10 SECRETS TO DESIGNING A BATHROOM

Bathroom and laundry experts ADP share their top 10 tips to creating a stand out bathroom.

ADP ‘Arch’ mirror and ‘Martini Ritz’ basin mixer in brushed gold

1. STYLE
Be confident in the style you choose, dare to be bold and really commit to it. Don’t be afraid to use colour, combine textures and be playful. Styles we’re loving at the moment are retro glam, classic coastal and boho chic.

2. MIRROR CHOICE
You always need a mirror in the bathroom, so why not make a feature of it? Think unusual shapes, frames and LED lights. We love that Arches are making a comeback in interiors.

3. ATTENTION TO DETAIL
When planning your bathroom don’t be afraid to play with textured tiles or cabinetry details to elevate the space. We love V-Groove and shaker front vanities which will stand the test of time. Don’t forget the finishing touches – towels, soaps, candles and plants can really complete a space.

4. PAIR YOUR FINISHES
Repeating elements throughout the space helps create a cohesive style. If you choose a brushed finished vanity handle, go with brushed tapware througout the whole bathroom. You might even go as far as matching a feature light to tie all the finishes together throughout the space.

ADP ‘Placido’ bath in gloss white and ‘Martini Ritz’ swivel bath spout and wall mixer in brushed gold

5. COLOUR
Colour is very emotive, so think about what sort of mood you are trying to acheive in the space which will help narrow down your colour selection. Warm colours can spark a sense of comfort, while cool colours help create a feeling of calmness.

6. FREESTANDING BATH
A freestanding bath exudes luxury and makes for a great statement piece. Make sure you choose one that is as comfortable as it is beautiful. To take it to the next level look out for material qualities. The ADP Placido Bath is made with a cast marble core which preserves water temperature longer than other acrylic alternatives, keeping you soaking even longer.

ADP ‘Ashley’ vanity (900 Centre Bowl) in matte white polyurethane cabinet finish with Caesarstone ‘Cloudburst Concrete’ benchtop and ‘Blaze’ handle in brushed brass

7. PRACTICALITY
Think about the details that could make your day-to-day life more seamless. Think a handy shelf for everyday knick knacks, a bath spout that swivels, an internal power point in your vanity or mirrored cabinet to easily access power. An all-drawer vanity is a practical way to maximise storage without compromising on style.

8. MATERIAL CHOICES
Play with texture by choosing all matte finishes, or experiment with a mix of gloss, matte and textured surfaces. High quality materials will instantly give your bathroom a luxe feel, while also being durable. Think solid surface basins, textured tiles, and brushed tapware and accessories.

9. PLANTS
Bring some life and personality into your bathroom with indoor plants. Look for plants with interesting foliage, different textures and leaf shapes. Devil’s Ivy, Spider Plants and Birds Nest Ferns are a few of our favourites that will thrive in a bathroom and help purify the air.

10. EXTRA FEATURES
Take your bathroom to the next level with a few luxury features. Keep your bin inside the vanity instead of on the floor, and consider where you could use LED lights. Some of our favourites are underneath a mirrored cabinet, LED vanity drawer sides, under the vanity, or on the mirror.

Shop the look

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Top 8 Dining Chairs

1 AVERY MAJA / 2 PIPER / 3 LEATHER STRAPPING / 4 SAXON
5 TULA / 6 SAFARI / 7 RAFFLES / 8 ANTOINE

Pre-order new Adore Spring issue

The Spring 2020 edition marks Adore’s 10th birthday! We’ve themed this issue around renovations and it’s available for pre-order now. Here’s a little taste of what’s inside.

Front cover home The Shore at Gerringong / Photography The Palm Co

In this special issue – our ‘Renovation’ edition – we showcase four recently renovated homes. Plus three renovators we love to follow on Instagram share what it’s really like to renovate and the real life lessons learnt along the way.

In this issue we’re also counting down the hottest 30 bathroom trends of 2020. And we’ve got some great mudroom and front entry tips to creating a stylish and functional space.

For green thumbs we’ve got a beautiful coastal garden in Sydney’s beachside suburb of Coogee.

Pre-orders are available now.

