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Feature home Bondi rental becomes personalised pad 6 Renovation Bathroom guide 11

Create a stylish retreat with a splash of hotel indulgence 4

PURE BLISS

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Make ’me’ time a pampering priority

Even the most experienced renovators willtell you that updating your bathroom is

not a task to be undertaken lightly. What with juggling multiple contractors,

choosing fittings and the general inconvenience, it’s expensive, complicated and can be far too easy to get wrong.

Add in the fact most people only renovatetheir bathrooms every 10 years or so, and perhaps it’s not surprising to learn this project is the one most prone to budget blowouts. Get it right, however, and not only can a luxurious bathroom become an escape from the day-to-day, it can add instant dollars to your home at sale time.

“In the ’80s, real estate was all about kitchens and open-plan living. Now it’s all about bathrooms,” says Carmen Sederino, bathroom field marketing manager at bathroom and plumbing supplier Reece.

She shares her top tips:

THE BIG PICTUREAs bedrooms have morphed from sleeping spaces into luxury retreats, so have bathrooms shifted from being purely practical rooms into sanctuaries worthy of a five-star hotel.

“We call them ‘living rooms for one’, as it’s usually the one room in the house where people can relax and have some ‘me’ time,” says Sederino. Instead of considering them a necessary evil, designers are increasingly thinking about how bathrooms work with the rest of the home and are seeking to seamlessly integrate them with bedrooms to form luxurious “master suites”.

They’re also taking inspiration from health spas and high-end hotels to create spaces that prioritise pampering and provide an escape from the daily grind.

Think a “day spa at home” vibe with large,drenching showers and a tropical resort feel, or a super-luxe hotel feel with a freestanding bath at its centre, piles of fluffy towels and an abundance of natural light.

And, forget sleek white gloss – designersare increasingly combining finishes such as stone, steel, glass, ceramic and timber for a contemporary, sophisticated look. “It’s about bringing materials together in innovative ways to create something fresh and new,” Sederino says.

CONSULT THE EXPERTSWhile there are no hard and fast rules for bathrooms as there are for kitchens, a well-designed bathroom will look better and work more efficiently, not to mention reduce the chances of you doing yourself an injury every time nature calls at 2am.

Before you begin, get out the pencil andpaper – or use the 3D bathroom planner on the Reece website – to assess your space.

What size and shape is it? How much light and ventilation does it receive?

Don’t forget to think about how it will beused – a family bathroom for three growing boys will have very different requirements to a downstairs powder room for visitors. à

SANCTUARY: As the day-spa-at-home look grows in popularity, materials such as stone, steel, glass, ceramic and timber are bringing new polish to bathrooms.Photos: REECE

How to buy

YOU’VE HEARD THE HORROR STORIES, BUT RENOVATING YOUR BATHROOM NEED NOT BE A NIGHTMARE, WRITES POLLY SIMONS

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LEFT: Made by Moda Claudine basins and Paco Jaanson Wave taps from ACS Designer Bathrooms, acsbathrooms.com.au

RIGHT: Pamper bathroom from $2864, bunnings.com.au

ß Plumbing bills skyrocket the moment you move pipes and outlets, so if you’re on a strict budget, try to keep fixtures where they are.

It’s also worth noting that in-wall fixturessuch as toilet cisterns aren’t suitable for all bathrooms, so make sure it can be done before you start getting too excited.

“One of the biggest mistakes people makeis not seeking professional advice – and the earlier in the renovation process, the better,” says Sederino.

BUST THE BUDGET BLUESWorking out a budget before you begin is non-negotiable. According to a recent Housing Institute Australia survey, the average bathroom revamp costs $15,500-$20,000, while builders advisory service Archicentre puts the upper limit at $25,000. Add in extras such as underfloor heating and costs start to snowball.

Items worth spending on, however, are quality fittings and fixtures that will stand the test of time. Ensure products meet Australian standards and are sold through a reputable dealer. “Think how long you want your bathroom to last – most people only change their bathroom every seven to 12 years,” Sederino says.

If you don’t have cash to splash, she suggests splurging on one feature product, such as a freestanding bath, and budgeting – but buying well – elsewhere.

TACKLING SMALL SPACESWhile a luxurious look is easy to achieve in a super-sized space, what if your room is more

on the Lilliputian side? Don’t despair, says Sederino – many items come in smaller sizes that let you get the same look.

