How to overhaul your bathroom - the Easter DIY project you can easily do this weekend

Interior designer Jane Rockett, co-founder of homeware brand Rockett St George and author of the interior design book Extraordinary Interiors, shares her modern bathroom ideas, and suggestions for what you can do in a weekend to overhaul your space. A long-standing leader in the field of decorating - more than often with wow-factor and drama - Jane’s tips are all easy to achieve and have the potential to give a tired looking bathroom an instant refresh, just in-time for Spring. 

‘Never underestimate the power of a gorgeous bathroom to lift your mood! The bathroom may be one of the more practical spaces in your home, however, that doesn’t mean you can’t be creative and design a unique and beautiful space to enjoy,’ says Jane.

Be bold...and paint the ceiling

(Image credit: Catherine Gratwicke)

Color can change the mood of any space and is a wonderful way to showcase your personality and individual sense of style. Jane explains: ‘Bathrooms can often feel cold and unimaginative in stark white tones, so don’t be afraid to be bold in this space! Smaller rooms such as bathrooms can handle dark color palettes or more vibrant shades with ease and experimenting with your choice of colour here can build your confidence elsewhere’ says Jane. 

‘For me, I always think dark and dramatic colours look brilliant in the bathroom. In this bathroom, for example, bold black and cream wallpaper creates a sense of cosiness, luxury and grandeur. Also, by painting the bathroom ceiling in a rich black or deep navy, it creates the feeling of looking up at the night sky, which is not only amazing for enhancing your sense of space but also a clever way to increase relaxation when lying in the bath with a glass of wine!’

Change your taps, change the mood

(Image credit: Catherine Gratwicke)

The best bathroom taps and door handles offer up a great way to instantly transform the feel of a bathroom space, and bring it right up-to-date. ‘Something as simple as updating your taps or door handles to tie together your wallpaper or paint choice can have a huge impact on the cohesive feel of the space’, says Jane. 

‘While changing the sink, bath, shower or toilet involves time and money, smaller fixtures such as the taps, towel rails, toilet roll holders, hooks and shelves are much more achievable DIY tasks that can elevate your bathroom to look and feel far more expensive. Here, for example, with a Midas touch, taps elevate a white sink into another level of style’.

Think of storage as decorative in its own right

(Image credit: Catherine Gratwicke)

The best bathroom storage ideas are not only a practical decorating and design feature, but it can be a pretty and aesthetically eye-catching one too. Jane tells us, ‘Once the walls and fixtures and fittings are updated, it’s time to turn your attention to finishing touches. If your bathroom is in need of more storage, wall cabinets are great for decluttering and finding a place for all the everyday essentials that you don’t want on show. Natural woven or striped storage baskets, like this one which has been neatly tucked under the sink, are also incredibly useful as they are one of those practical additions that also look great on show. A stripe storage basket can be attractively hung on a hook on the wall, keeping toiletries and makeup hidden out of sight’.

Extend the feeling of space with a mirror

(Image credit: Catherine Gratwicke)

The fairest design trick of them all? A mirror on the wall. It’s one of the quickest and most effective ways of transforming a bathroom space. 

Jane says, ‘although mirrors are essential from a practical perspective, adding a mirror to a small space is the ultimate interior design trick. Especially useful as a small bathroom idea, adding a mirror to the wall helps light reflect around the room to create a brighter and more spacious atmosphere. To maximise all opportunities for storage, lots of mirror designs include dynamic shelf space that can be turned into a gorgeous style spot for your favourite bathroom luxuries’.