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Design Dilemma
suse_13

How to overhaul world's ugliest toilet?

Suse
8 years ago
Hi everyone,

Looking for your bright ideas on what to do with these walls.

Unfortunately the water pipes run along the corner of the wall and stick out a fair distance at the top and bottom of the wall.

I need some winning ideas on how to hide these pipes.

Note: the ceiling will be re-sheeted and the floors retiled. The real question is what should I do with the walls?

Also note: the small window is actually off-centre, so that would ideally also be disguised.

Hit me with any ideas!
Featured Answer
  • Debbie
    8 years ago

    I to had a tiny space, I made an ensuite out of our old wardrobe, the room is 600mm wide and 2200 long, subway tiles always look beautiful and timeless, you should be able too tile straight over the brick work just get some advise if you go that way, I'm with the others just embrace all the pipes and make a feature out of them!

    Comments (23)

    • Safaa Rayan
      8 years ago
      Paint the brick?
    • karenleonn
      8 years ago
      It's a bit tricky to cover the pipe so just embrace it. Have the old ( it looks like copper or chrome) changed to the modern look stainless steel cable. You will still see it but it will look nicer and won't cost much. Show us your after pics when your project is finished. Oh and just get a blind or shutter to go the whole way over the window wall then you won't notice it's off centre.
    • 2dogssashatess
      8 years ago

      Well that granny net curtain has got to go and as the above poster said get ashutter to cover the entire wall so we don't know the window is off centre.

      I agree with above poster concealing the pipe would probably be tricky so how about you just put something in front of it to hide it ? E.g. a small, narrow attractive shelving unit/cupboard for toilet paper, cleaning agents etc

      It is all about your budget. If of a budget I would paint the walls white as its a small space and currently drab in color. If I had a big budget I'd plaster the walls smooth and be a bit creative and maybe use some wallpaper in there for a b it of interest.

      Ps no rugs around the base of the toilet

    • PRO
      life.home.creative
      8 years ago
      Hey there, what look are you going for in your house? Painting the brick on one full side and the back with the window and make a feature wall out of floating flooring that you easily liquid nail and slot together. Have a look at bedroom walls that do this, we've also got in our place and we stick with contemporary vintage. Hope that helps! And looking fwd to end result!
    • tarotlova
      8 years ago
      You could always get a creeper plant to wind around the pipes and hide them, as you may not be able replace the pipes spraying them a bright copper colour is another idea and paint the bricks a nice colour and as others have mentioned a blind will hide the window.
    • likethat
      8 years ago

      Cement render the top 2/3rds of brickwork then rustic dado the bottom third in barnwood or tin. I'd replumb the pipework externally and come in at a more descreet location.

    • dohraime
      8 years ago

      Yes ^, there are some wall paneling materials that could be stuck directly onto the brick. Bead board, powder coated tin etc. They're 3-5mm thick and won't encroach on the space.

      Or go over brickwork with a plastering mortar then paint or wallpaper.

    • Jonny Perumal
      8 years ago

      A couple of questions before I make any suggestions. Is that pipe coming in from outside and have you asked a plumber how much it would cost to run it down the exterior wall into the toilet? This will also mean it can be closer to the toilet and it won't be so obvious. Is that a concrete lintel at the top of the wall? Have you considered getting a new window and cutting out a line of half bricks so it matches the other side. It obviously also depends on your budget but some of the work arounds will only update the room as opposed to really giving it a true change.

    • LouieT
      8 years ago

      Is changing the WC out of the question?

      If not then a false wall with an inbuilt cistern creating a ledge under the window might work & plaster/paint/tile the brick all the way to the ceiling.

      Cladding on the wall could also be mini orb, timber panelling or just gyprock to take away the dated brick look.

      Window could be made central as suggested above with a blind or shutter or what about a hanging plant on the right to balance that window/wall?

    • versicreations
      8 years ago

      Make a fake little cupboard over the pipe and bag the bricks in a nice white colour. I would also bag or paint the bricks white and tile over existing tiles with a lighter colour and lose the lase curtain and put white shutters in there.

