Latest Designer Bathroom Ideas and How To Guides for your Home

For many people, the thought of repainting the bathroom causes a shudder of dismay. Initial reactions range from reaching for the phone book and scouring the pages for a painter and decorator, to dismissing the idea until the following year.

Yet nothing brightens up a bathroom as much as a fresh coat of paint and once you have taken the decision to go ahead with the plan, you may well be surprised at just how creative your ideas can be.

The first task is to thoroughly assess your bathroom space. What exactly would you like it to represent? Thinking of certain themes may help; a Mediterranean look would need bold primary yellows teamed with glossy white vinyl, while a smaller bathroom may well be better suited to neutral pastel shades.

Your bathroom need not be a homage to Art Deco, if you choose dark colours. Black can be very effective, especially with matching accessories, such as bamboo shower rails and towel racks. Try matching it with crimson mirror frames, bath mats and towels. Even the vanity unit or bathroom medicine cabinet could be painted a contrasting colour.

If, on the other hand, you want something airy and visually interesting, use sponges to apply paint. These allow you to gradate the colour from, perhaps, dark green at the ceiling down to a lighter shade along the skirting board.

Stencils are another effective way to make the most of your bathroom walls, particularly when placed around the corners of the room.

Travertine is great for use in the home and is ideal for use when tiling a floor in a bathroom, kitchen or shower. Popular for centuries travertine tiles are favoured because of their natural and unique colouring, patterns and long lasting capabilities, take the Colesseum in Rome built nearly two thousand years ago! Travertine is a wholly natural product and it is because of this that its natural beauty is evident. Formed when shifts thousands of years ago in the earth’s crust allow heated water to mix with calcium carbonate particles, travertine was created in large deposits and is now quarried for use in building.

Travertine tiles are ideal for cladding and for use external in patios and communal areas where their unique pattern and colouring gives a garden or public space, outside a hotel for example, a truly classical look. It is certainly true that using travertine tiles on your patio will certainly make it stand out. With its historic importance as a primary building material in ancient buildings, travertine tiles have a reputation for lasting all types of weather conditions and for being easily maintained over time.

The natural colours of travertine tiles make them particularly appealing and although in its purest form travertine tiles are white, impurities can cause the colour of travertine tiles to vary and to be yellow and brown. The choice of colour that you eventually settle upon will depend to some extent on the area where you a fitting the travertine tiles, for bathrooms or shower areas, many choose the pure white which gives the room a marble look, the important difference though, is that travertine tiles whilst looking like marble are considerably less in price.

If your bathroom has seen better days, it’s time to renovate. Like kitchens, good bathrooms can add appreciable value to your home without amounting to major property development. DIY painting, decorating and plastering skills will take you a long way, without substantial building work or calling the architects in.

Start by thinking about whether the layout can be improved. Would a walk-in shower look better than the tub? Are the basin and WC ideally located or could they be moved to enhance space? Don’t forget about drainage runs and soil pipes here, though, the latter are especially difficult to relocate. Next, physically map the layout using your body as a guide; are the soap dishes and bathroom cabinets or anything else you use frequently, within comfortable reach? Will you require extensive re-plumbing if you shift the basin or tub/shower?

Think about the fixtures, properly chosen, they can add verve to a bathroom. Is the design you’re seeking ultra-modern or classically elegant? Gleaming, modern chrome taps and showerheads can be beautiful, but so can elegant Victorian alternatives, it’s best not to mix them, though. A generous bathroom mirror or two can make a small space look twice the size.

Choose lighting carefully, a bathroom can be made to look warm and inviting or cold and forbidding, depending on what lighting you use. Remember, any lighting above areas where water is used must have a special safety rating.

Finally, soften harsh lines and angles with touches of fabric, even towels can help and some strategically placed potted plants.

Underfloor heating is renowned for being low maintenance, which is excellent news. However, should anything go wrong with the parts that are installed in the floor, repairing and replacing them could be something of a nightmare job, so you do need to make sure the installation is of the highest quality possible. 

