Chic bathroom interiors can be a centerpiece in themselves in some upscale restaurants and other public venues. This is precisely what inspired one photographer in the United Kingdom to transform his "ugly" toilet room into a "bougie restaurant toilet."
Ian Hippolyte, a 25-year-old fashion photographer based in London, the U.K. capital, purchased his first home back in October 2023 in South London, and it came with an unusual stand-alone toilet room.
Hippolyte shared a viral video of the renovation of this room, which came with just the toilet and its clear seat lid, from his TikTok account @ianhippo. The clip has received more than 1.1 million views since it was first posted on February 8.
Hippolyte told Newsweek: "I don't have a lot of history about the flat [apartment], but I do know it was built in the 1930s. I'm not sure if homes had separate toilets at the time or if it's a quirk of my building. Personally, I'd never seen one like it before, especially with a clear toilet seat! Seemed strange to me."
He added: "I'm big on hosting and entertaining friends and wanted to create that 'going out' feel throughout my home, including the toilet."
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After a complete remake, the luxurious new toilet room now features green tiles and walls, as well as a ceiling painted green. There is also a sink and gold brass fixtures, including a golden bidet.
A later post says the total cost of this toilet room renovation amounted to $4,268 (£3,416). This sum includes the cost of basic parts such as a new toilet and bidet, décor items such as mirrors and light fixtures, and paint, as well as labor costs.
Around three in five homeowners remodeled or decorated their home in 2022, while nearly half made repairs. This is according to a survey of 46,118 U.S. homeowners aged 18 and older conducted by Houzz, a home design website.
Interior spaces were reported to be the most popular areas to renovate in the same year, with homeowners taking on an average of nearly three indoor projects at a time. Bathroom remodels were among the top projects, with 25 percent of homeowners having upgraded their bathrooms in 2022.
The survey found that the median spend for home renovations in 2022 was $22,000, while the median for higher-budget updates reached $140,000 or more. Primary bathrooms were reported to be among the renovations commanding the highest median spend at $13,500.
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'A Bougie Restaurant Toilet'
Hippolyte says in the latest viral clip, "transform my ugly as f*** toilet with me."
"There's literally nothing in here but just a toilet. It's so strange… doesn't even have a sink, so you can't even wash your hands in here, completely impractical," he adds in the clip.
Hippolyte told Newsweek: "I love going to nice restaurants, bars and social clubs around London, and they'll often have beautifully decorated bathrooms that are part of the experience, so I wanted to take inspiration from there."
The rest of his home is quite neutral, so he wanted to go for something "bolder and more characterful" with his toilet, as it's an area that guests would definitely see when they come to visit, Hippolyte added.
His latest video goes on to show the progression of the renovation of the toilet room, the walls of which were stripped down. Hippolyte chose to go with a green-and-gold color scheme. He is later shown in the clip heading to Homebase, a home and garden store in the U.K., to grab some tiles before he is later seen choosing between colors from the Farrow & Ball paint store.
"The green-and-gold color palette actually started with the tiles," Hippolyte told Newsweek. "I love the look of the vertical tiles with dark grout, and I find green to be a very calming color."
To "take it to the next level," Hippolyte decided to paint the walls green and finish it off by also painting the ceiling green, "which surprisingly makes the room feel bigger and was the final touch it needed," he added.
The fashion photographer said: "The gold brushed brass finishings add that pop of brightness and, in my opinion, really elevate the space and help it to feel more luxurious, over traditional chrome fixtures."
The video later reveals the final look of the toilet room, which features a round mirror with a gold metal rim and a sink with a gold tap, toilet-roll holder and bidet.
The toilet room feels "really calming" in the mornings but "dark and moody" in the evenings, "which is what I wanted," Hippolyte says in the clip.
He says in the video: "I really wanted this to look like a bougie restaurant toilet. You know the kind where you go back to your table and tell your friends to check it out, that kind of vibe."
"Overall, it completely met my vision," Hippolyte said. "I'm elated with how it turned out. I'm thinking of adding a few small details like some artwork and maybe some plants."
Do you have a home renovation-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel and health.
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