Blimey, small bathrooms, right? A proper puzzle they can be. You want every blessed inch to count. And a corner basin? Honestly, a bit of a niche choice, that one. Saw one last year in a flat in Clapham – looked smart, like a little triangular spaceship had landed. But then you're left staring at the two walls behind it, thinking… what on earth goes *there*?
See, the trick isn't just the basin itself. It's the whole blooming ecosystem around it. You've got to think about what lives in that awkward wedge of space. Toothbrushes. That fancy hand soap you never use. Your partner's shaving kit that always seems to migrate everywhere.
Right, so solutions. Let's talk shelves. Not just any shelves. I'm talking about a slim, triangular floating shelf that fits right into the corner above the tap. Had a client in Islington who did this – custom-cut from a piece of light oak. It followed the angle of the walls perfectly. You could fit a little potted succulent, a candle, the essentials. No brackets jutting out. Clean. But – and it's a big but – you've got to be dead careful with measurements. A millimetre out and it looks like a botched DIY job. Trust me, I've seen it.
Or, get this: corner cabinets. Now, I used to think they were a bit naff, all cheap MDF and sticky doors. Then I stumbled upon this handmade one in a reclamation yard in Bristol. Solid teak, with these beautiful, slightly rusty brass hinges. It was like a little treasure chest for the bathroom. Fitted snug from floor to just under the basin. Gave you all that hidden storage for loo rolls and cleaning gunk, and the top was a proper surface for things. The warmth of the wood just made the whole room feel… cosier. You don't get that with cold porcelain.
But here's a thought – sometimes the best solution is to keep it dead simple. My own first flat in Manchester? The bathroom was a glorified cupboard. We put in a corner basin and just… left the walls bare. Hung a really nice, framed mirror on one wall at an angle. Used a beautiful, heavy ceramic soap dish on the basin itself. That was it. The space felt bigger because it wasn't cluttered. The focus was on the nice things you could see, not on trying to cram in storage that wasn't there. It felt calm.
Oh! And lighting. Crikey, don't forget that. If you're putting a shelf or cabinet above, you need a light that works. Not some harsh downlight that casts shadows right where you need to see. A small, plug-in wall lamp with a warm bulb on the adjacent wall can work wonders. Makes it feel like a proper little sanctuary, not just a utility room.
At the end of the day, it's about what *you* need. Are you a minimalist who hates clutter? Maybe just a mirror and a single hook. A storage hoarder? Hunt down a proper solid corner unit. There's no one-size-fits-all. It's about making that tricky little corner work for you, not against you. Just promise me one thing – whatever you do, for heaven's sake, make sure it's sealed properly against damp. There's nothing worse than the smell of soggy MDF six months down the line. Learned that one the hard way!
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