Bathroom Design Ideas

Take a look around your bathroom. Does it look a little bland, even boring? The colour scheme may match, the accessories are functional, the bath and sink may be clean and fairly new, but something is definitely missing. Well, how about creating a theme, which will impress your friends and make your bath time just that little bit more exciting?

For example, how about revitalising the bathroom with a seaside theme? Choosing a new shower curtain with patterns of fish or ocean liners should be fairly easy to achieve. Match it with a bath mat in azure or turquoise and buy some new towels in a complementary colour. Most department stores sell scented candles, so how about buying some with a refreshing smell of ozone and placing them in little heaps of seashells or pebbles? 

If the glamorous days of Hollywood are more to your taste, why not try theming your bathroom in stylish black and white? Alternating tiles is easy to accomplish and very effective. Black and white towels will enhance the look and placing glass alongside matt black accessories will provide a chic and very glamorous addition to the bathroom. Art deco mirrors are also very affordable and would go very well surrounded by photographs and prints of 1930’s movie stars.

If you have small children, especially boys, why not go for a ‘Jungle Book’ look? Leopard print wallpaper twinned with models of elephants and lions is bound to be popular and make bath time a fun and popular experience.

Some of the factors to think about when purchasing bathroom accessories include the design and the style of your bathroom, as well as who will be using the room most often. If it is intended primarily to be your children, for instance, the bathroom accessories ought to be appropriate. If it is to be part of a guestroom, the bathroom accessories might include shower enclosures, soap dishes, illuminated bathroom mirrors, toiletries and towel drying radiators. In the case of a master bathroom, you might want to consider spending a little more on items such as illuminated bathroom mirrors, luxury baths, contemporary toilet, electric showers and designer radiators.

The other thing to consider is the kind of furniture style and design that you like. Those available range from traditional to modern to contemporary to Victorian to country.  There are plenty of accessories available to suit any style that you choose.

Next on the agenda are your colour and pattern preferences. You need to be very careful with your choices if you are to achieve a co-ordinated feel between the floor, wall and other items in the bathroom. For example, if the bathroom fixtures are mainly made of porcelain, then the accessories should be antique white to off-white in colour. If the porcelain extends to the bath, toilet and sink, then some darker shades would work well. If you are unsure about what colour scheme would work best for you, try seeking professional help rather than have clashing colours, which would spoil the whole look of the room, regardless of how much you have spent on it.

Some bathroom accessories may seem extraneous, their worth measured in terms of luxury and design. However, the extractor fan is a necessary bathroom accessory. The unglamorous work horse of the lavatory, Vectaire’s line of extractor fans is both functional and elegant.

For those DIY enthusiasts who’ve completely gutted their bathrooms, Vectaire has all the necessary hardware: the ceiling mounting ring; flexible, telescopic, and rigid ducting; the gravity flap; and the terminal vent. For those wishing to vent their bathroom out a window, Vectaire has a window kit that works perfectly with their extractor fans. They also make a wall vent kit for those venting out through a wall.

Remodelers needing a total extractor fan solution would to well to consider the Vectaire LuxVent Plus Extractor Fan and Kit. It allows the consumer to choose his/her extractor fan from Vectaire’s range  and includes a mounting bracket, gasket, 90° bend, 6m flexible ducting, a brown grille for the outside wall, and a 12v transformer for light.

Vectaire’s line of extractor fans come in a number of designs, all white and all slightly rounded squares. They offer their Axial extractor fan as a basic model, in three deluxe packages. The basic fan has an automatic front opening grille, the second most expensive adds an overrun timer, and the most expensive combines these two features and adds a humidity control.

They also offer their Axial extractor fan with only an overrun timer or with only a humidity control.

Plugholes in the bathroom can become clogged with hair and skin from the body when the bath is used, so it is important to clean them regularly to prevent them from clogging and producing unpleasant smells. Unclean plugholes can also cause bacteria, so it is important to keep them clean to make your bathroom a healthier environment.

