Does Your Home Need Some Fresh Bathroom Design Ideas?
They may be queuing to get in, but are you sure this is as an indication of the attractiveness of your family bathroom designs? Might it not simply mean that your home could really do with additional facilities or some fresh bathroom remodeling ideas?
It may be a long time since we had to make do with a tub before the fire and a hut in the garden, but it seems that we are slow to recognize the vital role of bathroom plays in the smooth running of family life and it is only now that houses are being constructed with bathrooms matching bedrooms something like pro rata. A recent survey by house builders has revealed the somewhat unsurprising information that what most appeals to the current house-buying public are big kitchens and 'lots of bathrooms'.
Bathroom Remodeling Ideas
When it comes to planning a new bathroom or refurbishing an old one, the criteria that apply to bathrooms in general apply specifically to the family bathroom. In addition there is a need for more stringent safety precautions in view of the wide range of ages likely to be using this bathroom. A lockable cupboard for the storage of medicines is useful and an out-of-the-way space will be needed for storing caustic cleaning materials if the household contains young children.
Locks on windows and the elimination of sharp corners in the bathroom will also help maintain safety. Non-slip and grab rails are a useful addition if there is an elderly person in the house. Taps need to be chosen carefully: they should be easily manipulated, even with wet hands. A mixer-tap system will help prevent bathroom users from being exposed to extremes of temperature and, incidentally, will make for easy hair washing.
Bathroom Decorating Ideas
The furnishing of the family bathroom will depend very much upon the size of room at your disposal. As it is likely that the bathroom may be occupied by more than one person at a time, keeping the room as clear as possible (especially around the bath) will be a priority. Twin wash basins housed in a built-in unit are ideal and, if space allows, a separate shower could prove an invaluable alternative bathing facility. A chair or stool (possibly with a lift-up seat and storage below) will give you somewhere to sit or lay down clothes as well as providing a surface for a small child to stand on when reaching a basin.
Privacy is often a sensitive subject with growing children and if you can provide some minimal form of screening around the WC (a low projecting wall, a screen or curtains will suffice), this will do much to help. If possible, a separate WC should also be available for when the bathroom is occupied. It is not possible to over-estimate how long a teenager will spend in the bathroom!
Choose Bathroom Decorating Ideas That Work With The Bedroom Too
The best decorations for a family bathroom are simple, bright and cheerful (some children may need encouragement to enter!). If the bathroom is for use by both adults and children, try to avoid kindly childish themes, especially in any permanent fixtures (you, and your children when they are older, may regret those teddy-bear tiles). One idea, though, would be to introduce a younger theme in a replaceable shower curtain. Buy a fabric of your choice and line this with a plain plastic lining. However, by choosing a seashore, botanical or nautical theme you might well suit all tastes.
Surfaces, if they are to remain looking good, will need to be resilient. Ceramic tiles or a paint finish (with stenciling, if you like) are best for walls and sheet vinyl is probably the most serviceable covering for the floor. An easily removed, non-absorptive carpet might also be considered.
Useful extras for the bathroom would be plenty of mirrors, as large a heated towel rail as you can accommodate – there is little so uncomforting as a damp towel – and a wall-mounted hair dryer located near a mirror (but away from sources of water ).