Decked out in pastels from floor to ceiling (except for the Kelly green staircase), Lindsey Isla’s bathroom was the last room in the London flat she shares with her fiancé to undergo an upgrade. “It was a total family affair,” she says. “My brother made the shelf for the sink, and my partner helped me tile the whole room.” Now she is just happy her showers are no longer limited to the gym locker rooms—the two-bedroom home only has the one bathroom, which was out of commission for the six-week remodel. Ahead, see how Isla DIYed the dated space, starting with a deep green grout.
The bathroom, after.
Color Inside the Lines
The bathroom, before.
The bathroom, after.
Thanks to their recent kitchen renovation, Isla had plenty of basic square tile left over (they had used it as a backsplash with fuchsia grout), so the base of the bathroom makeover was already sorted. However, she didn’t want to go too matchy-matchy. After finding the perfect faucet in a cheerful mint green, inspiration struck—she decided on equally worthwhile line work. “It breaks up all the white without being too overwhelming,” she says. “I love color, but I still wanted the space to be calming.” Even the hand soap and shampoo bottles are white to let the slivers of green stand out. The electric purple cabinets, however, stand out, matching other storage throughout the house—like the lilac locker in Isla’s office and the build-ins in her bedroom.
Raise the roof
The bathroom, before.
Tearing out the ceiling wasn’t a part of the original plan, but when Isla’s brother, a shipwright, walked in and suggested it, she couldn’t imagine it any other way. “We had to move the walls in 6 inches or so to account for all the rearranged plumbing work,” she explains. “So opening up to the beams made the room feel much bigger.” Painting the joists to match the peachy pink ceiling highlights the newfound architecture without making it a focal point.
Leave It All Behind
The bathroom, before.
The bathroom, after.
Most people remodeling a flat that’s not their forever home would stick with safe favorites like a chrome faucet and neutral walls. Not Isla—but she swears she renovated with potential buyers in mind. “I can color over the grout and repaint, and then it will look like a somewhat normal bathroom,” she says. Choosing a black showerhead and white radiator ensures that she can play toward more minimalist sensibilities when the time comes. And the say green faucet? That’s going with Isla.
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