I remember years ago being in a similar predicament and someone gave me some mirror tiles - I glued them on the the wall and thought I was very clever. They actually did look much better in my eyes. Try not to spend too much - I think everyone's idea of a shower curtain will all the bathroom colours in it would probably be the best option. You'll laugh about it in years to come and you will love the improvements you make over time. Enjoy the moment, unless you're selling soon your ideas will change after living there, so change when you can afford it - who cares it's YOURS. Good luck, it's so rewarding and so much fun. P.S. now we have a small bathroom, wall to wall tiles, dark grey on the floor and white on all the walls with a large grey tile up each opposing wall, tall mirror over the handbasin which reflects the opposite wall then a full length bath with shower over it. It works perfectly and looks great.

Hi Blufitch, Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. The four coffee tables are lovely, but I would probably opt for one of the two top ones. That being said, check the measurements first as these round tables might be significantly larger than your existing Ikea table. Re the potted plant, a taller one would be better, or you can put this one on a plant stand or even on a ceramic stool. But if you feel a mirror would be too much due to your mirrored splashback, leave the plant as it is and hang a framed print above the plant. It doesn't need to be big, but it's important that it s not too small so it doesn't look too "lost" on the wall. It's hard for me to judge the size from here, but a 70x40 frame might be ok. You could have only the yellow canvas above the couch, but you would have to bring in a few more brightly-coloured cushions or throw onto the couch, to compensate for the empty wall. Alternatively, you could also hang a large mirror above the couch. If you decide to do this, I think it would be best to move the canvas back to where it was, and hang the mirror in front of the window, so it reflects the natural light around and gives more depth to the room. The large Ikea Stave mirror (in white stained oak) is very reasonably priced and would work great. Just double check it fits first (it's 70x160)! Tell us how yo go! All the best, Nelly / Twinkle and Whistle

I would definitely keep your taps and sink, but replace/go over the top of the bench top! It would be nice to price replacing that shower door - change to a frameless or semi frameless piece of glass. Change out all towel rails and such wall fixtures - you can get good chrome looking budget ones at Bunnings that will last three years. Personally, I would definitely paint the vanity doors white gloss - a 2-pak look. You might find the only available options for going over your current floor (other than tiles), are pretty ugly and I wouldn't trust tile paint on the floor it has been known to wear badly. If you don't mind a very small step up into the bathroom, you can tile straight over the top of those tiles, Go to a tile outlet place and you will get very nice tiles in the small quantity you need for less than $100, and the tiling job shouldn't take long or cost much. I have done exactly that myself and I would look into that if you really hate the floor tiles. If the wall tiles are cream and not white, I would paint them with white tile paint. If you do change the floor at all, I would get tile paint in a similar tone - say a stone or grey colour or something similar to the floor colour you go with and use that tile paint to paint carefully over the dark brown stripes in those wall tiles - or better still - try white tile paint over them first and see how they look. I would definitely be painting all that mission brown trim and the inside of the door white if it were me as it will modernise and freshen the space right up, but if you really want to stick to a timber stain, then yes, I would go much lighter than it currently is. Definitely paint the vanity doors in my opinion though if you want to update the whole look in there. Would be best to get rid of that piece of timber between the shower and the door too! That's just me though! Best of luck with it!

I wonder if you are referring to Repelex, bigreader? It is sold at horse supplies stores. Our local Bunnings (2 stores) have sold out of it, and their garden centre is doing good business selling mosquito repelling plants. I know coz I was there buying some. Of course, one would have to practically landscape the whole garden with these plants to have a decent chance at deterring the pests. I brought some of the plants indoors and put them in bedrooms in hopes we get a decent night's sleep.