Interior design Hemma Interiors / Architecture MK Designed / Photography The Palm Co

Interior design And And And Studio / Photography Andrew & Gemma Ingalls

Photography Rochelle Eagle / Styling Lee Blaylock / Interior design Lucy Miller

Photography Annette O’Brien / Styling Alana Langan / Interior design Cath O’Donnell

A Charming Laundry/Mudroom Reno

Today we’re chatting to interior designer Lydia Maskiell, who together with her client transformed this once dark and gloomy laundry/mudroom into a beautiful and bright, functional space.

Interior design Lydia Maskiell / Photography Ben Dilger

1. Tell us about this mudroom/laundry space - what it looked like before, and also the size.
This mudroom/ laundry space was very dark and gloomy. It was originally lined with dark timber vj panelling in both the ceiling and in the original cabinetry. The dark materials felt heavy in a space with no natural light other than a small side window at one end of the room, especially paired with the original brown vinyl flooring. This size of the space overall is approximately 2m x 4m and is divided into two separate spaces–one side for the mudroom and the other is the laundry. 

 2. How have you transformed the space?
This space has been a great collaboration with the builder, Shane Wager from Framed Renovations and the client Sarah Meddy who’ve all played a huge role in this transformation and the design of the space. The two spaces have been completely renovated with all new cabinetry, new floor covering and two new glass doors on either end of the mudroom and laundry. This has been a great opportunity to let more natural light into the space and create a sense of depth with views out to the garden. This has also allowed for an outdoor connection and transparency between the two spaces. New Easycraft lined cladding has been used behind the bench seat for texture and also references the original cladding. 

BEFORE

BEFORE

3. What did your client need out of this space and how have you achieved this?
The client’s brief was to make this space feel light, bright and warm. The texture in the original timber panelling has been painted in white which has immediately freshened up the space. This predominately all white interior is full of texture. There is a subtle texture in the shaker style cabinetry that works in beautifully with the all-white panelling. The white pennyround mosaics paired with a subtle contrast in the grout is another way that we’ve injected texture into the space.

4. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
The homeowner has such beautiful taste and it was important that the laundry/ mudroom married into the homeowner’s distinct style. The rest of the home is so bright and warming that it was important for this space to be a natural progression of this. We’re so thrilled to be able to bring the client’s vision to life!  

“Texture has been key to making this space feel warm and cocooning, as well as bringing in the warmth of timber in the open shelving and bench seat. We absolutely love the balance, texture and simplicity of this space.”

Trend: Workin It Out

NOTEBOOK / BOX / ART PRINT / PAPER ROLLER / DESK / BOOKENDS / LAMP
PHONE CHARGER / CHAIR / MAGAZINE FOLDERS / MOUSE PAD / LOCKER / TROLLEY

DIY IKEA CANE SIDEBOARD

For my first attempt at a DIY piece of furniture I’m pretty chuffed with the end result. See how I turned two simple pine ‘Ivar’ cabinets from IKEA into a stylish sideboard for my home office.

Photography Mark Zeidler

First off, I recommend reading through all of these steps and then go and watch all of Adore Magazine’s instagram saved highlight (in our bio) called ‘DIY Sideboard’. Watching my videos will make some of these steps a lot clearer as I can go into more detail there. Also if you have children, you’ll want to secure this piece of furniture to the wall so it doesn’t topple over.

1 ASSEMBLE SIDEBOARD
Assemble the two Ivar sideboards as per IKEA’s instructions, but leave the door fronts off. Leave these aside for now.

2 PAINT THE SIDEBOARD
First use an oil-based primer to paint the sideboard sides and top (please note you don’t have to paint the top if you choose to put a piece of timber or other material on top at the last stage). Why use oil-based primer? Because there are knots in the timber and this can bleed through your paint which isn’t a good look. Let the oil-based coat dry at least 48 hours before painting the next coats. I used Dulux Wash & Wear ‘Vivid White’ low-sheen paint which I had leftover from painting my home office. That way it matched the walls perfectly. I did two coats. You’ll also need to paint the door lips (where you open the cupboard) white as well. You can use tape to give you a straight edge.

3 PREPARE THE PANELS
I purchased 4 panels of 67 x 11mm wide straight edge skirting from Bunnings, to use as my border panels for the door fronts. You can cut the panels yourself if you have a mitre saw. I didn’t, so asked someone in the trade section at Bunnings to cut these to the sizes I needed. You’ll need the following sizes cut: 8x 383mm length and 8x 686mm length pieces. If you’re going to push two sideboards together like me, you’ll also need to cut 1 additional piece that is 840mm in length.

