Bathroom Design Ideas

A good pump can create a really powerful shower, even if you live in a very large house where water pressure may be affected by the size of the house and usage at peak times.  One of the best types of pumps which you can fit is known as a salamander pump.  This pump will actually give the water pressure a real boost, so that you find your shower suddenly is a real deluge of water, whereas before it was a very gentle experience!

One of the benefits of the salamander pump is that it is very ‘plumber friendly’ and is marketed with the strap line ‘fit and forget’.  This means that it is easy for a plumber to install, making it quite a straightforward process and reducing plumbing bills and also it is so reliable that it will perform its function simply, without you having to keep calling a plumber back to rectify any problems. 

Whichever type of shower pump you choose, salamander or another type, make sure that it will reduce any possibility of aeration. Aeration is a term used to describe air getting into a system when you fit a pump to the cylinder or storage tank.  If aeration occurs you may find that the temperature of your shower can fluctuate or find the pump somewhat noisy.  Salamander pumps will usually remedy this problem as part of their design, so they may be worth the extra cost, but be sure to check out the risk of aeration prior to choosing a pump.

Showers are increasingly becoming a hot topic, as more and more people become more environmentally aware of the implications of using too much water.  Most showers will allow you to control the flow of the water and the temperature, to ensure that a shower meets your own, very specific requirements.

However, from this very basic idea, the sheer variety and range of showers is simply immense.  Showers range from very basic ones, which deliver a good jet of water; are very competitively priced, but somewhat basic, to state of the art and extremely expensive, ‘wet rooms’ where the shower (or showers) are the key features.

Most people choose to have something in the middle of this range, so that they can have a shower and a bath in the bathroom, thereby affording the luxury of a bath, with the practical benefits of a quick shower.  So in other words, you get the best of both worlds.

Even if a bath is not ‘your thing’, you should be aware that properties which combine a shower and bath facility will sell much better than those which are fitted only with a bath or a shower.  Thus having both may ensure that your property is more appealing to a prospective buyer.
 
You should also consider your water pressure when choosing a shower (for purely practical reasons).  If your home experiences poor water pressure, then you should consider getting a relatively powerful shower, just to ensure that you get the maximum efficiency in terms of water output from the shower.

A power shower is not only a great way to wake oneself up in the morning it is also a fantastic way to unwind after a hard day’s work. The variety of power showers on the market also means that deciding which to choose is not an easy one.

You can have a power shower fitted if you have a water supply from both a cold-water cistern and a hot water cylinder. The power shower is actually fitted with an electric pump, which drives the water at you, but you can regulate both the temperature of the water and the pressure. You therefore have the choice of a cold but gentle shower, a very hot, extremely powerful shower, or any combination in between.

This flexibility makes the installation of a power shower a very convenient and useful addition to your bathroom. If you prefer, it can just be a normal shower, then you simply turn on the power as and when you please.

There are two main drawbacks to a power shower being fitted in the domestic bathroom. Firstly, if you currently have water heated by the shower unit alone, then it may not be possible to install a power shower easily. Secondly, you need to have a 50mm waste water pipe, which it is not always possible to retro-fit in an existing bathroom; otherwise the water simply won’t drain away quickly enough. 

If you have got the facilities to install a power shower, they really are well worth the investment.

The choice of shower tray may not seem a difficult choice, but make no mistake, the type of shower tray you choose is vital if your bathroom is to look both well designed and smart.

Obviously the tray has to fit the shower it is serving, so if you have a corner fitted shower, then you will need a corner tray.  However, once this has been decided, you will really have a wide range of trays from which to choose.  This is where the practical issues come into play.

If you spend a long time in the shower, (or someone else in your household does) then a deep shower tray may be a good idea.  If hobbies or activities mean that someone is very muddy then a deeper shower tray will also be useful, since they will help keep the mud off the panel or shower door.  Some are also promoted as being less prone to leakages.