There are many types of special cleaners that you can purchase for bathroom plugholes. Buster Bathroom Drain Cleaner is a popular cleaning product that helps to unclog your bathroom plugholes and dissolve any hair. It is priced at £3.99 and can be purchased online via the Buster website or directly from the company via post. Major stores such as Asda, Wilkinson, Tesco and Sainsbury’s also stock Buster products.

Buster also offers Bathroom Sink Fresh, which gets rid of any unpleasant smells from bathroom plugholes. It removes bacteria and keeps baths and sinks smelling fresh. It is recommended that the product be used at least once a week to prevent build up of bacteria. The product is priced at £3.29. Demonstrations of how to use Buster Bathroom Drain Cleaner and the Bathroom Sink Fresh are available on the Buster website.

If you find that you still have problems with blocked plugholes and unpleasant smells, then have a look around on the internet for advice. There are a variety of advice forums for cleaning different areas of the bathroom, and stores may also be able to recommend products. Looking at customer reviews of cleaning products is a way of getting an idea of how effective they are.

The most obvious theme perhaps for a bathroom is an aquatic theme. Bathrooms are all about water and relaxation, so it makes sense to adopt a theme that represents the ocean and sea life. An aquatic theme is also perhaps the most interesting and is likely to go down well with children. There are many types of water themes that you can have.

If you love the beach, then choose colours such as blue and green for your bathroom. Use seashell shaped soap dishes or place star shaped ornaments in your bathroom to add to a beach theme. Also stick to blue or green towels to match your walls or carpet. Add pictures or art prints of fish or other types of sea life to your walls to add to an ocean theme.

For a more fun theme, you could have a pirate theme for your bathroom or a surfer theme. For a surfer theme, add wallpaper that has different designs of surfboards or palm trees. Palm tree designs will give your bathroom an exotic theme and offer a relaxing atmosphere. Use boat designs and pictures of ships for a pirate theme.

If you have a shower, then choose a shower curtain that has pictures of sea creatures or other ocean designs. Having this type of shower curtain will really add character to your bathroom and make it a fun place for children. Add to the theme even further by using shell shaped soap and toothbrushes with sea designs on them for children.

Catalano bathrooms are an Italian designer brand which has become very popular in the UK over the last few years.  Primarily, this is due to their style which is very angular, yet rounded, always bold and making a statement.

Suites are also available in a variety of colours, from white to black, with some earthy, natural colours in between.  This use of natural colours reflects the colour of natural stone and looks at home in any modern and well lit bathroom, where the whole ambience is created by natural hues and light.  It is, however, worth bearing in mind, if you go for a colour other than white that you need to consider carefully how the suite will look in a few years time.  Will it retain its chic identity or simply look out-dated?  What happens if the surface/finish is scratched?  If so, can it be repaired and can you live with it, if not?

But if classic style with a contemporary feel is to your taste, then a Catalano style bathroom will undoubtedly suit you perfectly.  The costs of these bathroom suites are more than standard suites, but then this is style which you simply will not find in every store up and down the country.  Given that the range on offer is amazingly versatile, it will be excellent value for money and you will find that the flexibility on offer with where you fit the taps or whether the wash hand basin sits on a pedestal or is free standing, means that it is akin to having your own personally designed suite, for a fraction of the cost!

As well as choosing different colours for the walls and floor of your bathroom, there are many other ways in which you can be creative. You can use artwork to make your bathroom more interesting. For example, if you have opted for an aquatic theme for your bathroom, then adding some pictures of fish, seashells or mermaids will make your bathroom look more adventurous. It may also be a good idea to use themed accessories, such as soap dishes in the shape of a seashell or soap in the shape of a fish. To match the theme, buy items such as soap that are the same colour as your paint, wallpaper, tiles and carpet.

