Bathroom plumbing can be compared to the swan’s legs. We don’t see it and yet without it, your beautiful wet room could not function. It does all the hard work while your bath, toilet and basin get all the glory.

If you’re planning to install a new bathroom, there are a number of things to consider plumbing-wise. Here a few of the most important things you should take note of before you fit your first pipe…

Hide those pipes

Let’s face it, pipes are not the most beautiful things ever invented. It is rare to see a picture of a pipe in an art gallery. So you should look at ways to conceal your pipe work so that the good looking parts of the room, like a stunning roll top bath, can shine.

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It may mean a bit more work is required to hide them but you will be happier with the finished result. For instance, tiles may need to be removed and floors lifted, but if they can be hidden away all people will see is the beauty above.

Be flexible and think ahead

Some people don’t like plastic pipes and yet these are more flexible and they can be threaded through difficult areas like joists and corners without needing joints. In addition, should you want to upgrade your plumbing at some point in the future, it is easier to do this if you have used pliable plastic.

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You should think ahead and put isolation valves on every pipe. This means you can just shut off a pipe if you need to do any maintenance work. You will find that most plumbing codes advise that valves should be placed ahead of each joint and they should be easily accessible.

Pressure and other considerations

Water pressure will make some of your plumbing decisions for you. A gravity-fed system or even some combi boilers may not be able to supply the hot water flow that you need for the appliances you would like to fit.

That power shower you wanted may be out of the question and even some bath shower mixer systems need the pressure to be above at least three bars to run properly. If this is the case then you will need to look at alternative solutions.

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An electric shower can create its own hot water on demand as it heats mains pressure cold water extremely quickly before it gets to the shower head. As it is independent of your hot water system, it means that if your boiler goes kaput you can still at least have a nice hot shower.

Bathroom Plumbing- What to Consider is a post by Adam Williams on BestBathrooms.com

Hotels are designed by experts. Hopefully they are created with the comfort of the customer in mind. This means that you can steal ideas from your stay and make your home more stylish in the process.

So as you bounce into your bathroom on the first morning of your break take a good look around the room. You should scrutinise the shower enclosures and review the roll top bath to see if they would fit in with your bathing chamber.

Keeping it simple

The key to good design is to keep it simple. You may have noticed that modern design is uncluttered and the really talented designers do not over-complicate things. These days less is more and that is an idea you can nick for your bathroom.

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Modern hotel bathrooms tend be minimalistic. This can be for practical reasons, i.e. they are easier to clean, but they are also made this way to make the room look ultra modern. They want the room to appear clean, sleek and spacious so that you will enjoy spending time in there.

Hotel owners do their market research and they know that people on holiday prefer to have a shower rather than a bath. People want to be sun bathing or exploring the locality during their time away and they don’t want to waste too much of their precious free time.

Some hotel bathrooms these days are based on the Scandinavian wet room. The space will be beautifully tiled and dominated by a powerful shower. It is perfect for getting rid of the sand out of your hair and preparing yourself for some posh nosh in the hotel restaurant.

The details

If you take a good look around your hotel bathroom you will find that the reason that it works is due to the little details. The towel radiators may be imaginatively designed or the storage solutions could be chic and clever.

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All the things that you would never usually notice are specifically designed so that you will not notice them. For instance, they may use wire shelving that is simple and effective. It also looks pretty cool and helps make the room look larger.

Obviously, the big difference between a place of leisure and your home is that there is an invisible person who comes in every day to clear the clutter. Yet you will find that there are plenty of unobtrusive cupboards to store stuff in a hotel bathroom. If you provide the same storage space in your home you never know your family might put things away!

Ask someone to say what they remember most about their stay in a nice hotel and more often than not they will say, “Fluffy towels.” People love the textiles that hostelries provide. Sometimes they can accidentally find their way into visitors’ suitcases.

So if at the moment you can’t quite afford to re-design your bathroom you can always go out and legally get hold of some top quality towels to give your bathroom that five star feel.

Modern Hotel-Style Bathroom Ideas is a post by Adam Williams on BestBathrooms.com

Yet you can bring your bathroom up-to-date and improve its look with a few simple touches here and there. You will not have to visit the bank manager to make these improvements and they will help to spruce up your little nest.