“Freestanding baths can come as little as 1500mm long, and sometimes smaller, while in-wall toilets cisterns are godsends for saving space,” she says. Elsewhere, wall-hung vanities and toilets make rooms seem bigger by freeing up floor space, while extending tiles right to the ceiling draws the eye upwards.

Large format tiles will also make small spaces feel roomier, particular when pale colours are used on the walls and dark colours on the floor. Finally, adding a mirror or two is one of the oldest – and easiest – tricks in the book. Find one in a quirky frame, or include a mirrored cabinet for extra storage space and a room that looks like it goes on and on.

Renaissance Tours Pty Ltd. (License number 2TA4526) is the tour organiser. Neither News Limited, nor any of its subsidiaries nor any of their newspapers have any involvement in the tour, and have no liability of any kind to any person in relation to the tour.

The island paradise of Sri Lanka is renowned for its palm-fringed beaches, misty mountain landscapes, extraordinary wildlife, lush tropical fora and cultural diversity.

The garden lover will be amply rewarded by some of the world’s best botanical gardens, ancient Buddhist sites and Royal Hindu ‘pleasure gardens’, fragrant spice and herb gardens, hill country estates and some contemporary private gardens.

COLOMBO – CULTURAL TRIANGLE – HIGHLANDS – GALLE with Fiona Ogilvie | 10–25 April 2016 (16 days)

Fiona Ogilvie

Sri Lanka: Gardens in Paradise

Visit renaissancetours.com.au call 1300 727 095 or contact your travel agent

Images (clockwise): Royal Botanical Garden, Peradeniya © Bernard Gagnon Wikimedia CC; Orange Orchid fowers scorpio in Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya; Elephants in Sri Lanka

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Galaxy Pencils Steel Mosaic tiles from $28.95 each from Beaumont Tiles, beaumont-tiles.com.auBELOW RIGHT: Mirror cabinet $249, shelving unit $149, wash-stand $300, all Hemnes from Ikea, ikea.com.au

are generally more cost-effective than porcelain.

Reglaze surfacesà This option revitalises surfaces quickly and efficiently and is the next best thing to replacing outdated bathrooms. Companies such as

Thermoglaze can change the colour of tiled floors, walls, grout, baths, basins and toilets with little fuss.

Reboot your layoutà Changing a layout is not always affordable, so consider how it can be improved. Could floating

shelves be added? Could the mirror be replaced with a mirrored storage cabinet? Is the shower screen glass, or does a curtain cut the room off?

Consider the vanityàYour vanity is a focal points, so consider

investing in a new piece, within existing plumbing requirements. There are fantastic “off the shelf” vanities, as well as taps, towel racks, soap holders, door and drawer handles. Look online for second- hand fittings, eBay or online supplier sales.

BUDGET BATHROOM UPDATESCan’t afford a full renovation? Give the bathroom a new lease on life with these budget fixes from interior designer Karen Muller, of Real Living Interiors, reallivinginteriors.com.au

Know your budgetàKnowing what you can afford should be No.1 priority. Look at your bathroom: what do you believe is dating it? Write a list in priority order, do your homework and see what can be covered before any work begins.

Update your tilesàTiles make a big difference to an update, but replacing them can be expensive. Consider retiling only major wet areas and painting remaining wall surfaces to save on cost. Ceramic tiles

ABOVE: Teresa stone bath by Made by Moda, available at ACS Designer Bathrooms.

Renaissance Tours Pty Ltd. (License number 2TA4526) is the tour organiser. Neither News Limited, nor any of its subsidiaries nor any of their newspapers have any involvement in the tour, and have no liability of any kind to any person in relation to the tour.

The island paradise of Sri Lanka is renowned for its palm-fringed beaches, misty mountain landscapes, extraordinary wildlife, lush tropical fora and cultural diversity.

The garden lover will be amply rewarded by some of the world’s best botanical gardens, ancient Buddhist sites and Royal Hindu ‘pleasure gardens’, fragrant spice and herb gardens, hill country estates and some contemporary private gardens.

COLOMBO – CULTURAL TRIANGLE – HIGHLANDS – GALLE with Fiona Ogilvie | 10–25 April 2016 (16 days)

Fiona Ogilvie

Sri Lanka: Gardens in Paradise

Visit renaissancetours.com.au call 1300 727 095 or contact your travel agent

Images (clockwise): Royal Botanical Garden, Peradeniya © Bernard Gagnon Wikimedia CC; Orange Orchid fowers scorpio in Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya; Elephants in Sri Lanka

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