Phone: 07919 448240
Phone: 07919 448240
The thing with bathrooms is that they are tricky rooms to get right. There is a lot of functionality to be considered; they are often quite small tightly packed spaces; they are expensive and awkward to refurbish (I have long considered bathrooms the hardest rooms in a house to design and to build) and unless you are lucky, modern houses often have too many bathrooms for the home and old houses often have too few. However, we all use our bathrooms regularly and in different ways, so we need them to be not only serviceable but also attractive spaces to be in.
There is a modern trend towards having more bathrooms in homes than ever before. En-suites are common and in new build properties, you can find that as well as multiple en-suites, there is normally a stand-alone family bathroom and of course a general cloakroom, so you quickly end up with as many bathrooms as bedrooms, and sometimes more.
In all this, we may think that many bathrooms is a good thing but there are arguments against. For starters, they are expensive rooms to refurbish. They involve just about every trade (plumbers, electricians, tilers, floorers, decorators and so on) and bathroom fittings are rarely cheap. In addition, there is a lot of cleaning in a bathroom and even if that is not something you have to do yourself, you may want to think of the cleaning bill involved with having everyone using a different room to have a wash. Finally, it may be lovely for everyone to have their own bathroom so they don’t have to queue for a shower or bath but unless you have a massive flow of water into your home, and some impressive plumbing within it, you can’t run all the showers or baths efficiently at the same time anyway.
As ever with interiors, working out what you really want is crucial and it won’t be the same for everyone. For some, the privacy of having their very own bathroom is everything and for others, sharing is fine, particularly if that offers the luxury of a good, big space rather than a pokey en-suite. Think about where you need baths, where you need showers (most people quite strongly prefer one over the other) and where you need loos. We tend to put washing facilities and loos in the same room but this may not be the best solution, particularly if you have family members that like a lengthy bath or shower.
I think there is a lot to be said for privacy in any type of bathroom and this is particularly worth considering when designing an en-suite. Unless both your bedroom and bathroom are generous spaces, it is important to think about both noise levels when one person might be sleeping and the other using the bathroom, and also the view of the bathroom from the bedroom. There is nothing wrong with seeing the en-suite from your bedroom but no one wants a loo to be too close when you are settling down for a good night’s sleep.
You do occasionally see a bathtub in the bedroom – often in swanky hotels. This can be a solution if you just don’t have enough room in a bathroom to generously accommodate those who like an extended bath. The other thing about this is that bathrooms tend to have hard surfaces – tiles or other waterproof covering on walls or floor, ceramic fittings and metal brassware – so getting some softness and warmth in terms of rugs, curtains, soft furnishings and accessories is vital if you want to feel cosy and warm when you bathe. If you have a bath in the bedroom, this is already done for you.
I personally have always loved a bath. I remember watching the film The Royal Tenenbaums many years ago and being fascinated by the fact that Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) spends much time in the bath where she watches TV (with the TV balanced precariously on the radiator next to the bath – please note, this is very dangerous) smoking, drinking cocktails, answering the telephone and talking to her mother (who is perched on a very uncomfortable stool, which is possibly just what she intended). With this in the back of my mind, I recently designed our new bathroom at home with a view to spending as much time in the bath as possible. We converted a good size bedroom into a bathroom and it has a big, spacious shower and a separate, deep bath. It has an armchair and a side table (near the bath for all my clutter), several ledges that are used for books/candles/ornaments/mugs etc, a substantial laundry basket, a rug and seven pictures (several of which are large). It is my favourite room in the house and I think my daily hour in the bath is better for me than therapy.
I know this will be an anathema to those who much prefer a shower, and who possibly think that having a bath is essentially sitting in your own filth (a bit harsh I grant you, but I’ve heard it said) but before you settle on a tiny shower room, I would consider whether you might prefer a generous, airy shower in a comfortable, inviting room, with daylight, some storage, and with attractive soft furnishings and accessories, that will make you feel good even if you are in a rush. I think that such a marvellous room might even compensate for not having endless en-suites and smaller shower rooms for each member of the household to pick from.