If you have children and wish to create a fun theme for your bathroom, then choose bright shower curtains and add a few toys for the bath area. If you have two bathrooms in your house, then focus on decorating one especially for your children and use bathroom accessories, such as a shower curtain with pictures or a shell shaped sink. You could also buy bright coloured tiles with pictures on them to make the bathroom more fun for children. Educational pictures, such as pictures of different types of fish may also be a good idea for children.

If you wish to be creative but also keep a relaxing and luxurious theme for your bathroom, use candles and fluffy towels. Colourful scented candles will make your bathroom more relaxing and luxurious and also give it a creative flair. Adding plants to your bathroom will also provide a creative edge and will also make the room more romantic and relaxing.

If you have more than one bathroom in your home that needs decorating then this gives you the chance to experiment with different styles for each bathroom. If you have a large family, then decorate one bathroom to their liking and one to your liking. If you have children, then give one bathroom a theme that they will like, such as bright colours or an aquatic theme.

Having more than one bathroom to decorate will cost more money, but there are a variety of affordable items to choose from. If one bathroom tends to get used more than the other, then focus on making that bathroom the most stylish and simply swap a few old accessories for new ones for the bathroom that is not used as much.

Having matching themes for both bathrooms will be quicker and easier, but you may wish to vary the themes so that your bathrooms do not look too boring. If one bathroom is much larger than the other, then you can make the larger bathroom more luxurious as you will have more space to play with. Make the smaller bathroom as interesting as possible and fill it with accessories so that it becomes much more than just a place for basic needs.

Having two bathrooms gives you more storage, so you can organise your items better. If you have children, then place medicine cabinets in the bathroom that they do not use as much. If one of your toilets is downstairs and you have an elderly or disabled person in your family, then focus on installing the right equipment for them in this bathroom so that they feel at ease and do not have to make their way upstairs. 

If you are aiming to have a Victorian theme for your bathroom, then there are a variety of accessories available that will help you achieve the look that you want. Victorian bathrooms usually have dark colours and wood. Antique stores are a good place to visit if you are looking for Victorian bathroom furniture and usually have a wide variety of top quality products to make your bathroom look good.

Victorian Plumbing, a UK company, offer a selection of Victorian products to suit your theme, including Victorian basin taps, which can be purchased with a matching bath mixer if you wish. If you are looking for a bath to fit your Victorian theme, then Plumbworld offer a Clearwater Victorian Bath, which is available in Green and White, with stone cast resin reinforcement and is priced at around £530.00.

Having a Victorian theme may be more suitable if you have a lot of money to spare, as some products can be quite expensive. But if you look around on sites such as eBay, you may be able to find a few bargains. There are some stores that offer discounts for products purchased on their website, or you could have a look around to see which stores have items on sale.

Finding a website with an online decorator will help you to see which colours are suitable for your Victorian theme. Visiting showrooms is also a good idea, as this will give you an idea of different layouts, colours and products for your Victorian theme.

If you feel your bathroom is cramped, but you cannot afford to build any extra space, then there are many ways in which you can make it appear bigger, without having to spend too much. There are colours, such as white or cream, which you can use to create the illusion that your bathroom is bigger than it actually is.

If you have items that take up a lot of space in your bathroom, then swap them for smaller items. This will make the room look much bigger. Choose furniture that suits a small room. Some stores offer sinks that have a vanity cabinet attached to them. This provides more floor space and can help your bathroom look larger. ‘Shades’, a bathroom company, offer a selection of space saver products, including small, wall-mounted basins, which are ideal for saving space.

If you have a bit of money to spare and really wish to improve the look of your bathroom and make it look more spacious, then Heritage Bathrooms offer a selection of space saving suites. There are many different styles available, as well as a variety of wall-hung products that create more space. The company also offers washstands, which combine a sink, drawer and shelf at the bottom of the stand. These are ideal for small bathrooms as they offer lots of storage and increase floor space.

Getting rid of items that you keep on the floor will also allow you to have a bathroom that looks bigger. Instead of keeping your bathroom bin on the floor, try opting for a cabinet that has a built-in bin or swap it for a smaller one.