The family didn't want another cosmetic update — they wanted a bathroom built around the way they live. The old space felt cramped, outdated, and impractical, with one basin shared between two people. We stripped it back to the frame and created a modern bathroom that looks better, works better, and is built to last.
| Project | Full Bathroom Renovation |
| Location | Newcomb, Geelong, Victoria |
| Property | Residential |
| Duration | 2 weeks (estimated, based on scope) |
| Team | 2 Tradespeople |
| Style | Bold monochrome — black fixtures throughout, Calacatta marble tile |
| Key Features | Floor-to-ceiling Calacatta marble-look tile, fluted black floating vanity with LED underglow, twin black vessel basins, black freestanding bath, matte black tapware and accessories throughout, frameless shower screen |
The existing bathroom had made some decisions — dark floor tiles, a black bath, black fittings. You could see what it was going for. But it stopped halfway. Wall tiles that ended midway up. One basin between two people. A single overhead light that made the whole room feel smaller and dimmer than it actually was.
They'd thought about doing less. A new vanity, different tapware — a refresh without the disruption. The problem was the plumbing wasn't in the right spot for a double vanity, and you can't solve that by choosing nicer taps. The electrical was only set up for one overhead fitting, so any lighting upgrade would still start from the same wrong place.
Once you've found those kinds of problems, the conversation changes. Going back to the frame and fixing them properly costs more than a patch job on the surface, but the gap isn't as wide as most people expect — and the result is completely different. For our Geelong bathroom renovations, this is the brief we find clearest to work with. Everything comes out. Every decision gets made fresh.
Tiling over existing walls saves money on demo day. It costs more in the long run if the substrate moves or traps moisture — and in an older bathroom, it often does. If you're planning a high-end finish, the tile is only as good as what's behind it. Strip out, fix what needs fixing, then tile over something solid.
Everything came out — tiles, walls, floor, the lot. Back to bare frame and slab. The vanity position was marked up on the framing before any pipes were run, so we knew exactly where everything needed to land. The bath and shower zones were planned at the same stage. Doing that sequencing right is what stops the finished room from feeling like everything was worked out as you went. Two people can get ready at the same time now, which is probably the most practical change in this bathroom.
New plumbing ran to the vanity's new position and to the bath. The electrical was completely updated — recessed downlights replacing the single overhead fitting, circuits for the LED mirrors, and an outlet for the under-vanity strip. All of it done while the walls were still open. Closing walls over wrong plumbing or insufficient electrical is how you create expensive problems later.
The waterproofing membrane went on before tiling — over the floor, up the walls of the wet zones, into the corners and junctions where water tends to find a way through. You can't add it later. Once the tile is on, the membrane either did its job or it didn't.
Calacatta marble-look porcelain, large format, floor to ceiling on every wall and inside the shower. Large format means fewer grout lines — a standard-sized tile in the same pattern would have three times as many. Over a few years, that's a real difference in how often you're on your knees with a grout brush.
The floor is a slightly different tile — same palette, less veining, more uniform. It sits in the same family as the walls without competing with them, and the distinction is enough that you know where the floor ends and the wall starts. Choosing the right tile for each surface is its own decision, not just finding one you like and using it everywhere.
The vanity is custom — a floating black unit with fluted drawer fronts, white stone top, two round black vessel basins. The fluted texture adds interest without adding a second colour, which is the same logic as the tile choice. Each person gets their own basin and their own drawers. That's not a small thing when two people are getting ready in the same bathroom at the same time every morning.
The LED strip under the vanity was planned from the beginning. It needs its own circuit and a channel set into the vanity carcass during fabrication — you can't retrofit it cleanly. When it's done right, you don't see the strip at all, just a warm glow at floor level that makes the vanity look like it's floating.
Two oval backlit LED mirrors above the basins. The light comes from behind the mirror, wraps around the edge, and hits you at face level — exactly where you need it when you're getting ready. Most bathrooms rely on an overhead downlight for mirror lighting, which means you're working in your own shadow. That's not a fitting problem, it's a position problem, and the fix is to put light at face height rather than above it.
