Home stylist, renovator and colour enthusiast, Rhiannon Smyth, shares her latest bathroom renovation journey.

Rhiannon lives with her three sons and plumber husband, Luke, in their home in the Northern suburbs of Melbourne. Rhiannon and family have overseen their fair share of renovations, with an entire reno on their previous home, backyard landscaping and the addition of a pool, an overhaul of the laundry, and most recently, the ensuite and main bathroom in the current home. “Our home is 21 years old and is starting to date, so we want to make it more modern and suitable for our family.”

Rhiannon’s ensuite project, featuring her signature splashes of colour and our Vivid Slimline Brushed Gold tapware.

With a quick scroll through the first few photos on her Instagram, you get a real feel for Rhiannon’s aesthetic. “My style is eclectic, with a mix of maximalist and scandi!” she says, “I love to use colour to add fun and interest to a space.” In a seemingly effortless manner, Rhiannon has made her home a gallery of beautiful, comfortable objects that reflect her design sensibility, and with a splash of her signature complementary colours, every corner of the home boats enthusiasm and warmth.

When it came to the bathroom renovation, Rhiannon decided to go with a slightly more paired back look, “I do have to remember that I have three sons and a husband who have different taste to mine, so I need these spaces to suit everyone.” The main bathroom renovation came about to cater for her growing boys and the need to utilise the limited space better.

Rhiannon’s family bathroom featuring our Nuage collection in Matte White.

Rhiannon chose to include a recent Phoenix product release in the bathroom, saying the design met all her mood board dreams and the quality was exactly what her husband was after. “Luke is a plumber and all about functionality. He loves using Phoenix Tapware purely for their exceptional quality and warranty. I like to design and choose all the finishing fixtures and the Phoenix Nuage collection in Matte White was just perfect for what we wanted… We couldn’t be happier with how it turned out”.

Having won numerous international design awards, the Phoenix Nuage collection draws inspiration from natural and earthen elements, blurring the lines between the fabricated and organic. The collection adds a smooth, modern, and sculptural edge to any space, and teams perfectly with the subtle textures and soft natural colouring Rhiannon dreamed up for the main bathroom.

The subtle textures and soft natural colouring featured in the family bathroom, with the Nuage Wall Basin / Bath Mixer Set 200mm in Matte White

Rhiannon is a big proponent for staying true to what you love and managing a renovation within your budget. “It’s easy to get caught up in trends… but in the end, you have to choose what you love.” With over 19k Instagram followers, Rhiannon’s style is obviously quite popular among interior and renovation enthusiasts, but she says a big part of making your renovation a success, is in the decisions made early on. “The layout is crucial.” As examples, she mentions fixture placements, functional design choices like the height of the shower for their tall and growing boys, as well as the want and need to use the space strategically. “In the main bathroom I wanted to maximise the small space by adding a wet area with the shower and bath in the same space. I also added a shaving cabinet to give the boys more storage as their vanity is only 900mm wide.”

In advice she’d give to other home renovators, Rhiannon says “It always pays to shop around for sales and get samples where you can. Putting together a flat lay helps to visualise what you are creating…. And lastly, you definitely need to have patience. Managing trades and ordering supplies takes time!”

In an Instagram post about the completion of their main bathroom reno, Rhiannon light-heartedly asked “Would we change anything? Absolutely no!” and that, is the sign of a successful bathroom renovation!

Find Rhiannon on Instagram here