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This hybrid bath is designed for smaller rooms, allowing luxury, comfort and choice to fit into even a modest space. Mini Ebb shower bath, £1,495, Waters Baths of Ashbourne.
12 ways to make your bathroom a
Relaxing Oasis Functionality comes first in the bathroom, but there’s no reason why you can’t combine efficiency with aesthetics – and gain all the benefits of a space that looks good and feels good at the same time. Here are a dozen ideas to start you off: • Lighting is vital. Check that the bulbs in your light fittings are giving off the light you prefer, though try not to mix different light temperatures (warm or cool) in the same room. Smart bulbs can be switched on and off and the colour temperature changed or dimmed using a remote control or an app. Or, if you have a light switch outside the bathroom door, consider swapping it for a dimmer. • Sort out your storage. Slim wall cupboards, shelves, ladders, caddies, peg rails and over-door hooks are options, while small storage items – such as wicker baskets, pretty ceramics or bright plastic tubs – bring texture, colour and interest. • If your shower is pathetic, investigate whether you can add a pump to make it more powerful. • Get rid of the grunge and scrape out the old grout and silicone between and around your tiles, especially if there’s any mould. Redoing them will make an extraordinary difference. • Replace a shower curtain with a shiny glass shower screen – the look is clean and minimally efficient (and won’t need replacing regularly). • Jazz up your windows. Options include decorative window film, a beautiful blind (Roman or roller) or some minimal wooden louvres.
Wooden blinds are elegant and practical, and come in a range of natural colours, or brighter, painted shades. Luxury Clay Brown wooden Venetian blinds with tapes, price depends on size, English Blinds.
• Add a large mirror – it’s not only useful and a focal point but increases the feeling of light and space in the room. • Buy a set of coordinating towels. The fluffier the better, in clean, bright, hotel-white or a colourful pattern. • Add plants, large and small, high and low – they usually thrive in a bathroom’s humid atmosphere. Choose pots that complement your overall scheme. • Lay a woven cotton or ‘outdoor’ rug on the floor – it can easily be washed or wiped down and will introduce a softer feel, adding colour, pattern and texture, too. • Change a dated pair of taps for some good-looking, modern ones. Check that they will suit your water pressure, and make sure the new spout extends the correct amount over the bath or basin – they should reach about as far as the plug hole. • A chair or stool is always useful in a bathroom, even if it’s just to throw clothes over or to hold soap and books next to the bath.