The thing with bathrooms is that they are tricky rooms to get right. There is a lot of functionality to be considered; they are often quite small tightly packed spaces; they are expensive and awkward to refurbish (I have long considered bathrooms the hardest rooms in a house to design and to build) and unless you are lucky, modern houses often have too many bathrooms for the home and old houses often have too few. However, we all use our bathrooms regularly and in different ways, so we need them to be not only serviceable but also attractive spaces to be in.
There is a modern trend towards having more bathrooms in homes than ever before. En-suites are common and in new build properties, you can find that as well as multiple en-suites, there is normally a stand-alone family bathroom and of course a general cloakroom, so you quickly end up with as many bathrooms as bedrooms, and sometimes more.
In all this, we may think that many bathrooms is a good thing but there are arguments against. For starters, they are expensive rooms to refurbish. They involve just about every trade (plumbers, electricians, tilers, floorers, decorators and so on) and bathroom fittings are rarely cheap. In addition, there is a lot of cleaning in a bathroom and even if that is not something you have to do yourself, you may want to think of the cleaning bill involved with having everyone using a different room to have a wash. Finally, it may be lovely for everyone to have their own bathroom so they don’t have to queue for a shower or bath but unless you have a massive flow of water into your home, and some impressive plumbing within it, you can’t run all the showers or baths efficiently at the same time anyway.
As ever with interiors, working out what you really want is crucial and it won’t be the same for everyone. For some, the privacy of having their very own bathroom is everything and for others, sharing is fine, particularly if that offers the luxury of a good, big space rather than a pokey en-suite. Think about where you need baths, where you need showers (most people quite strongly prefer one over the other) and where you need loos. We tend to put washing facilities and loos in the same room but this may not be the best solution, particularly if you have family members that like a lengthy bath or shower.
I think there is a lot to be said for privacy in any type of bathroom and this is particularly worth considering when designing an en-suite. Unless both your bedroom and bathroom are generous spaces, it is important to think about both noise levels when one person might be sleeping and the other using the bathroom, and also the view of the bathroom from the bedroom. There is nothing wrong with seeing the en-suite from your bedroom but no one wants a loo to be too close when you are settling down for a good night’s sleep.
You do occasionally see a bathtub in the bedroom – often in swanky hotels. This can be a solution if you just don’t have enough room in a bathroom to generously accommodate those who like an extended bath. The other thing about this is that bathrooms tend to have hard surfaces – tiles or other waterproof covering on walls or floor, ceramic fittings and metal brassware – so getting some softness and warmth in terms of rugs, curtains, soft furnishings and accessories is vital if you want to feel cosy and warm when you bathe. If you have a bath in the bedroom, this is already done for you.
I personally have always loved a bath. I remember watching the film The Royal Tenenbaums many years ago and being fascinated by the fact that Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) spends much time in the bath where she watches TV (with the TV balanced precariously on the radiator next to the bath – please note, this is very dangerous) smoking, drinking cocktails, answering the telephone and talking to her mother (who is perched on a very uncomfortable stool, which is possibly just what she intended). With this in the back of my mind, I recently designed our new bathroom at home with a view to spending as much time in the bath as possible. We converted a good size bedroom into a bathroom and it has a big, spacious shower and a separate, deep bath. It has an armchair and a side table (near the bath for all my clutter), several ledges that are used for books/candles/ornaments/mugs etc, a substantial laundry basket, a rug and seven pictures (several of which are large). It is my favourite room in the house and I think my daily hour in the bath is better for me than therapy.
I know this will be an anathema to those who much prefer a shower, and who possibly think that having a bath is essentially sitting in your own filth (a bit harsh I grant you, but I’ve heard it said) but before you settle on a tiny shower room, I would consider whether you might prefer a generous, airy shower in a comfortable, inviting room, with daylight, some storage, and with attractive soft furnishings and accessories, that will make you feel good even if you are in a rush. I think that such a marvellous room might even compensate for not having endless en-suites and smaller shower rooms for each member of the household to pick from.
© Angel + Blume
