted it to be clean and neutral-looking with a bit of colour added through the feature tiles on the border and the vertical strip that runs up the shower. I got the idea for that concept in a tile showroom. 

What's your favourite part of the bathroom?

Probably the shower – that's a bit of a treat. Most of the homes in Brisbane just have showers over the bath, so this is the first time we've experienced a separate shower. And I'm quite happy with the grate-style drain. I think it's a more modern look than your typical circular drainage hole. 

What advice do you have for would-be renovators?

Don't rush into it. Try every possible layout that you can think of and look at a lot of displays to get an idea of what you want to achieve. I think the tiles are what really make a bathroom, so don't choose the first ones you look at – take your time and get a second opinion.