Your ideal bathroom
Before you start selecting tiles, fixtures
and fittings, it's important to spend time assessing all of
your and your family's needs. List the things you like about
your current bathroom and those you'd like to change.
Take as much time as possible to visit showrooms
and look through books and magazines for inspiration. Consider
what you liked about a friend's bathroom or the bathroom of
a hotel you've stayed in. Prioritising your needs (and wants)
will give you a solid starting point. Every household is different;
so don't be led by what's in fashion. A well-designed bathroom
is a perfect balance of function and aesthetics and these
are unique to the individual.
Size matters
Is your bathroom big enough to hold your
ideas? If not, could you extend it or move it to another part
of the house? If you have a large household do you require
an additional toilet or shower to ease congestion in the morning?
|
|
Are you happy
with the current layout of the space, or would re-arranging
the sanitaryware let you use it better? Would you include
a bath and a shower, and is there enough space to accommodate
the two separately?
Safety first
The age and ability of the users will also
affect your requirements. Safety features such as thermostatic
controls for showers and anti-slip finishes on tiles, the
bath and shower tray will benefit everyone, but are especially
important if the room is to be used by children or the elderly.
If you have small children (or are planning to), will the
bathroom fixtures make it easy to bathe them safely?
Got the look?
A new bathroom is a big investments, so
choose its look wisely. Will you still be enamoured by your
purchase in 10 years' time?
|
|
The bathroom and
kitchen are both major selling points, so if you're planning
to sell in the next few years, will it appeal to potential
purchasers? You can add your stamp of personality with bright
towels, accessories and an interesting or antique mirror.
Not taken lightly
Lighting and heating should form a key part
of your planning. You'll need to consider both task lighting
(particularly important around the mirror) and ambient lighting,
and you may like to use dimmer switches to create atmosphere.
This is the ideal time to think about heating: including underfloor
heating and heated towel rails. And don't forget about extraction
and ventilation to keep your new bathroom steam free.
For expert bathroom advice and to
experience a wide range of products, visit Bespoke Showers and Bathrooms |
