#MyDreamBathroom Competition

I recently came across a competition to Design Your Dream Bathroom. Having recently entered a competition to design my dream bedroom, this seemed like a fitting next step. This competition is hosted by Big Bathroom Shop and Tile Mountain, with one 1st place winner receiving a very generous bathroom remodel up to £3,500! The award for 2nd place is £1,000 in vouchers, and 3rd place is £500 in vouchers. 

This (above) is my bathroom - in definite need of some updating. We have been working through the house, decorating and/or redecorating, but for some reason the bathroom always seems to miss out. We did put a new lino flooring in there about a year ago, which is a huge improvement on the previous floor. It's not the best picture - apologies, for some reason it's all showing up somewhat dark here, the colours are closer/more accurate in the picture below ... but you get the general idea. It's a bit dated. It's not a particularly big bathroom either - there's space for the suite, and that's about it. Currently: we have a bath-with-shower-attachment, a toilet, a bidet, and (behind the door) a vanity storage cupboard with built in sink. There's also a razor light above the mirror, a small radiator, and a towel rail.

The walls (and cupboard doors) are a sort of Cornish Cream colour, and pick up on the pattern colour in the tiles. The worktop and tiles also look a bit dated now, and the suite - although relatively pale - is in a shade called whisper peach. The biggest problem that we have found, however, is that the layout is all wrong.

Ideally, the sink (and storage) should be on the opposite wall - the very first items to greet you as you come in - not behind the door as you walk into the room. The toilet (and maybe bidet) could also move to the same wall. The wall where the sink currently is could then hold a bigger bath or, preferably, a massive shower! This would also make the room feel bigger, add a little more privacy, and leave the wall under the window open for a little bit of additional storage.

Bathroom suites

Phoenix Emma Pottery | Big Bathroom Shop (£643.73)

In designing a new bathroom, the first thing I would choose is a white bathroom suite. I love white bathrooms, modern and clean and bright, and a lovely big shower is also very high on my dream-bathroom-list. My family all tend to have showers, we don't really use the bath very much at all - although it's nice every now and then for some relaxing. Mostly the bath is used to wash the dogs, so it would be really great to have something a little more practical.

I really like the design of this Phoenix Emma Pottery suite, the rounded shapes of all of the units are both practical and pretty. I also think it's important to choose furniture (particularly in kitchens and bathrooms - cupboard doors, eg) that are easy to clean and that age well. This bathroom suite ticks all of these boxes, and includes a range of design, storage and tap options. I tend to think that long-term benefits outweigh short-term cost, and the small additional fee for these extra options (bigger shower, toilet with greater comfort, better taps, etc) is more than fair for the added value and improved use. This suite, with the options I would choose, comes to £643.73. Click on the link above to select your own choices.

Twyford Alcona | Big Bathroom Shop (£1028.18)

My second choice is this beautiful white Twyford Alcona suite. It's a little cosier and more relaxed feeling than the Phoenix Emma Pottery suite. In terms of shape, this one might be my favourite (though I love the luxury shower design of the previous option, and the clean, glossy finish of the next one!). I really love the rounded, simple design. There's a range of upgrade/alternative options for this suite too, including the option to install a shower mixer above the bath. This warm, clean, relaxed design would be ideal for my bathroom - with the sink and toilet on the wall as you enter the room, and the bath behind the door. It's modern, practical, and a beautiful suite.

Ultra Design Showerbath Suite | Big Bathroom Shop (£1145.28)

Finally, I really love this Ultra Design Showerbath Suite, comprising a range of different unit options. Again, I would upgrade the standard pieces to the bigger and more luxurious ones, which brings the total to £1145.28. Click on the link above to select your own options. This suite is ideal for my bathroom, combining a bath with built in shower and mixer taps - it's also a little wider at the shower end for optimum comfort and ease of use. The toilet is a practical and clean design, built into a handy unit that conceals the cistern. The sink (basin), also, is built in to a practical and attractive unit - providing handy storage for the various bathroom essentials and paraphernalia. I really love the sleek white design of this suite - it's modern, timeless, and the neat, glossy, flat surfaces make it super easy to keep clean.