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When sunnier financial days do come along you may be able to replace that toilet and basin you inherited when you moved in to your house. Here, though, are some tips on how you can improve your bathing space in the meantime.

Adding colour to your bathroom

Take advantage of a long Bank Holiday weekend by getting a few pots of paint and making a feature out of one of your walls. Feature walls are a great way of changing the way a room looks without having to spend too much money.

If you are bold you could paint it vivid red to really make a difference to your wet room. The room will feel brighter, more exciting and, more importantly, you will have made the space feel fresh and different just by adding some paint to one wall.

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With the addition of a new set of brightly coloured towels as well the room will be transformed. A new bathroom mirror will also brighten up the room. If you were to put a number of mirrors on the walls they should invigorate the space as light will positively bounce around the room.

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New vanity units will help to bring a touch of brightness and vitality to your room. If you have a small bathroom the addition of some white units will help to illuminate the space and make it feel bigger.

Super storage and clever design

Is your bathroom full of clutter? Are the shampoo bottles, bath liquids, soap and other bits of ephemera making your room look untidy? Well, they need to be stored away but they way you store them can actually help with the way your bathroom looks.

For instance, you could add some open shelving to one corner of the room. Get some little caskets and give everyone in the family a shelf. They can then put their bathroom bottles and wet room wreckage in their little container.

This bit of bathroom furniture will be something for the family. It will help improve the design of your room as well as clearing away all that unwanted clutter. You may already know this fact but it will also help to identify the most untidy member of your clan.

A bright alternative to your storage problem could be to get some brightly coloured boxes for your posh soaps and sponges. Or bring a taste of the east to your room with ethnic style containers.

Whatever you decide to do you will be happy to know that you can still keep “Update the bathroom” on your list of things to do.

Easy Bathroom Decorating Ideas is a post by Adam Williams on BestBathrooms.com

In the Nordic countries shower enclosures are not generally used and instead they install a waterproof membrane beneath the floor and behind the wall tiles so that the whole room becomes effectively one big shower cubicle.

Like their television programmes the wet room is becoming increasingly popular in this country. So if you are thinking of turning one of your rooms into a wet room here is a guide on the best way to install one into your home.

Heating the wet room

Wet rooms are generally heated by electric underfloor heating (UFH) systems. People tend to feel that a wet room is bound to be colder than a normal bathroom. With a UFH system in your wet room your feet will be warmer as you step on the floor and the system will help to dry out the room quicker.

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Because underfloor heating actually radiates heat around the room you may find it is actually warmer than a traditional bathroom heated by a radiator. Radiators are actually convectors of heat and tend not to distribute the heat as efficiently as a UFH system.

Also the attraction of a wet room is the fact that it looks sleek, clean and neat. Because it is hidden away the underfloor heating will provide your wet room with the modern, flawless feel that you want.

Designing the wet room

The most important decision you will have to make when it comes to designing your wet room is the position of the shower. This will affect where everything else is placed within the room so you have to make sure that you put it in the right place.

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You can then make a decision about the look and feel of your wet room. Traditionally the style of the room is completely open plan and people tend to go for a cool and clinical design. That means lots of dark tiles to make it look ultra contemporary.

If you want to give your wet room a Scandinavian feel you could encase the room in timber. This will make it feel warmer and more natural than the standard wet room. The wood will need to be sealed properly to protect it from the damp and steamy conditions that will prevail in a wet room.

Benefits of the wet room

The very idea of creating a watertight room may make you think that the creation of a wet room will be too much trouble. However, a wet room could increase the value of your house and it may turn out to be a shrewd thing to do.

Also wet rooms are easier to use for people who are restricted in their movement. Kids love them and you never know your unclean teenager may find that he or she will happily leap under the shower in a trendy wet room.

They don’t take as long to clean either which will give you time to sit down and watch that box-set of The Killing.

The BestBathrooms Guide to Wet Rooms is a post by Adam Williams on BestBathrooms.com

Baths, like people, are different. They differ in style, size and shape. Some cling to the wall while others stand alone. There are blingy baths while other tubs prefer to be simple and understated. Not all baths are rectangular some are oval shaped and you can also get tubs that look like a keyhole.

