Case Study: Brae's House

Based at Brae House in Co Antrim, Nikki Stewart and Nathan Norwood have been busy redesigning their bungalow over the past year and just moved into their home in June. The kitchen and bathroom were first on their list of rooms to renovate – and we were delighted when they chose a Bathshack Bluetooth and LED mirror as a feature item for their main bathroom.

Featuring a minimalist style with large-format marble-effect tiling on the walls and floor, along with a wide walk-in shower with frameless screen and a floating vanity unit to free up space, their bathroom has a very contemporary aesthetic. Their choice of mirror, meanwhile, complements this minimal look and sleek style, as well as creating the illusion of more space in what is a compact room.

We caught up with Nikki to find out more about how she and Nathan approached their bathroom redesign and, of course, to quiz them on that fabulous feature mirror …

The Stream Bluetooth LED Mirror is a feature piece in Nikki and Nathan’s bathroom.

How did you approach redesigning your bathroom?

“Originally, the bathroom was pretty boxy and there wasn’t a lot of room. There was a huge 1200mm sink/cabinet and then a tiny shower in the corner. It was also very old-fashioned, with yellow ceramic. We didn’t want to move the plumbing around too much, as we wanted to be cost-effective, but we also wanted to modernise everything. I already knew where I wanted everything to go in the bathroom and that we wanted to have a large walk-in shower.

“I’m quite a creative person, so I’m able to walk into a room and imagine how I would like it to look. So, once Nathan and my mum and dad said, ‘This is what you’ve got to work with,’ in terms of measurements, I was good to go!”

What look did you want for your bathroom and how did this tie into your overall home interiors style?

“I picked out four colours that I really liked and then we used them throughout the whole house – light green, light pink, cream and brown. Supporting fixtures like door handles and so on are in black and gold.

“That colour scheme came into play in the bathroom as well. For example, the tiles are cream with brown veining.”

At what stage did you decide on the type of mirror you wanted?

“I actually picked my mirror before I picked anything else for the bathroom. I saw it in the Bathshack Black Friday sale last year and got it straight away!”

The kitchen features a light green tone.

What mirror did you buy – and why?

“We chose the Stream Bluetooth LED Mirror from Bathshack because it’s very sleek and quite plain in design, but it has all of the goods with the Bluetooth and LED lighting.

“I knew I didn’t want anything over-the-top – just something more casual and relaxing. I’m not a lover of anything too fancy but I knew I wanted a huge feature mirror. We also wanted the mirror to help make the bathroom look a little larger, too. I knew a big mirror on the wall would help open up the room a bit more and keep it nice and bright.

“We were getting the whole house done anyway, so we knew we wanted to bring it into this century. The mirror had the music, the Bluetooth, the light and it looked sleek – that and it was a great bargain – so we knew it was the one for us.”

The large size of the Stream mirror helps create the illusion of space.

Would you say that buying a Smart mirror with integrated technology was something you were looking for from the outset, then?

“Yes – we listen to music a lot in the bathroom – nobody gets a shower in our house without putting music on first. So, we knew we wanted something that would incorporate music into it. I mean, who wants to get into the shower and not sing?!”

Why would you recommend the Stream Bluetooth LED Mirror?

“It’s a nice feature mirror but with an understated, minimal design and we love the Bluetooth – the music feature, as we always listen to music when we shower.

“The LED lighting is great as well – we use the mirror light more than we use the main bathroom light and it stays on a lot of the time in the evenings. It has a nice setting – it’s not really bright or harsh, but also, not too dim. We leave it on overnight and it creates a nicer vibe. It’s very flattering as well, for putting on your makeup.

“The minimal design of the mirror makes it easy to clean too – which I love! The demister also means it doesn’t steam up when you shower.”

Do you have any tips for readers who might be considering their own home renovation or design?

“I would definitely say when it comes to the long-haul, pick a group of base colours you know you’ll always like for your home, so you have that longevity and don’t have to do everything up again in a year’s time.

“Also – shop around – look in the showrooms and see what they have and how they’ve styled things. Finding reliable trades people is also really important and … try not to go over budget. Pick a budget and stick to it.”

Follow Nikki and Nathan on Instagram @89abrae.

Follow Nikki and Nathan’s home renovation adventures on their Instagram account, Brae House, @89abrae

View our full range of mirrors online at bathshack.com

Alternatively, if you have any questions about Bluetooth or LED mirrors, then just email our team at info@bathshack.com, call us on (028) 9077 0188, or use our online chat.