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How to: Work with ugly plumbing

October 12, 2016 2 Comments

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By Laney Clancy

Being married to a plumber and working for a plumbing business, I know that plumbers consider a flushing toilet, clear drains and well-organised pipes a thing of beauty. But for everyone else, aesthetically plumbing scores very low on the design scale. Every property, big or small, old or new, has some plumbing feature that’s oddly placed or simply an eyesore. Here’s how to hide, complement or even enhance your plumbing to make it easier on the eye.

Image courtesy of Reece
Image courtesy of Reece

In the bathroom

Vanity units have long been the go-to solution to hide sink drain pipes but if your bathroom or powder room is too cramped you may not have room for one.

The cheapest and easiest solution is to paint the pipework. You can choose the same colour as the bathroom wall for camouflage, or choose a more decorative colour like black (just make sure you apply a PVC primer first). Another option in a natural or nautical themed bathroom is to wrap the pipes in a material like rope. The patina of copper is quite beautiful — in my home we have run copper water supply pipes against a background of a black wall. The pipes are narrow so donโ€™t take up space and the contrast is striking.

You can also convert ugly waste traps (where the pipes bend, often in a U shape after their connection to the basin plughole) from the standard plastic white ones to shiny chrome or modern black ones.

Image courtesy of Reece
Image courtesy of Reece

If you have a budget to work with, consider a pedestal basin to contain the pipes but keep the bathroom’s sleek look. Ensure a plumber has access to the pipes though, just in case they need to be repaired.

Toilets are also unavoidable eyesores in the bathroom. A wall-hung toilet puts the cistern behind a wall but be aware this does compromise a plumber’s access for repairs in future. A close-coupled toilet is the next best option as it reduces the visual impact of the toilet while maintaining accessibility. Or distract with a feature wall or impressive wall tile that moves the eye away from the toilet.

Ventilation fans are never the most attractive thing in a bathroom and the best way to hide one is to ensure it’s the same colour as the ceiling to make it blend in. Or you can safely cover it with a decorative grate that can also be sprayed to match your ceiling colour. A more expensive option is to rearrange your lighting so the fan falls in shadow.

Image courtesy of Dan Kitchens
Image courtesy of Dan Kitchens

In the laundry

No matter how sleek your washing machine, its taps and tubes are always going to be aesthetically troublesome. With front loaders in particular, you can run the hoses behind a shelf or cupboard or under a benchtop to your sink to keep them out of.

If space is an issue, you may be able to put up a curtain or screen. Make it practical — a rod you can use to hang drying items can also support a curtain you can draw across to hide the plumbing when not in use for laundry. Hiding your laundry behind cupboard doors is another way to maintain a sleek look.

Image courtesy of Vertical Gardens Australia
Image courtesy of Vertical Gardens Australia

Outside

Rainwater collection tanks and hot water tanks are bulky and often unsightly but there are a few things you can do to hide it or make it a feature. Camouflage is one way to disguise a tankโ€”you could paint it to match your house or fence colour. Other people simply acknowledge the tank for what it is and turn it into a feature, using it as a canvas for artwork for example.

If you have enough room, consider erecting a screen or encasement around it. There are a number of decorative screens available that draw the eye to the screen rather than what’s behind it. An encasement turns the tank into a closed area that you can treat like a shed – particularly handy if you need to keep children or pets out. If the screen or encasement can support a living wall (vertical garden) then this is a beautiful idea as the greenery from this distracts from the tank behind it.

Don’t forget the plumbing!

Plumbing is an essential part of a house and you can certainly be inventive about designing around eyesores. Don’t forget that these pipes, drains, tubes and tanks have a function first so your decorative efforts should not compromise plumbing operations. Also be aware that if a professional does need to repair something, you need to make sure the plumber can access the fixture.

Pretty plumbing? It is possible.

— Laney Clancy is the marketing and finance manager at Pipe Perfection Plumbers in Sydney. She is married to Darren, the owner of the business. Laney gets to talk to plumbers about plumbing and home maintenance a lot, and loves a good bathroom makeover.

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Australian made bathroomware is seriously impressi Australian made bathroomware is seriously impressive!