If you do choose a deep shower tray, make sure that you buy one which looks very slim line, since they can sometimes look quite chunky.  This can look out of place in a very small bathroom, where the size will appear even bigger.

A flatter shower tray is probably more suitable for a small shower area or where you do not have a problem with having to worry about excess mud. 

Whichever type of tray you choose, make sure that the tray complements the shower and that it is well matched, otherwise the tray will simply look out of place and not in keeping with the rest of the bathroom.

The type of bathroom accessories which you choose can really add a whole new dimension to your bathroom.  The choice is almost endless, from sleek towel radiators to many freestanding accessories.  In fact, instead of hiding away your toilet brush and toilet roll holder, you may find that you want to display them as very chic, modern additions to a stylish bathroom.

It is important, however, to choose accessories which match the style of your bathroom.  If it is a very traditional styled room, then you should have traditional accessories, but you can still augment the ambience of the bathroom, through some very carefully positioned lights and mirrors which reflect the light.

Minimalist and modern bathrooms can also benefit from a strategically placed mirror and careful lighting, since the ambience of a minimalist design can be somewhat cold and clinical.  A few spotlights and a chrome finished range of accessories will still help it to look crisp and defined, but also make it less stark and more welcoming. 

The golden rule when buying accessories is not to purchase items which will date very quickly, so go for good quality and somewhat timeless pieces, to give your bathroom an elegance which is durable and will not simply look old fashioned in a  couple of years.  You should also plan your accessories carefully so that you can have a range which is complementary, rather than items which are mismatched and lack a co-ordinated look.  Accessories allow you to express individuality, so make a statement of taste, rather than functionality.

If you have the space available, it may be worth thinking very seriously about adding a sauna to your bathroom. Saunas have been popular ever since Roman times, as a method of ridding the body of toxins. It is also a fabulous way to relax and unwind after a long hard day at work and is perfect for soothing those tired muscles.

You might choose to go for a traditional Finnish style sauna, which is the most common type and is essentially a steam room, heated by water being splashed onto very hot rocks. 

Alternatively, there are the infrared saunas, which are less common, but are very effective. In an infrared sauna, the air is warmed and the heater also infiltrates the skin, resulting in perspiration. The heat relaxes the whole body, so the benefits are similar to that of the Finnish sauna.

The addition of a sauna can transform your bathroom into a real spa experience and will certainly help make your bathroom stand out from your neighbours. Although space is undoubtedly an issue, saunas can be installed as compact steam rooms, which will often also house a shower. This feature enables even a relatively small bathroom to become home to a sauna. These products aren’t cheap, but recent technological advances have ensured that they are within the reach of most homeowners and will certainly be quite an investment for your home. If you are confident enough, you can even buy sauna kits, so that you can do the installation work yourself.

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.

A ‘mixer’ is a term applied to very basic showers. Generally, there are four different types available.

The first is a very basic unit, which utilises the existing hot and cold water taps. The mixer is attached to the bath taps and then a spray cascades, or more usually, simply trickles out.

The bath and shower mixer is slightly more sophisticated, as the spray and showerhead are combined with a mixer tap on the bath. They can be quite useful if you have a freestanding bath, since it can be quite difficult to wash your hair effectively. Usually these products are available in different finishes and styles, to complement any bathroom.

The manual mixer relies on a hot and cold water supply. This is a plumbed-in system and the pipes need to be installed by a professional plumber. A wall unit is fitted, which is connected to the hot and cold-water supplies and the unit allows you to control the temperature of the water and to some extent, the pressure. This option is more expensive than the other two mixers previously mentioned, due to the plumbing costs and the price of the basic system.
 
The thermostatic mixer is also supplied as a unit. It is so called, because it has a built-in stabiliser, which means that the temperature of the water can easily be controlled. Other mixers tend to perform badly when water is being used in another room, but the thermostatic model does not experience this dip in performance. This feature makes it the safest and most reliable choice, but also the most expensive.