Your mockup scheme is similar to our master bathroom we just completed - photo below. I know you mentioned storage being a concern - our mirrored cabinet has offered an amazing amount of storage in a very small space and also helps bounce light around. I was worried about black taps etc too so we kept chrome fixtures but added in a matte black candle and black potted orchid to create a similar effect which we can change out later on. Our floor tiles are dark but because they are semi-polished they actually bounce around a lot of light and don't make the room feel dark if that is a concern. We also have a huge fiddle leaf fig in the corner (not pictured) which adds a really nice feel to the space - a plant like that could help bring in the outside greenery in your bathroom. Instead of the storage tower you have to the left of the vanity could you do say some floating wood shelving, possibly with baskets added for more hidden storage? You could also bring in the 60s theme with what you displayed on there eg. photos as you mentioned? In regards to the window - a previous house we lived in had a window at about shoulder height in the shower - as well as letting in heaps of light it was amazing for storing toiletries etc!

Hi again QBENGA Oh yes. Very alike. We approach total strangers and drive slowly through new suburbs. I know what you mean about suspicious. We never did those things before we started designing our own home. I think your dingy bathroom is very easy to fix. I hope so! LED lights - so bright and cheap to run. Our designer has also told us about a kind of skylight. Probably the same thing oklouise is talking about. They don't actually bring light all the way from the roof through to the bathroom. Instead, there is a solar panel on the roof, connected to a lighting panel on the ceiling of the bathroom. When the sun hits the solar panel, it turns on a light in the bathroom. When the sun goes down, the light turns off. Instead of having a large tube that goes through the ceiling into the roof space (which interrupts your ceiling insulation), you only have to have a small cord pass through your roof space. I believe you can buy them from Bunnings.

How much is a "moderate" budget? Moderate means different things to different people depending if they are involved in the renovation industry or outside. With your concrete slab and solid brick walls I would anticipate a moderate spend would be in the range of $15K to $20K. "Floating" cabinetwork and a wall-mounted toilet pan will push this over your $20k due to installation. Under $15K you are probably not spending enough. Always pay for quality tapware sanitaryware and fittings when doing a bathroom renovation as the labour is so expensive to replace them if they are cheaply made, they fail and need to be replaced. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls/Dr Retro Virtual Visits

Yes, siriuskey. You are right again. It would be smart to invest in having a professional draftsman draw it up. But on face value, I really think oklouise's plan works. I have sort of drawn it out on the floor. I love that she is using standard size vanities with only a custom made top, and the towel shelves are now 450 instead of 250 wide, which is much better. The little odd-shaped infill at the end of the bath provides a spot for the lovely jug and bowl set my mother made for me. (I used to use the jug to pour water over the grandchildren's heads when I washed their hair, and now it's just a lovely decorative item with deep sentimental value) and there is space beside the bath for the urn filled with decorative soaps that was a gift from a son-in-law on his first visit to our home. I really think the bath needs to come back to 1500 long, but that's not an issue at all. I found a really nice shaped oval tub at 1500 x 760 that I like and is quite inexpensive. I don't need to worry about towel rails because I have a lovely timber free-standing towel rack that will fit nicely at the end of the shower if the shower door is placed on the side. It looks like the vanity drain can run under the drawers and into the bath outlet and the WC vanity will run under the wall into the shower drain, and all other plumbing stays the same except I'll ask the plumber to chase the shower tap and rose into the exterior wall rather than have it on the side, OR there is room for a false wall in front of the exterior wall to hide the plumbing if that works out better. The niche can go in the new wall behind the WC vanity. I'll be really surprised if this isn't a feasible plan, but I will take your advice, siriuskey, and get a pro to draw it up so I can be totally confident it works. Can't thank you enough, oklouise - and you, siriuskey, for all your efforts which, I think, contributed by generating new ideas and flushing out the important issues.