Today we’re featuring one of our fave Instagram gals, Olivia from House of White, and her amazing bathroom renovation. Liv takes us on a tour of her once tired, retro bathroom and how it was transformed into her own personal oasis.
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For some of us Instagram addicts, Olivia White (aka @oliviawhite) needs no introduction, but for everyone else, she’s the driving force behind the popular motherhood and lifestyle blog House of White.
“I live with my husband, Jeremy, and our two daughters, Annabelle (6) and Teddy (3). We purchased our house in Gippsland, Victoria, as newlywed love birds, with the intention of flipping it in a few years,” Liv says with a smile.
“Fast forward 7 years and we’re still slowly ticking away! Our house soon became a home, so we don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.”
Seven years in the making, Liv was keen for this bathroom to be something truly special.
“As our vision moved away from flipping the house, to it becoming our home, we decided we wanted to invest more into the bathroom and make it something special to really enjoy.
“We had a small space to work with so I put a lot of time and effort into researching similar spaces and layouts before we got started.
“I drew inspiration from Pinterest, design magazines and TV shows. But mostly I knew I wanted grey and black — I’m a Melbourne girl and I don’t like colour,” laughs Liv.
The size of the room proved quite challenging, meaning many products had to be custom made to fit the space.
“Small spaces are HARD when your working with standard sizing and products. Our major change was moving the orientation of the bath and vanity, which added some extra costs.
“This also left us with a pretty small space to work with for the vanity if we wanted to fit in a standard width shower. So, we commissioned Ingrain Design to custom build one for us.
“This was the first major project we’ve used trades to help us. Up until now, everything we’ve done on the house has been done by us,” Liv says proudly.
“As with most renovation projects, there were a few hiccups and setbacks but we communicated pretty well and got the job done. The original timeline was around 2 to 3 weeks but it ended up taking almost 3 months!”
With so many unique fittings and contrasting textures, it’s obvious Liv had a clear idea of what she wanted in her perfect bathroom.
“We worked with some incredible businesses, like Ingrain for our vanity, and DLH Designs for our sink. I’ve never seen anything like it and we wanted all the textures and uniqueness we could get — I don’t like boring!
“With the features that we chose, I really feel like it’s been designed especially for ‘us’. I guess you could describe my style as modern but with a passion and appreciation for people’s crafts.”
We love having unique and locally sourced features in our home — something no one else has or can replicate, with custom made and recycled products.
With more than a few renovation projects under their belt, we just couldn’t let Liv go without asking her top tips for designing a bathroom.
“Firstly, do your research and talk to an expert. What you want might not always work.
“Don’t be afraid to make layout changes. Sometimes the cost can be off-putting but it’s not always as bad as you think. Often a new layout can make your room, especially a bathroom, much more functional.
“Talk to your trades and make sure you are both on the same page!
“Invest in quality. You use your bathroom a LOT and trust me, I know what it’s like to have a rubbish one,” she laughs.
“Before you start your bathroom renovation, this is an important thing to consider… do you have a second bathroom? Cause if you don’t, be prepared to move out or expect to have a really, REALLY crappy time!”
Massive thank you to Liv for taking the time to show us around her gorgeous new oasis! Apparently their next project is tackling their laundry so stay up to date on their progress over on the House of White instagram page or, take a look at her blog.
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