Bathroom tiles

London | Tile Mountain (£5.81/tile)

As well as a new suite, I'd love to replace the tiles in my bathroom to something a little more modern. I've never really liked our current bathroom tiles, so something new would be quite exciting. Ideally, I'd love a natural, neutral design/colour theme.

I love these 'London' tiles from Tile Mountain. I really like the brick-effect, the textured impression, and the muted (but not plain) colour(s). I have selected these tiles in white, but there is also a red option (click the link to view the colours). I think these would look great with one of the white bathroom suites above.

Cappuccino Marble | Tile Mountin (£4.18-5.99/tile)

I also really like these Cappuccino Marble tiles. There are two designs in this range: the larger (wall area) tiles, and the smaller (shower area) ones. I think they are beautiful together, and create a bathroom that feels warm, rich, and comfortable. I could definitely relax in a bathroom that looked like this picture! I also like the natural, earthy colours.

Finally, I really like these brick-effect tiles in the Metro range. Similar to the London range in pattern, they have a smoother and glossier feel and come in a variety of colours (including some funky and bright ones). I really quite like the tiles in sage (see picture below), though for a bathroom I would choose them in cream (as below). I did consider white tiles, but I think it's nicer to have another colour for the bathroom suite to be against.

Metro (Sage) | Tile Mountain

Metro (Cream) | Tile Mountain (£0.58)

Follow EM's board My Dream Bathroom on Pinterest.

Dream Room Competition

I recently came across a competition by Dear Designer, Good To Be Home (Anglian Home Improvement), and Laura Ashley to design a dream room. One winner will win an Anglian Door with Laura Ashley glass worth £1000, and five runners-up will win a £100 Laura Ashley gift voucher. Please click here to enter, and to find the competition guidelines/rules.

I entered a 'design a room' competition hosted by Dear Designer once before. I didn't win any prizes, but you can see my entry here.

Since my previous entry was a living room (which I still really like!), I have chosen this time to design my dream bedroom!

Double Bed Frame £329.99 | Bedside Chest £99.99 | Dressing Table, Mirror and Stool £279.99 | 4+3 Wide Chest of Drawers £299.99 | Cheval Mirror £129.99 | 2 Door Wardrobe with Drawer £479.99

I love this Schreiber Alysa furniture collection in off-white from Homebase. I like the simple, vintage-inspired design, and the colour works well with a lot of other items and styles.

I have chosen these Laura Ashley paint colours and wallpaper, they're so fresh and gentle. They look so pretty together, and work really well with the vintage-yet-modern Schreiber Alysa furniture. The wallpaper is also from Laura Ashley, and I adore the pink/purple and grey floral pattern! I think the paint colours I have chosen work well with the wallpaper, and create a warm and inviting decor to build upon. I really love pale grey colours, and this powder grey paint is beautiful. The green is also lovely, and helps to bring in a little bit of the greenery outdoors (I live in the countryside, I love nature).

Laura Ashley paints £24.99

Laura Ashley - Munro - Grape wallpaper £29.99

I've been looking at striped and patterned carpets for a couple of years now - I really like how they look in different settings with a variety of furniture. I'd really like one on my staircase. This pink striped carpet from floors4home is so pretty, and it picks up on shades from the petals in the Laura Ashley wallpaper.

Alternative Flooring Rock n Roll carpet £35.70/sq m

I've always like Catherine Lansfield's duvet set designs, and this one I think would look lovely with the rest of the room I have designed. I really like the floral print, and gentle rose, white, and biscuits colours. Catherine Lansfield also makes a bedspread, and curtains, in this same design.

Catherine Lansfield Imogen duvet set (double) £23.98

Couples Canvas £10.00 | Arthouse Sunflowers Picture £15.00

I've loved this Couples Canvas picture from Matalan ever since I first saw it - I'm not sure exactly what it is about the image that I like the most, but everything about it just seems perfect and important. I also really like this sunflower picture from Wilko - it reminds me of the Vase of Fifteen Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh, one of my all-time favourite artists.

