Decor

Finally! My Union Tiles bathroom reveal! A Before & After

My Union Tiles bathroom reveal! Today is the day that I get to reveal the full and final bathroom update with Union Tiles! Literally all the tiles, including the really really pretty Moroccan tiles on the bathroom floor were from Union Tiles as well as the Victorian style bath. Their range of products and tiles are exquisite and really worth considering on any renovations you might consider at home.

You will remember that I shared my inspiration behind the bathroom in this post and then an update of the bathroom renovation here. These articles are worth a read as I give some tips and tricks on how to choose the correct tiler and tiles as well as finding the right products with assistance from the staff at Union Tiles.

Before Images of my bathroom

Moroccan tile bathroom revamp - before image
Moroccan tile bathroom revamp - before image
Moroccan tile bathroom revamp - before image

What I did not like about the original bathroom

  • Walking straight into the wall of the shower when entering the bathroom
  • The small bathroom window and how dark this bathroom was
  • The brown toilet, shower and basin

First Bathroom Update

The majority of the changes were done during the first bathroom update. With the Moroccan tile-trend I really wanted to make use of some. I opted for the real deal – a Moroccan handmade cement tile in a grey, white and black pattern. These bathroom floor tiles were purchased from Union Tiles. Working with these Moroccan tiles are a bit more difficult than the normal ceramic tiles. These cement tiles have to be sealed one by one before installation as they are porous and easily stained by the adhesive and grout. The sealer is easy to do but one has to be quite careful in applying them with the least streaks possible. We made use of a sponge roller and applied two coats of sealant before installation and applied one more coat after the installation of these floor tiles.

The final touch of the bathroom revamp was turning the scarf a friend gave me for my birthday into a curtain for the window. I searched long and hard to find the perfect vanity and then stumbled across an old wash-table at a local antique store.

Moroccan tile bathroom revamp mirror wall
Moroccan tile bathroom revamp - old wash-table as vanity
Scarf upcycled as a curtain for a small bathroom window

The final bathroom update and the BEEEG reveal

I could not be more pleased with how this project turned out. From the quality of the products to the actual results. It was a really painless reno. You might realise that I decided not to use the listellos that the lovilees over at Union Tiles were going to custom make for the bathroom (Yes, they can do custom finishes!!!!) as I really liked the white flawless look that I ended up with.

Bathroom with white subway inspired tiles and victorian style bath by Union Tiles
Old wash table upcycled as bathroom vanity with a pedersen lennard clothes bin
Gem soap on a bathroom vanity
Monstera plant in a bunny pot used in a bathroom
Mirror by Native Decor Monstera plant in a bunny pot used in a bathroom
Monstera plant in a bunny pot used in a bathroom

What I now LOVE about my bathroom update with Union Tiles

  • The light and bright feeling it has. Even though we kept the original window as it faces the street it made a huge difference painting the ceiling white and the walls a lighter colour, as well as painting the actual windowsill white.
  • I was amazed that the use of glossy white tiles on the walls actually had a bigger effect on the light in the bathroom than the mirrors of the first revamp.
  • The black ‘skirtings’. I faked the look of skirtings by using a black tile row just above the floor level. using black grout with this gives the bathroom a clean and neat look. No more grimy painted walls.
  • The vanity was lovilee but the back end of the vanity and the actual basin were just overly vintage. By removing the back of the wash table and by adding a rectangular basin this gave a more retro effect. Perfect now!
  • My oversized round mirror!!!! Custom made by Vusi from Native Decor! They just launched a whole new range of mirrors that are very well priced which I will tell you about on the blog soon! (Thank you for everyone who voted for this look over on my Insta stories.
  • I still love my LOVILEE vintage looking bath. This was a must-have item for the bathroom, also purchased from Union Tiles.
  • We actually make use of this bathroom way more as all the members in our family prefer bathing to showering. As the size of the bath and the toilet cistern is quite smaller than the old ones in our other two bathrooms there has been a reduction in our water usage.

Bathroom renovation with Union Tiles
Bathroom with white subway inspired tiles and victorian style bath by Union Tiles
Bathroom with white subway inspired tiles and victorian style bath by Union Tiles
Plank used over bath
Bathroom with white subway inspired tiles and victorian style bath by Union Tiles
Bathroom with white subway inspired tiles and victorian style bath by Union Tiles
Bathroom revamp with Union Tiles and painting by Kassa Studio

I would love to hear what you think of my revamp (or what you don’t like) and think that I will spoil one lucky lovilee with a free Coco Chanel vinyl (as seen in the pics approx 600mm wide and 400mm high) to place on your own wall in either white or black. Open to SA residents with RSA address only, winner will be selected at random on Friday, 23 November 2018. You can either comment here on on my Instagram post(s) showing one of the images of the revamp.

Lovilee bathroom makeover quote by coco Chanel vinyl wall art
Lovilee bathroom makeover quote by coco Chanel vinyl wall art

A big thank you to Melanie Wessels Photography for taking these gorgeous images for me!

Bathroom renovation with Union Tiles, mirror by Native Decor
Bathroom renovation with Union Tiles

These cute hooks were additions from Orejen here in Linden.

Orejen hooks and bathroom plaques
Orejen hooks and bathroom plaques

About Union Tiles

Union Tiles have been around since 1922! Yup, they are literally almost 100 years old and the only way this company has been able to be around for this long is by keeping up with the trends and providing consumers with equally quality products! The company offers a huge range of mostly Italian imported ceramic, porcelain and natural stone ranges to name but a few, They also offer a wide range of associated building material products and services. You might also want to keep an eye on their specials.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post according to my disclaimers and disclosures, but as always my honest opinion.

See the revamp of our master bathroom in our previous house here.

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Karen Kelly is the founder and editor of lovilee.co.za. She is a creative at heart and passionate about all things DIY. Learn more about her here and connect with her on social media on the links below.

8 Comments

    • Kari

      baie dankie girla! Ek dink enige-iets is beter as die before!!

  1. Lauren Kim

    Kari the expert strikes again with another BEAUTIFUL transformation. You are so talented

    • Kari

      Thank you! I am so chuffed with it!

  2. Loved seeing this! Always so interesting to see before and afters. Your bathroom looks amazing! The Moroccan tiles are beautiful and I love metro tiles too.

    • Kari

      aaa, thank you Diana, I could not be more pleased with the end result!

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