The freestanding bath sits against the marble wall with a matte black floor-mount tap. Every fitting in the room — towel rail, toilet roll holder, towel ring, flush button, drain covers — is matte black. Sourcing every category of fitting in the same finish takes more effort than it sounds, because the range available in matte black varies quite a bit across different suppliers. Getting it consistent required locking in those decisions early.
In a bathroom with this kind of palette, one chrome toilet roll holder is all it takes to make the whole room look unfinished. Matte black throughout isn't an aesthetic obsession — it's the disciplined follow-through that makes everything else work.
Stopping tile halfway up the wall is usually a cost-saving decision that ends up defining how dated a bathroom looks ten years later. Running it all the way up removes the line where it stops and lets the marble pattern read as one complete surface. You can see the difference in the before photos — same room, same proportions, completely different feeling. If you're weighing up tile coverage for your own renovation, full height versus partial is often the call that makes the biggest difference.
A flat black vanity in front of a white marble wall would have been fine. The fluted texture gives the drawer fronts something to do — the ridges catch light differently depending on where you're standing, so the vanity has a presence that a flat panel doesn't. The LED underglow was built in during fabrication. You can't add it cleanly after the fact. When it's right, you see the effect, not the source.
White basins on a black vanity splits the unit into two separate visual layers. Black basins keep it as one thing. The tapware, the basins, the drain — all the same matte black — and the whole vanity reads as one deliberate object. Nothing on the bench looks like it was placed there; it all belongs.
A framed screen puts a band of metal in front of the tile. In a bathroom where the tile is doing most of the visual work, that frame would compete with it. One panel of frameless glass lets the marble run uninterrupted from the floor to the top of the shower wall. It also gets rid of the aluminium tracks that collect soap scum around a framed screen, so it's genuinely easier to clean.
White inside, black outside — the same logic as the basins. The inside is white because that's the surface you're actually in contact with. The outside is black because a white bath against white marble walls would have been invisible. This one holds its own against the tile without trying to compete with the vanity.
Matte black hides water marks better than polished chrome — the dull surface doesn't show spots the way a reflective one does. The trade-off is that the finish scratches from abrasive cleaners, so you need to use gentle products. It's a fair deal for most households and a genuine advantage over chrome if you'd rather not wipe down your tapware every other day.
The before bathroom had some things going for it — dark floor tiles, a black bath, black fittings. Someone had thought about it. But the wall tiles stopped at shoulder height, there was one basin for two people, and one overhead light made the whole room feel flatter and smaller than it was. The slider below shows both.
Layout. Single vanity with one basin — double floating vanity, a basin and drawers each. The bath moved to sit properly against the tiled wall rather than wherever the original plumbing put it. The shower is defined by the tile contrast now, not by a heavy framed screen.
Lighting. One ceiling fitting — recessed downlights across the ceiling, backlit LED mirrors at face height above each basin, LED strip under the vanity. Three sources, each doing something different.
Storage. One cluttered bench — two sets of drawers and a stone top with actual space on it, because the things that used to live on the bench now have somewhere else to go.
Finishes. Mixed chrome and black, wall tiles that stopped mid-wall and drew your eye straight to the line where they ended — Calacatta marble from floor to ceiling, matte black on every single fitting, nothing interrupting the surface.
Day to day. The original bathroom worked fine. This one is genuinely pleasant to be in — and faster to clean, because large-format tile has far fewer grout lines than a standard-sized tile does.
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After
Like what you see so far? We can do this for your bathroom too.
Get a Free Quote →High-contrast bathrooms — all white and black, no softening timber or warm neutrals — are easy to get wrong. Too many elements competing, or one fitting that breaks the palette, and the room looks unfinished rather than bold. The reason this one works is simpler than it appears.
Two colours, nothing else. White marble tile and matte black fixtures, all the way through. No chrome, no timber, no accent colour. When the palette is this tight, the room looks like one decision — but it only holds together if you follow it through every fitting, including the ones no one thinks about, like the flush button and the drain cover.