Bouji Chaise £349

I've always wanted my own Chaise Longue ever since I was a little girl, and this biscuit coloured one from Made.com is ideal.

I also really love this stunning jewellery cabinet from BHS, it's a nice size and I think that the little wooden shelves inside would be great for storing headbands, flower clips, and other accessories (maybe even a few tiaras!).

This fabric floral bunting is also from BHS, and would look really pretty draped on and around the wardrobe!

Vintage Floral Bunting £6 | White Jewellery Cabinet £25

Laura Ashley Minty Complete Lamp £28

Finally, this lovely lamp is from Laura Ashley, and I really like the quirky dice design. The colours are really nice, and the shape is warm and practical. I think it would look great on the bedside table with a good book.

Lighting by House of Fraser and Tug Competition

House and Fraser and Tug are running a competition for one person to win a lamp! The lucky winner gets to select their choice from a variety of six very different lamps - ranging from floor-standing to table-top, and in style from modern to chic to retro. To enter, you say which lamp you like the best, what your style is, and where you would put it in your home if you won.

It was quite difficult narrowing down which lamp was my favourite - they were all so lovely... very different styles, but each of them would look amazing in a variety of places and each of them appealing and stylish. Narrowing down just the one style was also difficult! I think I enjoy different aspects of each of those three styles. In the end, I have selected lamp number one!

Cage Tripod Floor Lamp £156.00 (reduced from £195.00)

I absolutely love this lamp - it's sort of modern and retro and vintage in style all at once! I think this would be listed as a modern style for competition purposes though. It's quite a statement lamp, I don't really have anything else in my home that looks like this, but it's also quite a simple and easy to look at piece. A number of my relatives have all been involved with photography - whether as an occupation or as a hobby - and this lamp reminds me a bit of the old fashioned equipment and spotlights that I grew up seeing.

My personal style is a bit mixed really. I love modern, minimal, earthy, rustic, quirky, practical, stylish, eclectic, and geeky. I enjoy retro. I absolutely adore vintage - I run my own vintage jewellery company, and regularly have trouble 'not' keeping all of the different pieces I come upon! My bedroom is a mix of creams and greys in gentle, feminine and vintage styles. I love it. In thinking about where I need/would like to put a lamp, I have realised that I have different priorities for different areas of the house. Upstairs rooms can be a little luxurious, plush... downstairs should be much more straight. Comfortable, but uncluttered and practical.

Obviously a floor lamp takes up a bit more space than a table lamp would do - but I think this lamp would look fantastic in my living room. It has quite an earthy, rustic, laid back feel - but also a designed, modern and timeless one. There are original photos on the walls from my professional photographer family member, and rounded (ish) black glass end tables and accessories (such as the vase pictured below) and other items.

My lounge is a bit of a work in progress - it's getting there, but there are a few things missing still to make it perfect. One of these things is LAMPS. There are no lamps. Just the one ceiling light, which is the same one that was there before the room was redecorated - a slightly dated looking fan light. It doesn't really go with the rest of the room, and the light it gives out isn't great. It's quite a big room, so it could probably do with some lamps to help cover the different areas and angles. Living in the countryside, it gets very dark in the evenings/at night - and you can really tell that the lighting in this room isn't the best - so having some good, or at least additional, lighting in there would be brilliant.

There are also four bookcases in my living room - some with books, some with other mixed media (DVDs, CDs). It would be nice to have a good lamp in the room to use when curling up with a nice cup of tea and a book!

While entering this competition, I thought I'd have a look around at some of the other products available at House of Fraser - and I found some other amazing lighting products I'd love to have too. I tend to have quite earthy tastes, and I enjoy including slightly quirky items around my home. Click on the links below to visit the store pages.

Above: Linea Pineapple Table Lamp £32.00 (reduced from £40.00, also available in blue and black)

Below: Living by Christiane Lemieux Parrot Table Lamp £80.00

Above: Living by Christiane Lemieux Maya Ceramic Table Lamp £80.00 (reduced from £100.00)
Below: House of Fraser Gemini Candlestick Lamp Pair £64.00 (reduced from £80.00)

You can find details of the competition, and view the different lamps on offer, here.