    • maudiej
      8 years ago
      last modified: 8 years ago

      Bathroom · More Info

      Out with the granny curtain and bag the walls (its cheaper than you think). Then use art to make this room a place people want to see. Eg if you choose pale yellow for the walls then paint 'beach' stuff all over the walls (starfish, crabs, sea grass, a look-out tower) or if you choose grey then paint it as if you are inside a submarine (so embracing the pipes) with a line of porthole views ..... etc
      Bathroom · More Info

    • Vic F
      8 years ago

      what about a false plaster wall at the back of the toilet to hide the pipes and embrace the off centre window - balance it with plant / art /something?

    • maggielou362
      8 years ago

      It would look better instantly if you remove the stickers on the toilet, remove the plunger, remove the rug, remove the curtain and remove the bottle of toilet cleaner. Just saying...

    • User
      8 years ago

      Hiya!

      I would treat this as an opportunity to go totally steampunk! Put in a shutter, like the other folks have said, to hide the off centre window... then paint the bricks, and polish up the pipes and add a bunch of non functional complicated looking piping, with gauges and stuff. Of course, it would depend on the rest of your decor... I would also consider bringing the mortar up to brick-face level, before painting.

      If you went steampunk, you could keep the floor as is; it would fit right in!

      Get a sheet of copper or copper-look metal and hammer it up a bit and curve it slightly around the cistern IYKWIM, and hammer up a piece for a lid so you have access, (drop on lid, attach sheet to wall with dynabolts). Then paint up the pan in a nice distressed metal look, and seal with enamel clear lacquer, marine grade. Wooden toilet seat and you're 1800's sci-fi swish.

      I love odd rooms like this, because it's always going to look strange so you can make it spectacularly odd, instead of, 'oh dear, I tried to hide this, but...'

    • PRO
      Timandra Design & Landscaping
      8 years ago

      1. Remove the toilet mat

      2. Frosted glass window so no curtain. Doesn't matter about the window being off centre. Just ignore it.

      3. Cover bricks with either a really pale wallpaper or paint the bricks off white.

      4. Use a white toilet brush holder - we all have one

      5. Pipes - just ignore. The toilet wont work without them!

      6. Paint the ceiling white

      I hope that some of these comments help. Using pale colours will give the illusion that the space is wider. The less busy the space i.e. the mat, the bigger the space will appear also.

      Alison



    • Rose Bee
      8 years ago
      last modified: 8 years ago

      depending on budget. paint or tile the walls white. Nice white wooden slat blind to cover whole width of wall not just the window. As previously suggested - pipes changes to outside or painted white also or covered up with a toilet tidy (innovations have some). nice tiles on floor - the patchwork kind would look nice in muted colours (eg grey) and would take away the focus from the toilet and its pipes. Hope we get to see the finished product, good luck

    • Suse
      Original Author
      8 years ago
      Hi everyone,

      Thanks for all of your fantastic ideas. I've started work on the room, and here's a quarter-way-through update.

      Left and back walls have been painted in grey shades with white grout (paint still wet in photos) next steps will be replacing floor, sheeting right side and door side walls, painting door me trim and adding cornices and skirting.

      Toilet stickers and rug will go, and we have already said our goodbyes to the granny curtain :)

      We decided to paint the pipe work white (which we haven't fully done yet).
    • Rose Bee
      8 years ago

      looks great so far, cant wait to see finished result


    • PRO
      Timandra Design & Landscaping
      8 years ago

      Looks a lot better!

    • Rose Bee
      8 years ago

      Timandra - ex Mintaro? i'm from Moonta.

    • acharyaanisha
      8 years ago
      Hi suse_13 your toilet is already looking good with the paintwork and less that curtain..Just a suggestion, would you consider painting the wall behind the toilet seat different colour? With so much light coming from that window it would look great. I was thinking something like Dulux Blue Oar.. And just put a couple of small framed prints (with some similar colour from that wall) to the right wall as you walk in.. I saw some nice ones in Houzz shop and not expensive.
    • kjvp
      8 years ago
      What a great paint and grout colour choice for those bricks! Looking good!
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