Bathroom Design
What can I put in my bathroom? It's so small, there's not much room! This is a question that is often asked of us at Bathroom Interior Design. Even as recently as 10 years ago, the answer was usually bath, basin and WC and if you had extra space, maybe add a bidet for that continental holiday feel or somewhere to wash your socks.
So perhaps the real Question should be what do I want my bathroom to do for me? Do I want my bathroom to be functional and practical or a relaxing haven from everyday stresses? Having made this decision, then where do you begin? Think about how you interact with the room, do you pamper or just energise and go. This would have a great bearing on the types of fittings, fixtures and even colour schemes that may be used. Someone who just spends the bare minimum time in the bathroom would probably prefer to shower and have everything to hand, whereas someone who pampers might prefer a deep hot relaxing bath with perhaps a few candles.
Practicalities
The practicalities of the room also need to be thought through. The soil and waste pipe usually have a great influence on positioning and sizes of sanitaryware, as do windows and doors. In a lot of instances pipes and wastes can be moved, altered and covered, doors can be reverse hinged to open out or hinged so that the door opens to the counter angle. So the positions of sanitaryware are dependent upon how the above items impact upon the room but are not set in stone.
Water, water everywhere
The type of supply of hot and cold water to the room also has great relevance with the types of taps and showers chosen, depending on whether there is a low or high-pressure water system in place.
Low-pressure systems are normally a gravity fed system, where cold water is supplied from a storage tank usually located in the roof space of the property and a hot water storage tank supplying the hot water. This type of set up is the most common in the UK.
High-pressure systems are supplied from a decent combination boiler or from a mains water pressurised hot water heater. These are becoming more and more popular as the choices of showers and taps are greater and the re-heating of the water is quicker.
There's nothing worse than shivering in a shower that has an unreliable flow of water that may have you jumping in and out with unpredictable temperature changes. So when choosing a shower, make sure your supply will match up to the performance you expect, if you have any doubts just ask our design team or your local plumber. At Bathroom Interior Design we have hundreds of types of showers available to suit your particular needs and will be happy to advise
Retro or Contemporary
In recent years manufacturers and designers have brought us a host of very clean lined contemporary sanitaryware, fixtures and fittings. Furniture has become minimalist and the clean eyeline in the bathroom has been the mantra of every darling of design. Of course this does not always work well in Georgian or Victorian dwellings with high ceilings and original features. These are the sorts of property that obviously benefit the most from the range of Retro sanitaryware and baths available from most leading manufacturers.
Family homes with typical 2mtr x 2mtr bathrooms can benefit from a fusion* of the two, using sanitaryware with simple lines and classic taps and fittings. *Fusion means that you can choose from the best of both worlds and create modern nostalgia or an indulgent contemporary fantasy.
Whatever your goals, choosing a design-led company such as Bathroom I.D, we can help turn your ideas into reality.
Colours and Textures
Avocado and burgundy were all the rage in the 1970s. But gentler, more neutral hues have replaced them as customers look for suites in colours that won't date and which allow far more freedom in the rest of the decoration.
Colour governs how we feel about certain rooms, and how much time we want to spend there. If for you the bathroom is a sanctuary, a place to slowly unwind, your choices will be different from someone who needs it to energise themselves in the morning – one might choose terracotta or lavender, the other sunflower yellow.
People talk about the 'temperature' of a colour and, just like your bathwater, it's important to get it just the way you like it. Your bathroom's size will have a bearing too: darker, warmer colours attract the eye and help generate intimacy in large rooms: paler, cooler colours on the walls recede and create the illusion of space and airiness. Rich, deep shades complement Victorian bathrooms; white works well in more modern houses with spots of visual interest provided by accessories in a rage of textures and colours.
Pick up on colours already in the room, in the flooring, furniture or pictures. Use magazines and photographs to get inspiration. Think about using different shades of the same colour. Whatever you choose, check with samples how your shortlist of colours appear in both daylight and artificial light. The difference might surprise you. And when you're bathing in colour you don't want any slip-ups. (Bathroom Design by Ideal Standard)
To fully tile or not to fully tile, that is the question. A good rule of thumb is if you are having a powerful shower in the room, then its probably best to fully tile. These showers can create a very dense vapour that will eventually condense upon your walls laving them coated in water.
Tiles can offer protection to the substrate of the walls and be a lot easier to wipe down. These days grout is available with an antibacterial as an additive, so that mould and blackspot will not spoil the effect.
If there is no shower installation in the room, then you can either just tile around the bath area or _ tile the remaining walls as well.
Tiles now come in a vast range of sizes so the old 6" or 150 mm tile is rarely seen anymore. People however are still a bit wary of the new sizes, thinking that large tiles have no place in a small room. In fact a small room will benefit most from a larger tile. The netting effect on walls using small tiles is removed and the walls will appear larger. Conversely, micro tiles or mosaic can have the same effect because standing back from the walls you will only notice the block colour of the tiles. Tiles also now come in glass; matt or stone effect and interesting combinations can be achieved with a little imagination.
The six-tile panel underwater shell and dolphin scene may not have quite disappeared but tiles and tiling have had a quantum leap in styles and technology. Good tile distributors have invested heavily in recent years in their image, and companies like Pentagon Tiles or Ceramic Tiles Ipswich have showrooms throughout the southeast and are well worth a visit for inspiration and advice.
Textures and colours of ceramics again govern the way we would interact with the room, so before making that final decision, consult with a designer or take samples home to see how they work.
Whether you are in the planning stages or have a project you think may benefit from a professional eye, or just don't know where to start, have a chat with us, we are delighted to help.
Call Ian or Yee on at Bathroom I.D (01279) 730881