Bathroom Design Tips

The bathroom is not only a place to ‘wash’. It is hugely considered a retreat, to relax in after a busy day, a sanctuary from day to day life. It may also be one of the smaller rooms of the house, so we have to think practically as well as aesthetics ,when planning a re-model.

When planning your bathroom, if you would like to change the layout, the first thing to consider is your current plumbing. Quite often, you can move the showers/ baths/ basin, however check this with a plumber before finalising any decisions. The one product that may not be easy to move is the WC, as where the soils pipe exits the room, this will often determine the rest of the layout. The next thing to check, is your water system. A lot of the European products on the market (showers/ taps/ ect) will only work with high pressure water, therefore if you have a gravity fed system, you may need to add a pump. Not all combination boilers will work with some of the pressures required for some products, a pump can not be added to this system so bear this in mind when you are choosing your taps and showers. The last thing you want when you’ve had your dream bathroom installed with large rose shower heads and body jets, is to have just a dribble of water come out of them. You should also make sure your hot water tank (if you have one) is large enough to produce enough water for your new products. You can get information of how many litres per minute, a shower head, for instance, will produce, from all manufacturers of brassware.

For the smaller bathrooms, if it suits the style, I would suggest wall hung modular products where possible. As you can see more floor, it helps to give the illusion of more space, even if you are not gaining any. And of course the clever use of mirrors to make the room feel spacious. We would also suggest hiding storage behind mirrors, with the use of mirror cabinets. We always used to suggest larger tiles in a small bathroom, as there are less horizontal and vertical lines bringing the walls in. However, the trend for metro tiles and octagonal tiles for example, surpasses this as they become more and more popular and on a lot more ‘wish lists’ when taking a client’s brief. These style of tiles, have also brought in a lot more exciting colours into the bathroom, as it seemed to be grey, beige’s (and even greige) for so long. (If you are considering colour, I would suggest lighter colours in hardwater area’s, limescale can cause havoc on dark tiles).

We are also seeing colour coming through in alternative brassware finishes. Chrome, seemed the ‘norm’ for so long, but it’s an exciting time for brassware finishes and clients are getting more adventurous which is great to see. However, if you are thinking of using an alternative finish of brassware, bear in mind what is available in bathroom accessories, WC flushes, shower enclosure brackets, so you can marry it all together without a confusion of finishes.

If you are lucky enough to have a large bathroom, don’t be afraid to add stud walls, to help create a more interesting design, so products do not get lost in the corners of the room. You can create design features by doing this, giving the bathroom the wow factor we all desire.

The innovations coming through in technology in bathrooms, are extremely exciting. It is no longer just about turning a dial and water comes out. Now you can get digital showers, where you can turn your shower on from your bed, or listen to your favourite music through the bluetooth in your mirror with built in speakers, air purifying devises, toilets that cleans itself, LED lit flush buttons. If you can think of it, it’s probably available.

Saving water is also important to clients these days when thinking of their forth-coming bathroom project. All manufacturers of brassware consider this when designing new products, as well as keeping to EU regulations. Many shower heads and taps will have flow restrictors built into them which will still give a good amount of water for function, yet not waste any. Even further than this, some products will also feature eco functions, to save additional water. Cisterns are a lot smaller than they use to be, we usually see products with two flushing functions so you can choose a larger or smaller flush. Using either 3 and 6 litre flushes, or 4 and 2.6 litre flushes. Clients are always aware of these features these days and ask when you are specifying the WC. More and more people are considering the environmental impact of their homes when considering new designs and renovations. My next blog will discuss sustainable living with tips on how you can introduce these considerations throughout the home when planning your project.

RIOR Design House has a fully comprehensive bathroom design service available to you, to help take away all the practical pressures of designing your own bathroom. All our bathroom designs are hand drawn, for that personal touch, with tiling plans and electrical layouts. We have a huge array of products available to us and can also provide all the products required to create the bathroom of your dreams. Teamed up with some great installers, of whom we can put you in touch with, we can project manage your bathroom from concept to completion. Please visit our website and hit the contacts page.