Maleny cottage renovation - part 2
Welcome to part 2 of my parent’s cottage renovation. In this blog post we take a closer look at the bedroom and ensuite.
Photography Coastpark Creative
This space prior to renovating had horrible carpet squares (reminiscent of something you’d find in an office). They were very musty and old (I assume they had been there since the 90s) and definitely had to go! We replaced with the same hybrid flooring we used in the kitchen/living room to make cleaning a lot easier. It’s always raining in Maleny, so there’s a good chance people will walk in with dirty shoes, so for this reason carpet was a not suitable.
Another thing we did to the space was add feature paneling (made from skirting boards) to create architectural detail behind the bedhead. Something like this is very cost-effective, but adds a lot of character. Above it we painted the wall in the same green as the kitchen - Taubmans ‘Sage Craft’.
The key to softening any space is through the use of curtains - and in the bedroom I chose the Madagascar sheer neutral curtains (S-Fold) from Tuiss Blinds Online. They’re a creamy off-white colour and work well with our off-white walls. These give day time privacy for guests, but for night time privacy, we’ve installed the Moda roller blockout blind in white from Tuiss Blinds Online.
Another great way to add softness and warmth to a room, is through adding a floor rug. We chose this ‘Cabanella’ rug from Miss Amara. It’s a washable rug too, which is a great option for an Airbnb. If it gets dirty we can simply give it a wash and it’s back to being brand new. Plus it’s super soft underfoot, which is great for this bedroom.
Previously the bathroom entrance was off the kitchen, but we relocated it into the bedroom, this works a lot better now for the cottage’s floor plan. If you wake up in the middle of the night needing to access the toilet, it’s a much shorter distance. Plus who wants to see a toilet right off the kitchen? We added this beautiful American Oak barn door from Bunnings to the bathroom entry - it adds so much warmth and country charm to the space.
The brief from my mum for the bathroom was “keep it light and bright”. She didn’t want to do green again (afterall we have used a lot of green throughout in the kitchen and in the bedroom feature wall). She wanted this space to feel quite neutral, so I decided on a white, light clay, and timber colour palette. The space feels so calming now. Prior, we had a rather dated 90s bathroom, that felt cramped as well thanks to a pantry eating into the space. By removing that and adding that space back into the bathroom we could achieve a much more spacious room that now features a larger vanity.
The tiles were one of the first things I chose, we have used Tile Cloud’s ‘Newport’ matte white square tile and the ‘Yamba’ terrazzo look tile in clay from Tile Cloud for the floor and running half way up the shower/toilet wall. I just love the clay coloured terrazzo look tile, and wish it was available when I renovated my own home. It’s a lovely neutral that throws a dusty pink/clay tone.
BEFORE This is more so a ‘demo’ pic - I forgot to take pictures before it was renovated, but this gives you an idea of what we were working with.
I chose ADP’s Flo vanity (which is part of Alisa & Lysandra’s collection with ADP). It has a thin shaker detail on the cabinetry fronts which ties in with our shaker cabinetry in the kitchen and a curved splashback made from the same stone as the benchtop. I love this classic detail on the vanity - this is a great choice for those who are wanting to add character and elegance to their bathroom. It also has gorgeous curved ends. This Coastal Oak colourway is actually a new addition to the Flo range and I was the first to get my hands on this finish - it’s gorgeous and works so well with our antique brass tapware.
We have chosen two matte white Margot basins from ADP (I have these in my own home too), they work well with this style vanity. And to top it all off we have 2 Arch mirrors from ADP. As this will be an Airbnb it wasn’t necessary to do a mirrored cabinet with storage. There is more than enough storage inside the vanity for guests to use.
Because we are in a country setting, I wanted the tapware throughout to be an antique brass finish – the look is a little more classic in style, however the tapware shapes are still modern. It really gives you the best of both worlds! All of our tapware is from Yabby and it’s great quality! I have used it in my own home and can highly recommend.
We have used the Combination Shower from Yabby with matching Wall Mixer. And above the vanity we’ve used two sets of the Wall Spout + Mixer. It’s also great that Yabby are now offering matching accessories in the antique brass finish - like the heated towel rails (available exclusively through the Tile Cloud website - you can in fact buy all of the Yabby tapware on their site for easy one-stop shopping). Even our Toilet Roll Holder is in the antique brass finish!
The window in the cottage bathroom looks out to my parent’s house - which isn’t ideal! We wanted a window solution that looked great, but also gave privacy while still allowing natural light - and for that reason we felt like shutters would be best. I love the look of these ones we got from Tuiss Blinds Online - they’re the ‘Alpine’ Smooth White Polymer shutter blinds. I think shutters are a great option for bathrooms and they add a touch of class to any space.
