Undaunted by the size of her compact bathroom, Riannon Selcuk used blush pink metro tiles and modern black fittings to turn a dated disaster into a fun, contemporary scheme. The transformation in her 1960s flat in Crystal Palace, south London, demonstrates how bold colour choices can make a small space feel larger and more modern. Her project shows that a modest area can still host a stunning interior design. Small spaces can feel open when the right elements are chosen.
A room that needed work
Selcuk bought the one-bedroom flat in July 2019 and moved in shortly after. While most of the rooms were spacious and light, the bathroom was rundown and dark. She worked out from a previous listing that the bathroom was installed about 10 years prior, so it was definitely time for a replacement.
The room contained old black and white tiles that looked dirty no matter how much she cleaned them. The shower didn’t work, the basin was coming off the wall, and there was mould from condensation because there was no air circulating. She couldn’t wait to rip everything out and start from scratch.
Because she works in the interior design sector on high-end projects, she often sees inspiring ideas that she wanted to use on her own home, although on a cheaper price scale to fit her budget. She fell in love with a blush pink metro design from Topps Tiles and decided to include black bathroom fittings to keep the scheme looking edgy and modern rather than too “pretty”.
Wall-mounted taps from Crosswater keep the scheme sleek and contemporary. She chose Tuscan Red emulsion by Little Greene for the walls and Farrow & Ball’s Red Earth for the folding door to create a slight contrast.
Challenges during installation
The renovation work was taking place during heavy rain. Because the flat is on the top floor with a flat ceiling above, the condensation that built up at night-time kept causing the ceiling to fall down.
The bathroom was installed about three times and, in the end, they had to do it as one of the last things, which put the sequence of works out slightly. She decided against having downlights installed in the ceiling and went for a luxe-looking light fitting instead, which is one of her favourite parts of the room. This Estee light by Mitzi at Hudson Valley Lighting adds a luxe feel to the space.
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She also bought a black heated towel rail and co-ordinating mirror from Drench to bring the look together. The basin comes a close second, with its curvy shape and gunmetal colour.
She had all the pipework boxed in to create a more streamlined look. She then teamed pale blush tiles with an earthy terracotta paint on the walls and installed completely new modern black fittings, along with a statement basin and showstopping ceiling light.
Design lessons for small spaces
Small bathrooms are difficult because they limit what you can get in, like the size of the bathtub. Selcuk found hers at Bathroom Takeaway, which does a smaller design for more compact rooms. In a small bathroom, keeping the walls as clear as possible helps the room feel more spacious because the less you have fixed to the wall, the more open it looks.
She had alcoves built in at the end of the bath as storage for some toiletries, but these could have been in the shower or under a sink unit too. The beauty of having a bathroom with a small footprint is that if you change your mind in the future, it can easily be updated and won’t be as costly or as big a job as if you have a larger room.
She went for quite a bold floor tile from Fired Earth. As it’s a small space the design isn’t too overpowering. The pale pink mixed with earthy terracotta and matt black gives the room a strong feminine vibe, which she loves. The terracotta walls and pink tiles balance out against the strong fittings and patterned floor perfectly.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, Riannon Selcuk proved that a compact bathroom can be stylish and functional. The project stands as a sign to the power of thoughtful renovation and colour.
