Doing Up the Bathroom – a 101

If you’re thinking of remodelling or revamping your bathroom, then you’ll have to work a bit harder than just replacing the shower curtain or getting a new toilet seat.

The bathroom is one of the most functional rooms in the house, so you need to think about space and ergonomics. Before you whip off that shower curtain from its rail, read these ideas and pointers so that you can make the most of your bathroom project.

Work out your budget first

How much are you willing to spend on your works? How many people use your bathroom on a daily basis, how big is it and how much stuff (including fittings) do you need and plan to have in it? How much of the work are you doing yourself and how much needs a professional? All these factors will impact upon your budget and what you get out of it. Heading off to a store like Better Bathrooms will also help you to maximise your budget, so take the time to scope it out.

Move the toilet aside

Obviously, using the toilet is an inescapable part of life, but if your toilet is in your bathroom, then it shouldn’t be the first thing you see when you open the door. If you can, shift it to another point along the wall (plumbing permitting) and make something else the focal point. This could be a free-standing bath, a section of wall with gorgeous tiles, or a lovely new shower curtain. While you are working on moving the toilet into a better place, remember that you can dress up the floor around the toilet with some beautiful pedestal mats – choose something that works with your new interior theme.

Don’t just rip out everything

If you’re in an older house or flat, you might have a really interesting feature, like some old and ornate tiles, or a funny little window. Unless you really want to change the look of the bathroom, leave features like these in, as they add interest and reduce your overall spend.

Take some measurements

Almost all UK and European bathroom fittings have standard sizes and measurements. Learn yours off by heart so you can work out your layout, even when you’re not at home. Never confuse centimetres and inches!

Downsize

Modern bathroom fittings are doing away with excess ledges, frills and “dead” space so that there’s more room to move around the fittings while maintaining enough functional space in and on them. Sinks are smaller, or designed for corners, baths are shorter, but maybe deeper or wider. Think about how you can create more open space but still be able to use the bath comfortably.

Add a bit of class

Bathrooms are smaller rooms, usually, so all you need to do to bring it all up a notch is to put in some high-end finishings, like taps, towel rails and tiles. These smaller touches won’t cost the earth, because they’re small, but they’ll lend their class to the rest of the space.

Ventilate!

You need at least two ways of drying the air in the bathroom so that mould doesn’t set in. An openable window is a good start, as is an extractor fan.