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There are Jacuzzi baths and whirlpool baths for those people who prefer to have a little more excitement when they soak. Choosing a bath is possibly a tad more difficult than you first thought so here is a handy guide to baths.

Size is everything

Obviously the size of the bath will depend on the size of the bathroom into which it is going to be placed. You will have to consider this fact and that there will probably be a toilet and basin in the room as well vying for space.

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An average sized bath is about 1.7m x 70cm. If there are any giants in your family you may need to get a bigger bath. However, this size of bath will enable most people to relax and bathe in absolute comfort.

We are all environmentalists now and you should consider that the bigger the bath you buy the more water it will need to fill it. It is estimated that it costs 96p to fill a bath so a larger tub will mean you will be paying over a quid for your soak.

The important thing, of course, is that you feel comfortable when you lie down in your bath. You don’t want it to be too small so that it stops you stretching your legs and you also don’t want it to be too big so that you feel you have to swim to the other end to turn the taps on.

Style of your bath

As the very old joke goes you used to bathe once a week whether you needed to or not. The actual style of the tub you used was never really a consideration. So long as you could fill it with water and get in was all that mattered.

The style conscious out there want their bath to look great. The fashionistas feel it should make a statement and reflect their personalities. It is not just a utilitarian object but an integral part of the design of their bathroom.

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The freestanding bath is the sort you should go for if you want heads to turn when they enter your wet room. You can get stone baths in the shape of an egg that look stunning. Or the more exuberant may like to have a bath covered with gold mosaic tiles or even Swarovski crystals.

However, most people will be happy to go for a good, solid acrylic bath that might not stand out from the crowd but it gets the job done.  When you have kids the last thing you need to worry about is whether they are damaging the golden bath.

A Handy Guide to Baths is a post by Adam Williams on BestBathrooms.com

Yet your bijou bathroom can punch above its weight with a few clever touches that can make it look bigger. The key is to make sure that you make the most of the space that you have available. You can still make a design statement with a pocket wet room.

Ex-French president Nicolas Sarkozy was tiny and yet he became the most powerful man in his land and grabbed a supermodel on the way. Here are some tips on how to make small bathrooms as great as possible.

Making choices about your bathroom

Traditionally a bathroom is made up of bath, toilet and basin. If space is limited you will have to think about installing a shower enclosure instead of having a bath. It will take up less space and enable you to fit more in to your bathroom.

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Your shower does not have to be a small box. There are some spectacular shower enclosures out there that are eye catching, stylish and modern. Indeed the whole room could become basically a walk-in shower if you wish.

It is also important that you decide to put things in the right places. If you have a door that swings into the bathroom then you need to consider where you are going to put your basin and your toilet. You don’t want to be banged in the back by the door if someone walks in while you are cleaning your teeth.

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There are toilets and sinks that can be placed in the corner of the room. These will help you to make the most of the space you have available. In addition by having them in the corner your bathroom will look quirky, different and interesting.

Making use of the space you have in your bathroom

How are you going to heat your little lather-room? In an en-suite bathroom you may just need heated towel rails to keep it warm. If the room is slightly bigger than an en-suite then you may need to consider fitting electric underfloor heating.

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Radiators are great but they do take up a bit of space. In a large bathroom you probably don’t notice them but when space is at a premium you may need to think about heating your room from underneath.

We all know that a mirror will help to make your room look bigger. It is also true that lots of clutter in your bathroom will make it look smaller. Look for clever storage solutions, such as making use of alcoves in the wall for shelves to help maximise the space you have.

Make sure that you paint or decorate your room in a nice light colour. Dark colours will make a small space look even smaller. You don’t just have to go for boring old white you can choose light yellow or blue to keep it bright and light.

When you do come to sell your house the Estate Agent might just simply write “Bathroom”.

A Guide to Small Bathrooms is a post by Adam Williams on BestBathrooms.com

The same is true when it comes to bathroom design. Obviously, every bathroom contains a bath, toilet and basin. The designs and colours of those three basic items has altered a lot over the years. At one time an avocado coloured bath was the bee knees.

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Ironically, the vintage look will always remain fashionable. Everyone is always impressed by a roll top bath with period bath taps. It looks so elegant and you can picture yourself inside it pretending to be a character from Downton Abbey happily relaxing in your tremendous tub.

