Make Your Bathroom a Relaxing Oasis

12 Ways to Make your Bathroom a Relaxing Oasis

By Katherine Sorrell

1

Recharge and Revive in a Bathroom that Makes you Feel Great

Functionality comes first in the bathroom, but once past those basics, what else do we really want from this sometimes overlooked room? Somewhere to luxuriate in a spacious, powerful shower before the daily commute? A place where you can light a candle and soak in the bath with a good book and a glass of wine? A quiet spot in which to enjoy the preparations for a special party? 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. Just like the best hotel bathrooms, you can make this room in your house a blissful escape from humdrum reality. Here are a dozen ideas to start you off: • Lighting is vital. Check that the bulbs in your light fittings are giving off the right light. It’s down to what you prefer, though try not to mix different light temperatures (warm or cool) in the same room. Choose smart bulbs and you can switch them on and off, change the colour temperature and dim them as you wish, 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. A room full of clutter is never going to be relaxing. Slim wall cupboards, shelves, ladders, caddies, peg rails and over-door hooks are options to consider, while small storage items – such as wicker baskets, pretty ceramics or bright plastic tubs – bring texture, colour and interest. • Plumbing can be confusing and is not always straightforward, but if your shower is pathetic it’s well worth investigating whether you can add a pump to turn a weak shower into a power shower. • Get rid of the grunge and scrape out the old grout and silicone between and around your tiles, especially if there are any mouldy areas. It’s not much work to redo them, but the difference will be extraordinary. • Replace a flappy, mouldy 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. • Add a large mirror – it’s not only useful but also helps to increase the feeling of light and space in the room, and can become a focal point. • Buy a new set of coordinating towels. The fluffier the better, in clean, bright, hotel-white or a fabulously colourful pattern. • Pop in some plants, large and small, high and low – they usually love the humid atmosphere in a bathroom and should thrive, adding a lovely, natural feel. 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. • It’s much easier than you think to 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 – the rule is to look for ones that reach about as far as the plug hole. • A chair or stool is always useful in a bathroom, if you have the space – even if it’s just to throw clothes over or to hold soap and books next to the bath.

3 2

Longer-term changes

If you are rethinking your entire room, decide on basic layout issues at the start. Should the WC be in a separate room, for example? Do you need to knock down or add partition walls? Or would you like a walk-in shower, extensive fitted storage or perhaps a pair of his and hers basins? Avoid moving existing plumbing, if possible, as it will save money and effort. However, if the floorplan of your current bathroom really isn’t working for you, this one-off plumbing cost could be worth it in the long run. When thinking about the overall room design, it makes sense to build shallow false walls within which to hide cables and pipework, while installing underfloor heating allows you to remove a radiator, thus freeing up some wall space for a statement towel warmer as well as providing cosy, constant heat. A brand new lighting scheme can provide a real upgrade and, if you’re renovating the whole bathroom, it may be possible to install two lighting circuits: one for working lights and the other, on a dimmer switch, for soothing, ambient lights. Some gorgeous new flooring is a must: for the look of luxurious stone or marble on a lower budget, lookalike porcelain tiles are a great option, while vinyl flooring comes in a huge range of colours and patterns.

1 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. 2 Incredibly glamorous, these pink wall tiles have a glossy, crackle-glazed finish, and fit right into this luxurious bathroom, which features huge amounts of built-in storage. Bella Pink wall tiles, £35.99 per square metre,

Tile Mountain. 3 This hybrid bath is designed with the smaller room in mind, allowing luxury, comfort and choice to fit into even a modest space. Mini Ebb shower bath, £1,495, Waters Baths of Ashbourne.