Bathroom Fixtures

Washing, crimping, bathing or refreshing - a well-designed bathroom is a versatile space.

Lie in your bath and take a good look around you. The starting point for planning a new bathroom can often be a list of the faults of the existing one.

I inherited a particularly hideous over-the-bath shower with elaborate shower rail system to allow the curtain to be pulled all the way around the bath. It was totally unnecessary, and the poles suspended in a mish-mash from walls and the ceiling made it look like an elaborate industrial mess. By simply taking away the curtain and associated poles and putting in a neat screen I made the room seem instantly bigger, and it's now definitely more pleasurable to lie in the bath and gaze at the ceiling, or my navel.

If you are going to revamp a bathroom, you need to decide whether you want to keep the existing layout and replace fixtures where they are, or move things in, out and around to get better use of what is, more often than not, a spatially challenged room.

SUITE PIECES

I am a bidet fan and not ashamed to admit it. Let me give you some uses (other than the purpose it was designed for) to explain why, if you have the space, I would recommend that you fit the fourth piece into your suite of bath, basin and WC.

There's always somewhere to leave the hand-laundry soaking.
It is the perfect place for washing feet pre-pedicure.
If you can't use the loo to be sick you have another receptacle.

With both bidets and toilets always opt for wall-hung designs, for one simple reason: cleaning around pedestals is a pain, and they are a place where dirt tends to gather. The joy of being able to mop across a floor unhindered by the usual obstructions has to be experienced to be really understood. (If you are now worried that I am slightly obsessive about fluff on the floor, I'd like to point out that I have a dog whose hair tends to get everywhere.)

It's a frequently overlooked issue that cast-iron baths weigh a ton (give or take a few pounds). If you are looking to recreate the look of a period bathroom, check that your floor will take the weight. Also remember that with a freestanding bath the amount of water that splashes over the edge will increase considerably (more sides for the bath water to slop over) so you do need flooring that will withstand regular soakings. While the idea of picking up an old fashioned piece from reclamation yards may have a romantic appeal, don't bother. Brand new is easily affordable and reproduction designs are so good that I would buy new every time.

SINKING IN

If you live with a partner or have kids, fit in a double sink wherever possible. There is great pleasure in having your own sink. I once stayed in a glorious hotel in Edinburgh for New Year where the bathroom had 'his and hers' sinks. My contact lens solution, make-up, body lotion, electric toothbrush and cotton wool pads all had a space, and didn't get shoved aside when 'him indoors' wanted to shave. Now translate that into your own home. Kids' stuff on one sink and adults' on the other for example - it's a cleansing experience.


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