The new @studio.xox ONLY sells Australian brands. Like @nood_co coloured basins, lead-free eco brass from @faucetstrommen and @lindseywherrett's  ceramic basins made by hand in Tassie.

And as for their Sydney showroom (they also sell online): WOW.

See and read more on the blog now via link in bio.

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I'm THRILLED to be an ambassador for the brand new I'm THRILLED to be an ambassador for the brand new @madeinaustshow in Sydney this August.

๐Ÿฆ˜๐ŸจForget every tacky association you ever had about touristy Australian made and prepare to see a showcase of the best of home, lifestyle, fashion and beauty made right here. If the pandemic has made you appreciate buying local even more, this is for you.

It's the first business to business trade event connecting retailers with Australian made products to champion our local makers๐Ÿ™

Apply to exhibit or find out more at their website, via their bio, now!

Are YOU buying more Australian made post covid?

#madeinaustralia #australianmade #aussiemade #aussiedesign
Do I recommend a timber vanity top? A big fat NOP Do I recommend a timber vanity top?

A big fat NOPE! ๐Ÿ’ง 

Which is why we have recently covered ours with a Caesarstone top (thanks to @justinplace_sydney for the advice and supply) and the sweet RELIEF of not having to worry about this high traffic area anymore, I'm telling you!๐Ÿค—

Doesn't matter what they tell you or how many times it's sealed, I'm not sure it's a great idea in a room which is so, well, wet!

I love having the warmth of timber in the bathroom and it's a beautiful piece, but timber on the top? Never again.

Ours probably lasted a year (if that) before it started to go downhill (and we want a good decade out of a bathroom, right?!). 2.5 years on, everything else in this bathroom looks virtually brand new and the water marked vanity top was really letting the side down and making me sad!

But I'm so pleased with this solution, I have to say! Took the plumber less than an hour to remove the sink, install the top and connect the sink back up. We didn't need to move the tap and it isn't too close to the basin.

The kids are allowed to brush their teeth and wash their hands (liquid soap ๐Ÿฅด) in here again and I can leave my hair straightener on there with gay abandon ๐Ÿ˜†

The reflective surface (which I can clean with whatever I like!๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿป) brightens the room up too!

Next week I'll tell you what I really think of my brass tile trim too ๐Ÿ˜‰

#interiorsaddictbathroomreno2 #interiorsaddictfamilyhomereno #timbervanity
Is there a more decadent and delicious soup than F Is there a more decadent and delicious soup than French onion?

I think not!

Grab the recipe on the blog this morning via link in bio.
Get to know me! I haven't done one of these in YE Get to know me!

I haven't done one of these in YEARS so there's possibly thousands of you who don't know my back story. Here's a few things you may not know about me!

โœ”๏ธ I'm English ๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ and I moved here (just for one year) back in 2008๐Ÿ˜† 

โœ”๏ธ I can't end the day without a bath, even if I get home really late or on a really hot day. It's a mental health thing and my happy place. ๐Ÿ› 

โœ”๏ธ Before becoming a blogger and running my own small business, I was a journalist from the age of 18. My favourite news gathering times were as a newspaper crime reporter (bit different to interiors!) ๐Ÿ““ 

โœ”๏ธ I once worked at New Scotland Yard in London ๐Ÿš” 

โœ”๏ธI had an interview at Oxford (didn't get in!) but chose not to go to uni at all after being offered a job on the local paper #universityoflife ๐Ÿ˜

โœ”๏ธ My mum died when I was 3, I have an excellent dad and one sister (younger) in the UK โค๏ธ ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง 

โœ”๏ธ At school, my favourite subject was French ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท and I was head girl ๐Ÿค“๐Ÿค“

โœ”๏ธ I'm addicted to โ˜•๏ธ , long hot baths and๐Ÿ’„ (been wearing it since I was about 14!)

โœ”๏ธ I'm not a phonecall person and will never ever pick up an unknown number. Ever. They can leave a message ๐Ÿ˜

โœ”๏ธ My favourite cuisine is Japanese ๐Ÿฃ ๐Ÿœ and Damian and I honeymooned in Tokyo and Venice 

โœ”๏ธ I have zero design qualifications. I just started blogging about my passion, which is trying to persuade everyone to #heartyourhome That was 11 years ago...