They come primed so you just need to give them a couple of coats of paint. Again, I’ve used Dulux Vivid White low-sheen paint. Paint the fronts and all sides with a roller. You can lightly sand also in between coats.

4 STAPLE GUN THE CANE TO DOOR FRONTS
I purchased 2 metres of natural open weave cane webbing (in the 600mm width) from House of Bamboo. I had ordered samples first, and loved the natural look teamed with the pine timber door fronts. However after I ordered, when it arrived, it wasn’t like the sample. Instead there were heaps of green tinges through it on the front/varnished side. To solve this problem I flipped it over and used the raw side as it looked way better.

Cut your cane in half (long-ways) and then cut down into 2 pieces about 760mm in length and 30mm in width. Next, and I can’t stress this enough – you need to soak the cane in warm water for 30 minutes (it’s ok if it’s just rolled up and you put in a laundry tub). I had used heavy books to try to flatten it and thought that did the trick, but noticed that the rattan kind of looked a bit bubbly (not sitting flat) after stapling it on and leaving it overnight. So for my last panel I soaked the cane. I should have listened to all my followers on Instagram who suggested it, but me being lazy thought I could bypass this crucial step. Big mistake haha! I did soak one, and it sits perfectly. Now, after you’ve soaked, pull it out, place it on a towel and pat it dry so that it’s only slightly damp. Then you want to work with it and staple to the front of your door fronts pulling it as tightly as you can, and stapling evenly around the sides. So put a couple in at the bottom, then a couple in at the top, then a couple on each side and follow that order until it’s all pulled tightly and finished. Don’t be stingy on the staples - use lots!

5 GLUE AND CLAMP THE PANELS ON
Next you want to use liquid nails to glue your panels onto the door fronts as a border. Apply the liquid nails with a caulking gun in a squiggle shape – don’t be scared to get plenty of glue on each piece. You need to work quickly as the liquid nails dry quick. Start by placing your top piece on the door, then your side pieces and then your bottom piece. Have little pieces of cloth cut in advance (you’ll need 8 for each door) and then put them down where you’re going to clamp (doing this stops the clamps from ripping the paint off the panels). Be sure to push the pieces all tightly together to eliminate gaps and if the panels start moving around remove clamp, move the panels back into place and then clamp again - don’t be scared to try clamping in different positions to make sure it sits flat (you’ll see what I mean when you start this process). You want to keep monitoring it to make sure it’s sitting fairly flat as they can move a bit. Leave it overnight (or approx 8 hours) before unclamping. I did one door at a time as I only had bought 8 clamps.

6 SAND + NO MORE GAPS
If you do end up with panel pieces not sitting flush with each other, or big gaps (like I had on some of my doors), simply sand it back to make it smooth and then use no more gaps to close any spaces up. Then cover up your cane on the doors with an old rag and repaint just the door panel fronts. You’ll most likely also need to use no more gaps on the sides and tops where the panel sits on the door to close up the gaps. It’s worthwhile also hitting the sides and tops with your paint roller again.

7 FINISHING TOUCHES
If you’re putting your sideboard onto carpet the doors drag, and are hard to open – so you’ll want to add legs to your piece of furniture or a plinth (something to sit it on to elevate it slightly). I have taken out two of the shelves that the cabinets come with, and placed both sideboards on one each (this isn’t entirely sturdy but once I’ve filled it with heavy stuff it doesn’t seem to move – if you have small kids don’t do this or secure it to the wall!).

Next you’re ready to attach the doors to the sideboards. Because the door fronts are now extra thick, you can’t have two sideboards pushed together without the doors hitting each other when opening up. So to avoid this, cut another piece of skirting to size (so that it sits between the two sideboards). You could attach it to one side with nails, I just left mine in loosely and then pushed the sideboards together with that in between. It acts as a buffer between the two and also means you don’t have a big unsightly gap. I finished off my sideboard with a piece of laminated pine timber from Bunnings (which I had cut to size). I’ve left it raw for now, however I’m tempted to paint it white.