Obviously, if you are installing a water underfloor heating system as a DIY project, there really isn’t much of a guarantee on offer. The products, themselves, will be guaranteed, but if they are installed badly then the problem lies elsewhere and you will not be able to claim against that guarantee. However, if you have a professional system installed, you should ensure that you are provided with a valid guarantee that is valid for a reasonable period of time. It is definitely worth paying a little more to find a company that offers a long guarantee. If a company is prepared to offer five years, when others only offer two, it must be confident that there are not going to be any issues within this period. You can then rest assured that this is a robust product that you can be confident has been installed properly.

If you do a half DIY scheme and employ a plumber and/or electrician to do their part, you need to make sure you get them to provide a guarantee. Although limited to the work they have done, it could save you a headache in the future.

If you mention to most people that you intend laying tiles in your bathroom, the reaction will generally be of two kinds. The first is likely to be that you have lost your mind and the second is that you are a liar.

Why this should be the case is a mystery. Laying tiles does not require that you be a specialist in DIY and it certainly does not mean that you are going to sneak a certified tile fitter in the back door and hope that nobody sees him.

Yet it really need not be such a trial. All it takes is a little commonsense and foresight.

Firstly, choose an adhesive that is waterproof. Any home improvement centre stocks at least one variety. Secondly, make sure you have enough tiles. In fact, buy more than you think you need. Tiles are frequently dropped or cracked.

Ensure the area you are laying your bathroom tiles on is free from detritus. A flat surface is of crucial importance. Once this is done, use lengths of spacing pieces to make sure the tiles are laid straight. Create a grid of horizontal and vertical lines.

Spread the adhesive evenly. Ensure that the tiles are positioned squarely. Although it is easy enough to remedy any mistakes at this stage, getting it right first time will increase your confidence.

Whatever you do, do not grout too soon. Wait for the tile adhesive to dry thoroughly, which can take up to 24 hours.

Finally, take great care with the grouting. If it is not spread evenly, it will dry in lumps and this can be tedious to remove.

After an exhausting day at work, what better way to relax than to go home and soak your cares away in a water jet whirlpool?

Water jet whirlpools are by no means as expensive as you might think and the benefits are such that careful economising ensures they remain cost effective.

So how do they work? Essentially, a water jet is attached to the bath. It draws in the water and blasts it back through various apertures placed strategically around the actual bathtub. As a result, the fortunate bather is offered a wonderfully relaxing full-body massage, whilst being thoroughly cleansed.

Because there are now a huge assortment of such baths, the homeowner can choose a design perfectly matched to his or her physical size or preference.

Another popular innovation is a soaking bath. These are vertically positioned and hot water is pumped in up to neck height. They are traditionally of Japanese origin and resemble a narrow floating tank, very useful in a smaller bathroom.

However, if baths are not for you, why not invest in a shower enclosure with multiple showerheads. Water is forced out of several outlets at high speed, creating a superb water massage effect. A further bonus is that the system allows you to control the water temperature as well as positioning the showerheads to wherever your aches and pains may lie.

If you really want to enjoy the ultimate spa experience, why not fit underfloor water heating? Or upgrade your music system so that it pipes your favourite ambient music into the bathroom?

Trying to get to sleep in your bedroom while listening to a dripping tap in the bathroom, in the dead of night, can be a form of water torture. Thankfully, you won’t have to fork out on eye-watering call-out fees for a plumber, because fixing a dripping tap is a relatively straightforward DIY job to remedy the problem. Unlike a painting and decorating task, this one will be done and dusted within a quarter of an hour.

Isolate the tap from the water supply; you may have to close off at the mains, but use the servicing valve on the tap’s supply pipe if there is one. To avoid losing any small bits, put the plug in the bath or sink. Prize the decorative badge off the top of the tap and undo the retaining screw beneath. To protect the tap, wrap a cloth around it and hold it firmly in place with a large adjustable spanner. Unscrew the large brass headgear nut with a second spanner; you might have to give it a good squirt of WD40 if it’s seized. The tap’s rubber washer, the culprit causing the drip, will be on the headgear’s underside. Remove it, throw it away, replace with a new one of the same size and screw the headgear back into place, taking care not to over-tighten.

