It can be really difficult to make your bathroom stand out from the crowd, in a good way. Bathroom retailers, both those online and in the large retail parks, have to cater to the mass market. This is great news if you are happy with a standard bathroom suite, white tiles and vinyl floor, and this is certainly a safe and practical choice. What happens though if you want to inject a bit of personality and choose something a little out of the ordinary for your bathroom? If this is the case, buying into the “upcycling†trend can enhance your standard bathroom choices and allow you to create something much more individual.
Upcycling is a step on from recycling. We all know we should be recycling our old shampoo bottles and the little cardboard bits from the centre of loo rolls, but upcycling is about taking something which is no longer useful and in some way changing it to give it a whole new lease of life. When it comes to the bathroom, you can create unusual and individual pieces of furniture and other accessories to complement whatever design scheme you have chosen. You don’t have to be particularly artistic or spend a lot of cash, and with upcycling currently being so popular, there are no end of video tutorials and websites explaining every project step by step and you can get ideas from Pinterest or Instagram too.
One of the main complaints which people have about their bathrooms is that there is never enough storage. Yes, brand new vanity units and bathroom cabinets are available, but if you want something a little more individual, think about upcycling an old chest of drawers or storage unit from elsewhere in the house. Even the ugliest piece of dark wood furniture can be transformed with a coat of paint, and if you use one of the special chalk paints designed for furniture, you won’t need to run the old varnish off or apply an undercoat either. Change the knobs, stick wallpaper or sticky backed plastic on the fronts of the drawers or the top of the units or use stickers – let your imagination run wild. Don’t go too crazy though; any upcycled item is going to look better when you tie in your colour and choices of decoration with the overall theme of your room.
If you have a clever plumber, any item of furniture can have a hole cut in the top and a stunning countertop basin added. There are numerous examples of this online, and anything from an old sideboard to a toolbox or oil drum can be turned into a striking or unusual sink in the hands of a clever plumber. One item of this type in a bathroom is usually enough so if you’ve decided to create a sink which is going to be unusual and distinctive, keep the toilet and shower pretty standard and plain. Take a look online for inspiration and keep an eye on your local free ads and websites like Gumtree to try to pick up a bargain.
The sky's the limit when it comes to creating unusual bathroom accessories and decorations. Use old storage crates fixed to the wall as shelves to store towels or make some hooks for hanging towels and bathrobes from an old plank of wood and mismatched knobs picked up from second hand shops or online. Frames of mirrors can be painted or have shells stuck on, or you could even make your own bath mat to tie in with your colour scheme by ripping old t-shirts into strips and plaiting them together.
Upcycling doesn’t just go one way. When you’re replacing an item in your bathroom or buying a whole new bathroom suite, remember all the people out there who would love to do something creative with your old stuff. Offer your unwanted items on Freecycle or Gumtree, and even better, most people will be happy to pick things up from your home, saving you the hassle of disposing of them. Being conscious of how wasteful we are a society can pay dividends here to turn unwanted items into treasure in your home.