Antique accessories

Authentic accessories will give your vintage bathroom that period feel. If you want people to feel that they have walked into the past as they open your bathroom door then you need to make sure that all the little details are correct.

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So if you want to create an art-deco bathroom then you will need an art-deco bathroom mirror. A modern reflector would just look wrong if everything else looks like it has stepped out of a film from the twenties or thirties.

The same is true of storage. You can be creative with the things you use to store the bathroom ephemera such as lotions, shampoos and so on. If you are going for the thirties look a few old style suitcases will look great and they will house your clutter with aplomb.

You need to think like a designer on a TV or film period drama. Even though you are using a modern central heating system you know that if there are any anachronisms with the design there will be letters of complaint!

Contrast or conflict

A lot depends on the sort of property you own on how much of a success or failure your retro bathroom design will be. If you own a vintage property then it will work really well. A wet room that matches the age of the property it is inside should look stunning.

If you do own an old house then a bit of harmony will work really well as it will match your home. However, in modern homes if you jumble up the components of your vintage bathroom it will look better.

Rather than making everything fit to a particular era you may want to mix and match your retro room. So like Doctor Who you could travel about in the past and have some Victorian style curtains, Georgian style wallpaper, and an art-deco style bath.

By using a mix of periods it can make your bathroom appear that it has grown organically. It can give off a lived-in vibe and give the impression that you have added things as you have gone along. This gives your design vitality and makes the space feel free.

After all you want your bathroom to look good but you also want to feel good in your bathroom.

How to Create a Vintage Bathroom is a post by Adam Williams on BestBathrooms.com

Bathroom products are now available in new shapes and sizes including cornered, angled and tapered due to the clever use of acrylic, which are ideal for awkward layouts. Regardless of the size or shape of fittings that you choose a successful bathroom design should promote a sense of well-being and relaxation.

For those who are creating or updating a bathroom it is vital that you plan thoroughly to make the best use of space as mistakes can be expensive to correct. Make sure you read these useful tips and advice on where to get started with bathroom design.

Assess your requirements

An ideal place to start with your new bathroom design is to assess your exact requirements. Consider how many bathrooms your home needs as an extra bathroom or cloakroom suite can really help to ease a busy household’s daily routine.

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Take into consideration who will be using the bathroom as young children, the less mobile and elderly have specific requirements. Walk in shower enclosures and wetrooms are ideal for those who are less mobile as they provide easy access in and out of the shower area, while double basins and baths provide a practical solution for a family bathroom. For the elderly, grab rails, shower seats and user-friendly taps ensure that the bathroom is easy to use.

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Storage is a key element of your bathroom design so decide what you need to keep in the bathroom, which will help you to choose the most appropriate style of furniture such as a vanity unit or mirrored cabinet.

What look and feel do you want to create? Do you want a sleek, minimal wetroom or a bathroom where you can enjoy a relaxing soak in a freestanding bath? Do you prefer contemporary or traditional? These elements ensure that you achieve a look to suit your tastes.

Budget

Budgeting appropriately is important to achieving bathroom success and should be put in place from the start. Make a list of what fixtures and fittings you need to buy as well as tiles, flooring and lighting and always watch out for hidden costs including installation, electrics and plumbing. It’s a good idea not to compromise on the quality of fixtures and fittings to ensure of long lasting use, instead compromise on your choice of materials for surfaces and finishes such as stone and glass for example as these will always be more expensive.

Bathroom design

The bathroom is not just a functional place anymore and with such an impressive choice of taps, basins, baths and storage now available you can take a much wider approach to bathroom design and create a space that is personal to you.

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The size of your bathroom can often dictate the design of the room. If you have a small bathroom it wouldn’t be wise to try and fit in a large bath for example, instead you need to make the best use of the available room by choosing compact fittings and creating as much floor space as possible. For spacious bathrooms you can take advantage of freestanding baths and furniture.

Finally, lighting, finishing touches and close attention to detail should just as carefully be considered as other rooms in your home.

Author: Liz Robinson

Bathroom Design – Where to Start is a post by Liz on BestBathrooms.com

Like the chancellor we all need to invest in infrastructure projects that improve our tiny realms. This is to say that we know that the bathroom needs doing up and we have to find the pennies to get it done.

