Good question right? A small bathroom is a tricky space to decorate, do you opt for a light and bright colour scheme to accentuate the diminutive proportions or do you embrace the space and go for darker hues to create a snug environment? Having recently switched the bathroom in #thecheltenhamhouse from light to dark I invite you to compare the difference and see which you prefer.

Lizzie and I have been renovating our house in Cheltenham for approximately 200 years now, or at least it seems that way. A good friend of ours commented last weekend that every time she visits us another one of our rooms has gone “to the dark side.” Indeed it’s true. After we finished the building work we hurriedly covered much the house in white paint, it felt like a simple way to start – to create a blank canvas. Since then we’ve been taking our time to consider each room more carefully. We felt that the bathroom, measuring in at 2.7m by 2.3m was calming and tranquil in white but was lacking in a certain bath-time cosy appeal. You can see the full feature on our white bathroom, including pre-renovation shots, in my post from 2015 A Budget Bathroom Renovation

Dark Bathroom

For the walls we chose Downpipe by Farrow & Ball and decided to paint the door and skirting in the same colour, creating tranquility and simplicity. The window is F&B Railings, a few shades darker than Downpipe. Against the original brilliant white floor the dark walls and woodwork were too stark in contrast so to soften the transition we went for another F&B colour called Cornforth White, which is more like a light grey and was recommended to work with our new colour scheme.

The bath, which was originally bought from The Bath Store (and currently has a whopping £550.00 off which makes it a total bargain, check the Bathroom City Jacuzzi Bath), has also been given the Downpipe treatment. I lightly sanded the resin, then primed with a smooth finish mini roller before carefully applying two layers of top coat. The super observant amongst you may have noticed that the metro tiles have survived the transition from light to dark but the grout has been updated. As the grout was in good condition there was no need for replacement, a simple grout pen in dark grey provided a statement face lift. Don’t get me wrong, it was a fiddly job, but the results are worth it.

Although we wanted to have a dark feeling throughout the bathroom we didn’t want to go monochrome, we’ve injected some colour with a selection of towels from the Christy Luxury collection and added warm neutrals in the form of a bath mat from H&M and a wooden stool which was a bargain eBay purchase. We’ve also added a lot of greenery and hanging baskets which not only add colour but also add to the tranquil and calm ambience. Finishing touches include a reclaimed scaffolding beam purchased for £10.00 held in place with Rocket & St George bronze brackets, artwork which can be purchased from Desenio and a selection of Aesop skin care products which match in with the dark tones perfectly.

Now for the big question, which finish do you prefer?

Be sure to take a good look at the bathroom in white and then please do let me know in the comments section below which look is for you, I promise I won’t be offended!

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