โœ”๏ธ My favourite tipple is a good GnT or๐Ÿท 

โœ”๏ธ Cheesy as it sounds, ๐Ÿ’โ€โ™€๏ธbeing a mum is my absolute biggest joy in life ๐Ÿง’๐Ÿ‘ฆ

โœ”๏ธ I will never give up my old school paper diary! Has to be A5 and week to view ๐Ÿ“– 

โœ”๏ธ My official surname isn't Bishop. I kept my maiden name for work after I got married but changed it for everything else. Often confuse myself!

โœ”๏ธ I didn't get my Ps until I was 37 and I'm still a terrible parker ๐Ÿ˜ฏ ๐Ÿ…ฟ๏ธ

Hope you feel like you know me a bit better ๐Ÿ˜˜

๐Ÿ“ธ @vanlowvanlow
Blue, green or lilac? ๐ŸŽจ @nood_co coloured con Blue, green or lilac? ๐ŸŽจ 

@nood_co coloured concrete basins is a great Aussie business success story. Although co founder Matt Di Costa first found fame as one half of Matt and Kim on The Block, he hasn't relied on this to build his brand.

โ€œWe are very honoured to have been a part ofย The Block, and all they have done for us. I am, however, a believer in letting the product take centre stage,โ€ he says.

Read our interview with Matt via link in bio now.

๐Ÿ™Share your favourite colour basin in the comments!

#colouredconcrete #noodco #colouredbasin #blockheads #the block #bathroomtrends2022

Pic 1 by @naibudesign_ and 2 by @twostyleinteriors
I'd love to see more colour in Aussie interiors! I'd love to see more colour in Aussie  interiors! ๐ŸŽจ 

At the end of the day though, it's a matter of personal taste. I love pops of colour but it's not for everyone. 

We couldn't resist featuring this Canadian house tour today. The amazing Kelly Green  hutch (swipe) was an upcycled $200 find ๐Ÿค—

Head over to the blog via link in bio to see the rest including one of the best playrooms we've seen in ages!

Project by @in.house.design
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Create an unexpected city oasis with an emphasis o Create an unexpected city oasis with an emphasis on light and nature.

That was the brief for the conversion of a corner shop and a warehouse bakery into a luxury family home in Sydney's Newtown. And how about the library?!

Take the tour of this very special @annacarindesign project on the blog now, via link in bio.

Pic: @justinalexanderphoto
The things that excite me as a 40 year old ๐Ÿคญ N The things that excite me as a 40 year old ๐Ÿคญ

None of us enjoy laundry (OK, there are a few of you out there who do. Weird!) but we have to do it. And often. So if your laundry bin can be as good looking, functional and space saving as this, then why wouldn't you?!

I've lost track of how many baskets I've thrown out because they've gone soggy or mouldy. They look pretty, sure, but they're not fit for purpose and they're often messy and overflowing.

Here's what I love about his @brabantia_australia one:

โœ”๏ธ ventilation holes
โœ”๏ธ no need to remove the lid for small items plus it hides your dirty laundry from view
โœ”๏ธ easily removable and washable inner laundry bag that velcros back on 
โœ”๏ธ corrosion resistant so fine in bathroom or laundry 
โœ”๏ธ Brabantia make things as sustainably as possible
โœ”๏ธ compact, sleek, European design
โœ”๏ธ 10 year warranty
โœ”๏ธ tall and skinny so takes up less floor in my tiny laundry

The Rolls Royce of laundry bins? I think so ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿป

TOLD you this was going to be exciting!

Now I need to know, do you have your laundry basket in the bathroom, the laundry, every bedroom? We used to have one in each bedroom but moved to the laundry-only situation which I much prefer (one for colours and one for whites). My boys know to put their used clothes in the bin in the laundry each night and they're 7 and 3!  #raisingfuturehusbands

#gifted
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Comments

  1. AvatarChas says

    January 5, 2017 at 3:48 am

    Good post, it was so good that we included it on our daily blog that reaches over 2300 followers.

    Reply
  2. AvatarLehigh Plumber says

    February 3, 2017 at 9:23 am

    Very interesting look into a side of the industry that most people don’t see. Good post!

    Reply

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