After the kitchen, what are the most hard-working rooms in any house? You guessed it – the bathrooms! With that in mind, the Making HOME team meticulously designed and built the bathrooms of this house to be as tough as they are beautiful.

“We love how the bathrooms sit together seamlessly, but are each a little bit different.”

Nikki from the Making HOME team

In Episode Two, we take you on a tour of the ensuite and guest bathroom in our Modern Classic Farmhouse. Find out how we used visual interest to offset an absence of natural light, and how we achieved a designer guest bathroom despite a narrow floorplan.

Love the look? Scroll down to find out what products we used in these beautiful bathroom transformations.

Shop The Rooms

Functionality is essential when it comes to bathrooms, and below, we take you on a tour of the incredible products that help the Making HOME bathrooms work so hard.

Tiles

For a glorious splash of colour in the ensuite, we couldn’t go past the Agrestic Blue Gloss from Beaumont Tiles. These double-fired beauties gave us the versatility of a subway tile with the added rustic edge befitting the Modern Farmhouse style. And they never date, which is a huge bonus.

We went with a blank canvas behind the ensuite vanity and mirror to let the fixtures do all the talking. Stacked vertically, these Agrestic White Gloss tiles add the illusion of height in the space and continue the stunning linear patterns throughout the home.

In keeping with the Modern Farmhouse theme, we chose Calacutta Herringbone Mosaic tiles for the floors of both the ensuite and guest bathroom. Enriched with luxurious marble veining, these tiles arrived in neat, easy-to-lay sheets, which made installation quick and fuss-free.

Laid vertically on the shower wall of the ensuite, Eastern Calacatta Honed tiles complement the classic floor tiles and bring a welcome modern touch. These beauties provide the timelessness of a subway tile with the added luxe and continuity of marble graining.

To create a blank canvas on which our fixtures shine, we used Beaumont’s Mod Fingers White Gloss Mosaic for the guest bathroom wall.

By running them from the floor to the ceiling, the small bathroom feels a lot bigger than it is. These tiles work in harmony with the other vertically laid tiles and continue the story of height through the room.

Underfloor Heating

For the uninitiated, underfloor heating might sound extravagant, but it’s something we always include in renovations. For starters, it brings oodles of comfort and practicality it brings to homes. But also, it’s not as expensive as many people think.

We chose Beaumont’s Hotwire Undertile Heating With Thermostat along with a control panel in both the guest bathroom and ensuite. Easy to install, the system helps reduce mould by keeping floors dry. It’s the answer to a luxurious and inviting room all year round.

Wallpaper

Yes, you absolutely can use wallpaper in bathrooms!

We’re completely besotted with the Parvati Sapphire Wallpaper we’ve introduced in the guest bathroom. From Isla Design, it delivers non-stop wow to the space. Plus, by incorporating versatile indigo and sapphire hues, it’s easy to pair with virtually any towels and bathroom accessories.

But it wasn’t just aesthetics that sold us on Isla Designs wallpapers. We also love that they are printed in Sydney with eco-solvent inks for toughness throughout the years and excellent resistance to light.

Tapware

Brushed copper tapware was high on our wishlist for the reimagined guest bathroom, and we’re thrilled with the finished result.

From Greens Tapware, the Giselle Wall Basin Mixer and Basin Waste with Overflow in brushed copper add richness and personality to this stunning space.

In the shower, we used the striking Gisele Twin Rail Shower Head and Gisele Shower Mixer in Brushed Copper and complemented them with a matching Gisele Hand Towel Holder, Gisele Robe Hook and Gisele Toilet Roll Holder. These quality fixtures not only create a talking point in the room but they’re expertly built for longevity and reliability.

Notice how perfectly the copper tones pair with the blue shades in the wallpaper? Heavenly!

While the guest bathroom positively pops with its brushed copper tapware, we opted for cooler-toned metals in the ensuite.

Breathtakingly against the stacked white tiles, we used the Tesora Wall Basin Mixer in brushed nickel and fitted Pop-Up Basin Wastes in matching metal. Brushed nickel gives the room a more classic feel, with a sprinkle of warmth and texture.

In the ensuite shower, we went with the Gisele Twin Rail Shower in Brushed Stainless for wow factor and functionality. We teamed it with the Tesora Shower Mixer Trim Set in brushed nickel and the required Universal Shower Mixer Body.

The Tesora Robe Hook and Tesora Toilet Roll Holder in brushed nickel were the ultimate finishing touches to this classic bathroom.

Interior Cladding

We used James Hardie’s fibre-cement Axon™ Cladding on three ensuite walls. This not only saved time and money on tiling but also created a connection with the home’s exterior.

At 1200mm wide and 2450mm high, we required just a few sheets to get the walls clad fast. The linear format of this cladding draws the eye upwards and gives the room the illusion of height, which was very welcome. After losing some ceiling height to plumbing in the bathroom above, cladding played an important role in the overall look and feel of the space.

Aside from its linear appeal, which plays beautifully with the verticle tiles, another benefit of this interior cladding is that it delivers the charm of timber without the associated fuss. It is resistant to moisture, rot, warping, shrinking and swelling – and it’s even termite-proof. Delivered pre-primed, you can get straight on with the painting.

Doors & Trims

Engineered for strength and safety, Hume Doors & Timber had us completely covered for bathroom doors, architraves and skirts – and added beautiful architectural flair.

In the guest bathroom, we went with the timber veneer Haven (HAV22) for a classic look and optimal functionality for entry and exit.

A sliding door was a must for maximising floor space in the ensuite and we’re thrilled with the elegance the Humecraft (HMC22) brings to the space.

In both bathrooms, we paired the classic doors with Silktrim Replica Architraves 85x18mm and Silktrim Replica Skirting Boards 188x18mm. The result is a dreamy and cohesive Modern Farmhouse aesthetic that marries effortlessly with the bathroom fixtures in each space.

Lighting

While we adore mixing metals throughout homes, we do try to stick to one colour palette per room.

We chose Emac & Lawton’s Phoenix Wall Light in Antique Silver to complement the brushed nickel tapware in the ensuite. Made of solid brass and resistant to rust, this clever light rotates up and down and left and right. It couldn’t be more perfect for this toilet nook.

Lighting on either side of the vanity mirror is a must, especially if you want light that doesn’t cast heavy shadows.

We’re head over heels for these Iceberg Wall Lights in Antique Brass. Their warmth and colour work perfectly with the brushed copper tapware – not a perfect match but a match made in heaven! They’re also rated for outdoor use which means that bathroom moisture is a complete non-issue, no matter how hot you run the shower.

Hardware & General stock a range of Emac & Lawton lights. Ask one of the lighting specialists to order either of these for you.

These unique bathrooms would not have been possible without the Making HOME sponsors.

Catch up on the Making HOME Renovation Series now!

This article first appeared on Making HOME.