If your bathroom is avocado, has an artex ceiling or features over the top florals, you may have one of Northern Ireland’s nightmare bathrooms which is costing you dearly.
With the 1970’s and 1980’s being voted the worst decades for bathroom design, carpeted floors and woodchip wallpaper run the risk of devaluing your house and giving you nightmares.
Leading bathroom company, Bassetts, has compiled a list of bathroom faux pas that homeowners should redecorate or renovate to increase the value of their property and (probably) their amount of sleep.
1. Avocado Bathroom – Avocado was a particularly popular choice for bathrooms in the 1970’s however it seems it is past its sell-by-date with a Barclays Mortgage survey finding that 62% of people said an avocado coloured bathroom suite was the biggest turn-off in a home.
2. Woodchip Wallpaper – 60% of people voted woodchip wallpaper as the second biggest turn off in a home. Woodchip wallpaper can be particularly difficult to remove from the walls so it is recommended you use a steamer to save time and remove it effectively.
3. Artex Ceilings – Artex ceilings are similarly unpopular according to the survey, with 47% of people citing them as the worst DIY faux pas of the last 50 years.
4. Over The Top Florals – Florals have played a starring role in bathroom design for many years with neon floral wallpaper in the 60’s and intricate floral accessories in the 80’s. Heavy florals in 2017, however, may be better off in the compost bin than inside your home.
5. Carpeted Floor – Although carpet may feel comfortable when you hop out of the bath or the shower, theamount of mould and mildew likely growing on it from the bathroom’s humidity is likely to make your skin crawl.
6. Pink Bathroom Suites – Pink bathroom suites, particularly bubble-gum pink ones, were very popular in the 1950’s so much so that reportedly even the white house had a pink bathroom at the time. Nowadays however, the very sight of them will make visitors go pink in the face
7. Strip Lighting – Strip lighting was voted the worst bathroom trend by 37% of people so although it may add light to your bathroom, it certainly won’t brighten up your day.
However, if your bathroom is a nightmare and features these design faux pas, it is important to note that renovating your bathroom could add around 2.8% to your overall house value and should be strongly considered.
If your bathroom is beyond repair, enter ‘Northern Ireland’s Nightmare Bathroom Competition’ with the most deserving entrant winning their dream bathroom renovation worth up to £10,000.
Homeowners with nightmare bathrooms are being urged to submit an image or video of their current (or not so current!) bathroom, along with a reason why they deserve a dream bathroom for a chance to win theirs for free.
Judging the entries will be an expert panel led by interior designer Philip Rodgers. Philip is the owner of Philip Rodgers Design, based in Dungannon, and has worked on projects such as The Cloud 9 Skybar in the Hilton Prague as well as the Crowne Plaza and the Hampton by Hilton in Belfast.
The entrant with the worst bathroom will be crowned the winner and awarded a brand new bathroom of their choice. The four runners-up will each receive a special discount for bathrooms in any Bassetts’ store.
Competition judge and expert designer Philip Rodgers said, “A recent bathroom trends report revealed that 62% of people want their bathroom easy to clean and disinfect and 47% want their bathroom to relax them. 0% said they wanted theirs to give them nightmares!
“People considering alleviating their nightmares should look to recent trends such as wooden features, brass finishes, bold tiles and mixing dark colours and textures to create a modern bathroom that will add value to your house in 2017.”
Post your image or video entries on Bassetts’ Facebook page www.facebook.com/bassettsbathrooms or tweet it to @bassetts_ph using #NightmareBathrooms.
Entries to the competition are free and must be submitted by Thursday 20th April 2017. Five finalists will be selected to go through to the final round with the winner selected by a public vote on Wednesday 10th May 2017.
For terms and conditions visit www.bassettsonline.com/news/competitions.