Bathroom Design Ideas

The bathroom is a place where people often unwind and relax, or even prepare themselves in anticipation of a night of passion. It can be viewed as a room where the senses can either be soothed, calmed or even stimulated and as such it can be a very sensual place.

Traditionally the concept of sensual bathrooms has involved sweetly fragranced candles, rose petals and some soft music. This can be great for the woman, but the man may often find that sharing a bath, whilst being bombarded with sweet fragrances, is not quite so sensual for him.

Why not think about installing some mood lighting in your bathroom, so that you can both relax with the lights turned down low? Non-scented candles can then be used, along with aromatherapy oils to stimulate the sense of smell.

Next, try to have things that appeal to both men and women, such as candles, which are not overly sweet, like ylang ylang. Oil burners with aromatherapy oils, such as bergamot and cedar-wood, are often regarded as aphrodisiacs, but their scent is not too feminine, so they are pleasing to both sexes.

Wooden massagers can often be used to help each other relax, with the wood version being more masculine than a feminine or girlie massager.

Rose petals are fine in moderation, but they can dominate if they are used too liberally. So limit their use, in recognition of the bathroom being for both of you.  All that remains now is for you to simply enjoy your sensual bathroom and each other.

In very many houses the bathroom is indeed quite small with larger space having been allocated to living and eating than has been awarded to functional activities; so for many householders, space is certainly at a premium in the bathroom.

However, this does not mean that you cannot still enjoy a full range of facilities.  There are some spaces saving tips which will help you to make the most out of the space you do have available.

First of all if space is very tight, then you should look at installing a close coupled toilet since this will save you space in terms of how far the toilet projects into the room.

Next, it is also possible to buy baths which are slightly shorter than normal, but still an adequate length (unless you are exceptionally tall).  These are often narrower as well, so allowing you to get that extra bit of space next to, or at the end of, the bath.

Consider installing a shower over your bath and then fitting a bath / shower screen to make sure that the water is contained.

Fit a countertop wash hand basin and, if space is really tight, then consider installing the wash hand basin in the corner.  Storage space can then be created underneath the basin, enabling you to completely maximise your space.

Finally, consider fitting a towel rail over your radiator or have a heated towel rail adjacent to the toilet.  Therefore, you can have all the luxury of a modern bathroom even in the tiniest of spaces.

Cast iron baths are still available and can be easily sourced. This is despite presenting some practical challenges in terms of their weight, the fact that it is not always easy to fit such a bath, since you need to make sure that your floor can support the weight and that they can be difficult to manoeuvre through the bathroom door.

However, before you simply fall in love with the concept of a genuine cast iron bath, do think about the practicalities. Will your bathroom floor support it, if you are installing it in a first floor room? This is actually a serious consideration and although your floor may not instantly collapse when you get the bath into the room, it may lead to structural weaknesses, so check this out.

Next, can you get the bath upstairs? This may sound a stupid question, but it is a real issue. A cast iron bath is very, very heavy and you may well need additional space to get it upstairs, as well as a strong team of people to carry it.

You also need to think about how you use a bath. Give serious thought to the possibility that objects might accidentally be dropped onto it. The surface will chip if it is damaged and this can lead to the formation of rust. You can buy re-touching kits to cover any chips, but these are not easy to apply.

If, after all these considerations, you still feel that a cast iron bath is the one for you and you want that authentic feel to your bathroom, then simply enjoy it.

Freestanding baths can offer a real sense of luxury within a domestic bathroom.  They can either stand proud and alone in the centre of the room, or be close to a wall.  Some are fitted onto legs; others are actually on the floor.  Some have a roll top, which is a very traditional type of bath, but there is actually a wide range of designs now on the market, many of which are very chic, angular and modern in design.

The main design feature of the free standing bath is that it looks much less cluttered and fixed than a standard bath and through installing it in the centre of a room; you can make a real focus of the bath.  You can even have it near a window, so that you can gaze out on the sky.

The legs or feet that the bath has fitted can also make a real statement about your way of life and your sense of style and there is certainly a wide variety of accessories to complement them, so you can tailor your choice to your exact specification.

It is also possible to have a whirlpool bath that is freestanding.  However, if you do choose a freestanding bath, placed in the centre of the room, then you should bear in mind that you will have to have a separate shower, since it will not be possible to fit a powerful shower to the bath; you can have a shower mixer fitted to the taps, but these are not as powerful as an electric shower.

