Bathrooms
Bathrooms have evolved over the years. Once upon a time toilets were tucked at the bottom of the garden but these days bathrooms are just as much a selling feature as a kitchen. The ranges and options available to incorporate your personality and styling cues from the rest of your house into your bathroom is vast.
The two main styles are contemporary or traditional. Each style borrows from the other - contemporary bathrooms use traditional materials, with traditional bathrooms becoming simpler and more modern. The safest bet being simple white units with stainless steel fittings.
For the more decadent or traditional bathroom, space permitting, roll-top baths remain the centrepiece of the traditional bathroom - but also have qualities that appeal to the more contemporary interior. The main one being that they are free-standing. Free-standing baths (and basins) do not accumulate clutter on their tops in the way that fitted ones do - music to a minimalist's ears.
For those where space is an issue, or to fit an en-suite bathroom, wall-mounted fittings offer a space saving solution.
Budgeting and planning
Bathrooms vary greatly in price from just a few hundred pounds to several thousand. If your budget is tight a traditional style will be affordable.
Investing in quality fittings is worth while, these will be the pieces you touch and feel every day and can make the difference.
You should also think about installation and waterproofing early on in the process. A good way to minimise moisture damage is to
Install high-density board behind tiles reduces moisture damage. Products such as Aquapanel, Respatex and Wedi Tilebacker Board are examples of this.
Think about who will be using the bathroom - is it a family bathroom to be used by your children. Consider your storage needs to accommodate its users.
While toilets and bidets are pretty much a standard shape, baths and sinks do not conform to this. Corner baths, free standing baths, circular baths will require a decision early on to plan around it.
Materials and finishes
Vitreous glazed fire clay for shower trays, or vitreous china for WCs and bidets are quality materials that are easy to maintain and hard wearing.
More contemporary materials are being used in baths and basins however. Translucent glass is utilised to reduce the cold hard look of stainless steel fittings. Natural finishes are also finding their place in modern bathroom design.
Glass and stainless steel remain big news in contemporary bathrooms. As glass is translucent, it can be used in quantity, whereas too much stainless steel can make a room appear a little austere. To soften the look, bathroom product designers are increasingly coupling stainless steel fittings with natural materials, like wood and stone. Granite or marble alongside stainless steel is not uncommon and makes for a very durable bathroom.
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