The tile carries the room. Calacatta marble-look porcelain has bold grey veining that gives every wall movement and depth. Because the tile already provides that, the fixtures can be completely plain — round basins, simple oval mirrors — and the room still has something to look at. A plain white tile with the same fixtures would have needed other elements to add interest.
Light at the right height. Overhead downlights, backlit mirrors at face level, LED strip under the vanity. The mirror lighting specifically makes a difference every morning — face-height light versus ceiling light is the difference between a usable mirror and one you're squinting at.
Proportions that fit the space. The vanity fills the wall properly. The shower has room in it. The bath isn't wedged into a corner. Good proportions are harder to see in photos than good fittings, but they're what you feel every time you walk in.
There's a version of this bathroom that looks great in a photo and is annoying to use — no storage, hard to clean, cold underfoot. This isn't that bathroom. The decisions that make it look the way it does are the same decisions that make it work for two people every day.
Photos show moments — the video shows the room as it actually feels to be in it.
Full Room — DoorwayFloor-to-ceiling Calacatta marble on every wall is what makes this room feel this size — the original bathroom had the same footprint. Removing the visual break of partial tiling is often the single change that most transforms how a bathroom reads.
Vanity & MirrorsBacklit oval mirrors give shadow-free light at face level — the kind that actually helps when getting ready. Overhead light alone leaves you working in your own shadow. The two mirrors also mean two people can use the vanity without sharing a reflection.
Freestanding BathPositioning the bath against the marble wall — not tucked into a corner — gives it visual breathing room. It reads as something placed with intention, not wherever the plumbing happened to allow it. The matte black freestanding tap keeps the lines clean.
Consistency in the DetailsMatte black flush button, matte black towel rail, matte black toilet roll holder. This level of finish consistency is what separates a designed bathroom from one that's been updated in pieces — and it's the kind of thing you notice more in photos than in person.
Vanity Detail & FlutingThe fluted drawer fronts add texture and depth to what would otherwise be a flat black cabinet face, without introducing a second colour. The LED strip beneath adds warmth at floor level that overhead lighting can't reach.
Before — Existing BathroomThe starting point — a bathroom that worked but didn't feel right. Wall tiles stopping halfway, a single vanity, and chrome mixed with black. The bones were there; the execution wasn't finished.
Before — Shower ZoneA framed shower screen and partial-height wall tiles — both choices that made the room feel smaller and the surfaces harder to clean. The frameless screen and floor-to-ceiling tile in the after version solve both problems.
Before — Original VanityThe single white vanity and mixed finishes of the original room. Relocating the plumbing for a double vanity had to happen at the frame stage — it's not something you can add once the tiling is done.
Ultimate Renovations provides bathroom renovations across Geelong and the Bellarine, including plumbing, electrical, waterproofing and tiling.
Choose a local renovation company with a proven track record, written quotes, licensed trades and compliant waterproofing.
Bathroom renovations in Geelong typically start from $8,000, with most projects ranging from $15,000 to $35,000 depending on size, layout and finishes.
Most bathroom renovations take 3 to 5 weeks on site, depending on the project's size, complexity and material availability.
Yes, but only for a cosmetic refresh. A full bathroom renovation with new waterproofing and tiling typically starts from around $8,000.
Bathroom waterproofing is required by the National Construction Code and must comply with Australian Standard AS 3740 before tiling begins.
Most like-for-like bathroom renovations don't require a building permit. Structural changes or heritage properties may require approval.
Common upgrades include step-free showers, grab rails, non-slip flooring and comfort-height toilets to improve safety and accessibility.
If this Newcomb renovation is the kind of result you're after — or if you have something different in mind entirely — we're happy to talk through what's realistic for your space and your budget. Our bathroom renovation services cover everything from a focused retile to a full strip-out and rebuild. No pressure, no obligation — just a straight conversation about what's involved.