A bath panel will complete the look of your bathroom and it is vital that you choose an appropriate one. Remember that the panel will be something you look at every day and should last for years, so even if you really must have the jazzy one with pink spots, will you still like it when you are 40? You can usually buy replacement panels, but it is still nice to choose one that is stylish and not too extreme, since you may well not be in the same home when you are 40. If you decide to relocate, you may want to swap your beloved jazzy bath panel for something more conservative, in order to make the house more saleable.

So the usual style criteria apply. Try to choose a panel which is subtle and will not dominate the bathroom; be practical, will it cope with normal day to day knocks, or will it look slightly shabby in just a couple of years? Will you be able to clean it easily, or does it have little grooves and architectural detailing which in reality will simply act as a magnet for dust and dirt?

You should also consider its suitability for use with the other items you have bought. Many suites come with a bath panel, but if you don’t like it, then don’t be afraid to look for another that will complement the bath you have chosen and also suit your particular style and taste.

Early designs of baths were particularly robust and heavy, with most being made from cast iron and this made them very heavy and difficult to fit. Imagine installing a very heavy cast iron bath on the first floor of a house, then filling it with water and adding the weight of a person; the total weight was enormous and floors were not always designed to support this kind of load. The modern solution to this problem was to make baths from acrylic material.

Until a few years ago, acrylic baths had a bit of a bad press, since they were thought to move and be too flimsy. More recent developments have allowed the technology to really move on and we have now reached the point where acrylic baths are of a particularly high quality. Today, the majority of baths on the market are made from acrylic.

Acrylic baths are usually formed from just one sheet of acrylic. The shell is then reinforced so that it becomes stronger, more durable and rigid. The thickness of the acrylic itself varies between 4mm and 10mm. Some baths, at the more luxurious end of the market, are actually formed by a double skin, which makes them very strong, yet relatively lightweight.

One of the main joys of an acrylic bath is that it is not cold to the touch. This means that when you pour your bath, coming into contact with a cold surface does not cool the hot water. It can also retain the heat of the water for longer than a bath made from other materials, such as cast iron. 

The concept of luxury bathrooms is quite a recent trend in the world of design.  Throughout most of the 20th century the bathroom was seen as being simply functional, rather than somewhere that you would regard as an oasis of opulence and relaxation.

Yet, since the times of the Ancient Egyptians and Cleopatra, bathing has been seen as an important function and there has always been a desire for luxury, even if bathroom design did not reflect this. These days the two concepts have converged and luxurious bathrooms are readily available and in high demand.

The sky is the limit in terms of what is available at the top end of the luxury bathroom range. You can have sunken baths, ones that are almost hand crafted, or bespoke to suit your own individual needs. How about some real marble flooring, imported from Italy? Or perhaps you would like a Jacuzzi that can easily take two or more and has the most amazingly powerful jets?

For those on a more limited budget, there are still some luxury items that are affordable, such as smaller whirlpool bath systems, or even hydro-massage units that can be fitted to the shower. Attractive flooring and some seductive lighting, along with very chic tiles and funky taps, can actually transform the oldest, smallest and most mundane of bathrooms into somewhere with a sense of luxury and style. Whatever your pocket, it is well-worth thinking about how to re-vamp your bathroom to give it that special air of opulence.

Whirlpool baths have recently enjoyed something of a renaissance.  Whilst they were popular in the 1980s, demand decreased when they became viewed as something bulky and dated.  However, in the past few years, their design has evolved and they are once again, seen as being a very useful addition to any bathroom. 

Whirlpool baths are now available in a range of sizes, shapes and with a variety of facilities, the vast majority of which are very modern and classic in design, enabling them to be fitted in almost every bathroom.  Even where space is tight, you will still find that there is a whirlpool bath which can fit in the corner, which will simply transform your bathroom into your own, very powerful, Jacuzzi! 

Whirlpool baths are also now very quiet, so the noisy pump of the older style models is now just a distant memory.  The pumps are also much more energy efficient, so the running costs are low.  Since they double as an ordinary bath, they can be as environmentally friendly as you choose, i.e. they do not have to be used as a whirlpool whenever a bath is taken.  Most come with fully adjustable water jets, allowing you to alter the direction of the water and the air, so that you can target any areas where you feel particularly tense or sore.

The fittings are also quite unobtrusive, meaning that the bathroom is not wholly taken up with the pump and pipes.  They are also so stylish now, that they will simply add elegance to your bathroom, as well as many hours of enjoyment for all who take pleasure in its luxury!