Before & After: We Didn't Make My Mum's Bathroom Bigger—But It Feels Like We Did
Updated: Aug 6
When my mum first mentioned renovating her bathroom from the 70's, I thought we'd mostly be updating finishes. New tiles, a more modern vanity and maybe better lighting.
What I didn't expect was how dramatically the space would change once we started questioning every decision that had been made decades earlier.
The bathroom wasn't tiny - in fact, it was surprisingly large.
The problem was that very little of that space was actually being used well.
It still had the original patterned wall tiles, an avocado-green bathtub, a bulky vanity unit and very little practical storage. The room felt dated, cluttered and strangely cramped despite its size.
So we decided to start from scratch.
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The Bathroom We Started With
The original bathroom hadn't been updated in decades.
The floral green/beige tiles covered every wall. The small and impractical bathtub stretched across the back of the room. Storage was limited, the lighting wasn't great (unfortunately there is no natural lighting source) and the overall layout no longer suited how my mum actually used the space.
Like many older bathrooms, it wasn't broken. It was simply stuck in another era.
Looking back at the before photos now, it's hard to believe it's the same room.
The Point of No Return
Demolition is always the part that makes you question your life choices.
One day you have a functioning bathroom and the next day you're standing in a room full of rubble and dust that has migrated to the whole house, wondering whether you've made a terrible mistake.
As the tiles came off the walls, decades of old construction methods revealed themselves underneath. What looked like a simple cosmetic update quickly became a complete strip-back renovation.
Every wall was taken back to its structure, every fixture was removed.
At this stage, the room looked worse than ever and that's usually a good sign, if you have faith in the process.
Starting From Bare Walls
Once everything had been removed, we had the opportunity to rethink the entire layout.
Instead of simply replacing old fixtures with newer versions, we asked a different question:
How could we make the room work harder?
The answer wasn't adding more space, it was using the existing space more intelligently.
The old bathtub was removed and replaced with a walk-in shower, which is much more practical for older people. The bulky floor-standing toilet gave way to a concealed wall-hung model. Storage became a priority rather than an afterthought.
And suddenly the room started to make sense.
The Upgrades Nobody Notices
Some of the best renovation decisions are the ones visitors never see.
Behind the finished walls sits a concealed cistern system that allows the toilet to float off the floor, making the room feel larger and easier to clean.
New plumbing was installed throughout.
A recessed shower niche was built into the wall to eliminate the need for bulky shower caddies.
These aren't the glamorous parts of a renovation, but they're often the upgrades that improve everyday life the most.
Choosing the Materials
We knew we wanted the bathroom to feel brighter, cleaner and more modern than before.
Large-format marble-effect tiles were chosen for most of the walls to create a calm, spacious feeling and minimise grout lines.
To stop the room feeling too plain, we introduced a bold geometric feature tile inside the shower area.
The soft blue and white pattern adds personality without overwhelming the space and creates a natural focal point when you enter the room.
It's one of those design decisions that immediately catches your eye while still feeling timeless.
The Biggest Change Wasn't the Shower
The walk-in shower gets most of the attention, alright.
However, the smartest upgrade was actually the storage wall.
In the original bathroom, storage was limited and everyday items often ended up sitting on surfaces.
The new design incorporates full-height cabinetry, a dedicated vanity unit and integrated space for the washing machine.
Every centimetre now serves a purpose and the room doesn't just look better - it functions better too
And that's what makes a renovation successful.
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The Finished Bathroom
The final result feels brighter, calmer and significantly more practical than the room we started with.
The combination of light wood cabinetry, marble-effect tiles, black fixtures and the geometric feature wall gives the space a modern feel without chasing trends.
The walk-in shower opens up the room.
The wall-hung toilet creates cleaner sightlines.
The custom storage keeps clutter hidden.
Most importantly, the bathroom now works for the way my mum actually lives.
And despite having exactly the same footprint as before, it feels dramatically larger.
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Five Things We'd Absolutely Do Again
1. Replace the bathtub with a walk-in shower
The room immediately feels more spacious and accessible.
2. Install a wall-hung toilet
Cleaner, easier to maintain and visually lighter.
3. Add a recessed shower niche
A small detail that makes a huge difference in daily use.
4. Use full-height storage
Bathrooms rarely have enough storage. This solved that problem completely.
5. Include one statement tile
The feature wall gives the room character while allowing the rest of the finishes to remain simple and timeless.
🦌 Elafina Says:
This renovation reminded me that good design isn't always about making a room bigger.
Sometimes it's about making every square metre work harder.
The bathroom didn't gain a single centimetre, but it gained better storage, better functionality, better lighting and a layout that finally makes sense.
And somehow, that makes it feel twice the size.
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