If you’ve still got a drip, take the headgear off again and look into the base of the tap and remove any limescale. If there’s a scratch, you’ll need to remove it with a re-seating tool. Just attach it to the tap and rotate it until the scratch or the debris has gone.

Controlling an underfloor heating system is simple and there are several ways to go about it. Once installed, the beauty of an underfloor heating system is that it controls itself and regulates the temperature by detecting differences between the floor surfaces and room temperature. As a result, the rooms remain at a constant temperature.

Most underfloor heating systems are regulated by a control point manifold, which is set in the floor and a pump for mixing the values. Working together, they help to create a constant temperature. For example, in a room that is empty, the heating controls will allow the room to warm to the temperature on the thermostat. When the room is occupied, people’s body heat and movements create a further element of warmth, so the level of heating provided is reduced to compensate and the overall temperature remains constant.

In most cases, the entire system is controlled from one central point, however it is possible to have individual controls for each room. Bathrooms wouldn’t really be suitable for this, but you may find it of benefit in the main living room. If this is the case, a wall unit, similar to a central heating system control enables you to increase or reduce the temperature as required. The best option is to discuss your requirements with a specialist who has experience of underfloor heating before you start, so you can be sure you get the most suitable solution for you home.

The bathroom should be a place of calm and quiet, a personal area where you can relax in peace and contemplation and refresh both mind and body.

For centuries, the Japanese have stressed the therapeutic properties of water as an aid to harmonise the spirit and restore balance to the most troubled soul.

Even if you live in a busy city, creating a Japanese bathroom is easy. Whether you have a small or large bathroom, following a few simple steps will allow you to create a small oasis of calm in the midst of the frenetic whirl of modern life.

Japanese design is based on simplicity and nature is a constant source of inspiration. Bathrooms, therefore, should be uncluttered and minimalist. Clean, sharp lines are the order of the day and decoration is kept to a strict minimum. This makes it an ideal style for small bathrooms, where space is at a premium.

So, keep it simple. What you save on the décor, spend on good quality fixtures. Invest in a small soaking bath made of wood or grey ceramic. Similarly, the sink should be of the utmost simplicity. A small, square stone basin is perfect, set in a vanity unit or cabinet of wood, preferably teak. Again, the taps should be as plain as possible, solid, chunky and finished in chrome. A square mirror placed over the sink is all that is really necessary.

Shelves should either be fitted inside the cabinet or run along the wall next to the sink. Again they should be simple and well ordered. Store only things that are really necessary, just towels and a bathrobe.

A plant is all the decoration you need. Try placing it in a small glass enclosure surrounded by small stones or pebbles.

Along with your bath and shower unit, perhaps nothing adds more glamour and glitz, along with functionality, than a bathroom mirror.

Depending on the overall design of your bathroom, the mirror can enhance and give your washing area a sense of light and space. However, choosing the correct type of bathroom mirror is not always easy. They vary greatly in price and you should be sure of your budget before buying one.

It is important, regardless of how much you are paying, to make sure that the mirror is thoroughly sealed to its casing. If this is not the case, damp resulting from steam condensation will insinuate itself and cause it to come loose from the fitting.

However, once you have decided on the style of mirror that is right for your bathroom, actually mounting it on the wall is not as easy as you might suppose.

If you intend to fix the bathroom mirror directly to the wall, be sure to buy suitable mastic. This will help prevent the mirror from becoming tarnished when the glue is laid on the wall.

Check that you have some sort of support along the bottom of the mirror. This makes it a good deal easier to frame. In fact, such is the importance of correctly setting your mirror flat on the wall; it could well prove beneficial to use a professional fitter. Remember, if you chip or crack the mirror, then you have essentially lost your money.

Finally, be careful of the size you select. Many a bathroom has been ruined by either too large or too small a mirror.