Overall I’m happy with how it turned out and for just a little over $500 in total, it was a fairly budget-friendly piece of furniture. Buying something like this in a store, and similar in size would have cost me well over $2,000. But it was a lot of effort, and it seemed to be the project that kept on going because of problem after problem. If I could do it all again, I would try to have more patience and not try to rush things (as that’s when mistakes were made). And definitely would have soaked all of the pieces of cane – my number one mistake was not doing them all from the start.

My Home Office Reveal

Another room down – the third bedroom in our house is complete. I’ve turned this room into my home office and I have to say it has the best view in the house! Here’s how we transformed the space.

Photography Mark Zeidler

BEFORE

This room is the smallest bedroom in the house, measuring 2.95 x 2.78m. It was a blank canvas but it still needed a fair bit of work. First off, we replaced the daggy nana bulb light with two downlights and updated all of the powerpoints and light switch (we also needed to add an extra powerpoint and move the NBN outlet as its positioning didn’t work with the room’s new layout).

Next up we replaced one window with French Doors from DoorsPlus. They also took care of the installation for us and honestly it’s completely changed the feel of the room now. They not only transform the look of the entire internal space, but they also look amazing from the back of house. It gives our home so much more character now – from daggy 90s brick house to charming coastal cottage. DoorsPlus are so easy to deal with – we’ve hired them to do our master bedroom French doors and our sliding door in the living room too.

DETAILS: ‘Palm Beach’ tiles from Tile Cloud, French doors from DoorsPlus, striped fixed no frame awning from Online Blinds

The other side window was also replaced with a new one from Brisbane-based Window Warehouse. Our old windows were super thin and the new ones are much thicker glass giving us greater sound proofing and also helping to keep the cold air out (this room used to be freezing, but it feels much more warmer now). Hot tip - if you’re replacing your window - sell your old one on gumtree or Facebook Marketplace - we sell ours for about $60. I know it’s not much but they’re hot in demand and you can use that money towards the window installation.

We hired a carpenter to install the Easycraft EasyVJ panels on one wall to tie in with the rest of the home (we have it in every single room in the house, minus the bathroom). It gives textural interest to the space and the panels are also super affordable. Then we painted the entire room to really freshen things up. We selected Dulux Wash & Wear in Vivid White (low-sheen) for the walls, and Dulux Ceiling White (flat) for the ceiling. We’ve used this combination throughout our entire house, so it was an easy decision for us. Never underestimate the effect of paint on a room. If you can only afford to do one thing – paint can really go a long way in transforming a home.

But we didn’t want to just stop there. No siree, that manky old carpet needed replacing. I dare say it’s been there since 1990 – the year our house was built and it was time to go! I selected a beautiful nylon carpet from Carpet Court called ‘Stoney River’ in shale colour. I absolutely love this carpet, soft underfoot, easy to clean and still looks good in our other rooms that have had a bit more wear over the past few months. I can definitely recommend it if you want something durable!

From there it was time to look at window furnishings. I wanted to see the beautiful view of our garden out the French doors and see the Heliconia Hot Rio Nights out of our side window. So for the side window I chose a blockout blind (in Serenity White) from Blinds Online. I can roll it up during the day to take in lots of natural light, and at night I can roll them down for privacy from our neighbour’s window. I mounted the S-fold sheers in Tahiti Voile Snow from Blinds Online to the ceiling to give the illusion of height. They really do make the room feel so much taller (and dreamier). Because the French doors face out to the backyard and no one needs to sleep in this room I didn’t need any privacy, so the sheers are just on their own.

DETAILS: pot from The Plant Shack, Deception Bay / rubber tree plant from The Plant People

Now on to the fun part - the furniture and styling! The vibe I was aiming for was ‘California Eclectic’ – some of my favourite designers are from California, it’s also a favourite travel destination for me.

I made my own woven cane sideboard using two IKEA ‘Ivar’ cabinets (I’ll do a separate blog post on this with steps). I painted it in Dulux Vivid White to match the walls for a seamless look. For the gallery wall, I selected a number of art prints from Juniper Print Shop (you can buy as digital downloads and print them yourself), an art print from local artist Sunday Lane, and a California wall flag from Small Branches etsy store.