Yet it need not cost a fortune to beautify your bathroom. Here are a few ideas on how you can warm up your wet room quicker than your radiators on a cold day.

Keep it simple

A few simple and inexpensive changes can transform your bathroom. The splashback, for instance, can be transformed for the cost of a few tiles. The boring uniformity you have at the moment could be replaced by tiles of a more decorative design that will make your basin far more interesting.

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You could add some decorative stickers to those dull tiles to bring them to life. You can also put them on the tiles in your shower enclosures or around the bath to brighten up your bathroom. Bring that natural feel to the space by sticking shells to them as well.

A bright and breezy shower curtain can make you and your bathroom feel better. Some decorative towels can also help to improve your bathroom design and they needn’t cost a fortune.  Even a new bathroom mirror will help you to look at your wet room anew.

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It is easy to bring a bit of basic colour and excitement to your bathroom by getting some brightly designed boxes to store all that clutter that seems to fill your bathroom. This will bring some vibrancy to the space and by getting rid of all that bathroom ephemera the room will look more appealing.

Adding a bit more

If the old bathroom needs a new lick of paint then get your paintbrushes out and brush away. You need only buy two colours to create a stunning new bathroom. Just make sure that the colours contrast with each other and get painting.

There are a number of ways to make two colours work. Either paint three walls in one colour and create a feature wall with the other one. Or you could paint the top half of the walls in one colour and the bottom half in the other shade.

However, you will probably know that sometimes conflicting colours can also work. For instance, if you got some black and white bathroom wallpaper you could bring a wonderful art deco feel to your bathroom.

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Art deco design is in for a bit of a renaissance following the release later this year of the new film adaptation of The Great Gatsby with Leonardo Di Caprio and Carey Mulligan. So if you can create a dashing deco bathroom in black and white you can laze back in your roll top bath as if you were mega-rich Daisy Buchanan.

Unfortunately, you will then have to wake up and start balancing those books once again.

Bathroom Design Ideas on a Budget is a post by Adam Williams on BestBathrooms.com

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if your bathroom could be one big seaside postcard? You could lie back in your roll top bath, close your eyes and remember the days when all you needed to be happy was a bucket, a spade and a bit of sun.

Here are some ideas on how you can turn your bathroom into a coastal paradise.

Be natural

If you want to make your bathroom feel like the seaside then you will have to bring the seaside into your bathroom. This means that you should use natural colours and use actual bits of the seaside in your bathroom.

For instance, next time you are on a beach collect some shells. Clean them and stick them to the splashback of your basin. Arrange attractively coloured pebbles around the room, on shelves and maybe collect a number of them and place them in large glass bottles.

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You should use blues and greens to give the feel of the sea and the sky. Even if it rained when you were on holiday as a kid you want your bathroom re-creation to be perpetually sunny. Bring in a sandy texture to your bathroom by introducing wicker or willow bathroom furniture.

The whole space should be light and airy. Make sure it is as bright as possible. Remember you want people to feel like they are in the outdoors so try to ensure that your bathroom feels free, open and fun.

Be nautical

Just by adding in a shower curtain with a seaside theme on it or a pedal bin with fishes on will immediately give your bathroom a nautical feel. Putting seaside postcards or pictures on your walls will brighten up the room.

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A porthole shaped bathroom mirror, a toilet seat with ships on, a pictorial blind depicting a blue sky with a sandy beach and a red deckchair or nautical bathroom wallpaper will all evoke the feeling of being at sea. Blue tiles on the walls and simple brown flooring will give the space that seaside vibe.

The key to a creating a coastal theme is simplicity. You are trying to evoke the simple pleasures you felt as a child being at the seaside. Perhaps you could even put a bucket and spade in the corner of the bathroom.

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If you have the money to spend then a modern freestanding bath could give the impression of a boat out at sea. If you have the artistic skill the wall could be painted to depict a seaside scene that you can view as you relax in your little tub on the waves.

Even if the weather was unkind when you went on those childhood holidays at least in your coastal bathroom you can create a space that, whilst it will be necessarily wet, will also be permanently sunny.

How to Create a Coastal Bathroom Theme is a post by Adam Williams on BestBathrooms.com