DETAILS: White pot from The Balcony Garden, bowl from Target, vase from GlobeWest, swamp grass from White Grove House

DETAILS: EasyCraft EasyVJ panels painted in Dulux Wash & Wear Vivid White

The ‘Alex’ desk and ‘Fjallberget’ conference chair are both from IKEA. They’re affordably priced and honestly – you wouldn’t know the office chair is a cheapie from IKEA – it looks far more high-end and it’s reasonably comfortable for the price point. And well, the materials/colours worked so well with the rest of the room’s natural colour palette.

The rug is called ‘Saffron 44’ and is from Life Interiors. Honestly I love layering rugs onto carpet for that super cosy, soft feel. With it now being winter, it’s so nice to work in a room with a soft rug underfoot. It also helps to define the desk which I’ve centered in the room. I don’t like when desks are pushed up against the wall – why not make it the hero of the room! Plus I get the best view in the house - overlooking the back garden. It really is a dream come true home office and I’m so thrilled with how it looks.

SHOP THE LOOK >

EOS ASH PRINT / CANYON PRINT / PINES PRINT / BOTANICAL PRINT /
FLAG / VJ PANELS / CHAIR / POT / RUG / DESK / PLANT / CARPET

Top 6 Cane Sideboards

1 RETRO WEBBING / 2 TARA / 3 RITA / 4 STOCKHOLM / 5 RAFFLES / 6 CALABRIA

TREND: FLORAL ECLECTIC

OTTOMAN / ART / PENDANT LIGHT / THROW / CUSHION / BED HEAD
LAMP / RUG / BEDSIDE TABLE / ARMCHAIR / QUILT COVER

PRETTY Laundry TOUR

We’re taking a look at one of the prettiest laundries we’ve seen in a while – filled with brass accents and a touch of pink (and even a bar fridge). Designed by Jo Curran of Dreaming Interiors, she fills us in on all the details that brought this magical space to life.

“Our laundry was a new residential construction, so this was an empty paddock prior to its construction. We had a very clean slate when it came to the layout and design within the laundry which was great to work with,” says Jo.

At just 4.5m2 this petite laundry really packs a punch with its clean white cabinetry (painted in Dulux Vivid White), beautiful brass details and Laminex ‘Carrara Marble’ benchtop. With not much room to play with Jo decided to have just a washer and no dryer. “We’ve never owned a dryer and don’t have any desire to,” says Jo. “However, we wanted to be really smart in the way in which we could dry our clothes. Installing the glass pane door lets in so much morning sunlight and warms the room, drying hanging clothes really quickly.”

In fact when asked what Jo’s fave features were in her laundry she states: “Without a doubt, pops of brass are definitely my favourite design feature. Natural light is so important to us, so having a full length glass door was an absolute must. It’s such a practical way to bring the outdoors in. We also installed a laundry hamper drawer to hide away the dirty laundry. It was so important for me that everything had its place within the laundry. We opted for 150mm colonial skirting boards to be installed rather than a skirting tile. I believe it brings that next level of a luxurious finish.”

But her all time favourite feature was the very thing that Jo and her husband Dave disagreed on the most–the wine fridge! “I was adamant that this was the perfect place for it, and I am glad that this is its home,” says Jo. “The ILVE wine fridge is positioned in a place where it is easy to access after a full day of gardening and outdoor DIY projects. It is dual-zoned as well which means that Dave’s beer and my champagne can be set at their ideal temperatures. I also adore our brass hanging rail. It was really difficult to source a brass rail, but it was definitely worth the hours scouring the internet for the perfect tone of brass (it’s from Spotlight, believe it or not).”

“The gorgeous brass sink and taps are from ABI Interiors and they are absolute perfection. I opted to have the sink top mounted to be able to see the gorgeous brass frame around the sink. I was delighted when I discovered how perfectly the Lo&Co Interiors brass handles matched the ABI Products. It is so difficult to find the perfect shade of brass. The overhead cabinetry features their Alpha knobs and the cupboards below are adorned with their Aver Pulls. The brass rail also matches perfectly and is from Spotlight,” says Jo.

The floor tiles and splash back tiles are both from Beaumont Tiles. “I opted to lay the subway tiles in a herringbone pattern for the splash back and I love the soft classic touch it brings to the space. The glass jars and trays are from both Kmart and IKEA.”