Add a Spring Touch to Your Bathroom

The start of spring is here, the flowers are starting to bloom and hopefully the weather is warming up soon. Spring is such an exciting time of the year, it means that ongoing cold, rain, sleet and snow is behind us and it’s time to start planning for the warmer days.

When spring arrives most people start scrubbing their homes from top to bottom, spring cleaning helps us get rid of the old and start a new year with a spotless home.

Why should you bathroom be forgotten this spring? After giving your bathroom a spring clean there are ways you can add that touch of spring to your bathroom, giving it a new lease on life, making it bright and cheerful and making it feel fresh and new.

Fresh Spring Look and Feel

The first thing I always do when spring arrives is give my bathroom a new lick of paint, if you have tiles now is the time to check all the grouting, clean the tiles and have them looking new again. If you’re going to paint, keep the colour as light as possible, I always prefer white, you can add your splashes of colour in other areas.

Once the walls are painted and the bathroom is gleaming clean after the spring clean. I set a small budget aside for some spring things.

Spring Things

The simplest things like adding new towels to your bathroom can really welcome spring through the door. I always go for light blues, yellows and greens, fresh and light colours. Cool colours that will bring the brightness into the space. Combine green and yellow towels for an outside feel. Your new towels will look fantastic hanging on the towel rail or towel ring and will really enhance the space.

Another thing I like to do is to change the blind when spring arrives, again adding that fresh and cool colour scheme. I tend to blend my blind with my towels, so bright greens, yellows and blues. Vertical blinds work wonders in a bathroom environment enabling you to open them completely or just open the slats slightly while still offering privacy.

Add some flowers to the window sill, the fresh smell of flowers is always welcome in the bathroom and really welcomes spring into the space. Other options is to choose brightly coloured hand soaps and bath soaps, anything bright and cheerful to welcome spring into the bathroom area.

Modern Bathroom Designs – Luxurious Comfort

As we all know bathrooms are becoming more luxurious. It’s become common practice when renovating your home or building a home to ensure that your bathroom brings a “wow” factor to the table.

The advantage to having a modern and luxurious bathroom design is that it is a top selling point should you ever decide to sell your property in the future, a stylish bathroom can add value to the property.

Everyone’s take on modern and luxurious is different, some people prefer the ultra modern look and the very minimalist design with loads of straight edges, clear glass and white tiles. Some prefer the more traditional feel with lots of curves, large items and comfortable experiences.

Whenever you design your new bathroom you need to take your radiator into consideration. A radiator can be a blessing in a bathroom environment warming up the space, a welcome factor when you get out of the bath or shower.

Radiators also offer you a place to hang your towel while you bathe, a warm toasty towel is always welcome on those cold winter nights.

Stylish Designs

The great thing these days are the radiators designed for bathrooms aren’t ugly. In fact they are finished in a choice of fantastic and stylish design choices from the floor mounted options to those that you can hang on the wall.

The designer radiators also come with a choice of either vertical or horizontal bars, so you can choose a radiator that will blend in with your bathroom design perfectly.

The Valves

You may be wondering about the radiator valves. If the radiators are so stylish and most finished in a polished chrome, the radiator valves available should also be stylish, modern and elegant.

You’ll be pleased to know that they are. You can choose from cylindrical designs or square designs, perfect to blend in with any bathroom décor.

The rule of thumb that I always follow is to keep your design flowing throughout the space. If you have chosen a minimalist design with lots of straight edges and square taps and shower heads, then your radiator valves should also be square.

The same applies if you have chosen lots of circular items or those with gentle curves. Choose a radiator with round bars and then choose the radiator valves that blend in the best, those that have round dials, ensuring everything balances out and compliments each other.

Hide Your Bath Plumbing with Bath Panels

When placing a bath in your bathroom you want it to look neat, tidy and stylish. As you probably know your bath is mounted and under it is where you find all the plumbing, not a sight you want to put on display.

The plumbing under a bath is definitely not worth putting on display, it’s unsightly and ugly and will completely ruin the design of your bathroom. This is why it’s essential to have bath panels in place. These panels hide the ugly plumbing and fit perfectly to your bath, offering you that neat design you were hoping for.

Various Sizes

The great thing about bath panels is the various sizes they come in, if you can’t find one that is an exact match, they can be cut down to size, fitting in perfectly and giving a side to your bath.

Phoenix Rubartoi Freestanding Bath

There are different sized bath panels available, one for the elongated front section of the bath and then one for the end of the bath, if it is on display and not surrounded by a wall on three sides.

Bath panels are easy to install, they can be done quickly within an hour or two and can make a huge impact on how your bath fits into your bathroom space.

Various Colours

The next advantage when it comes to bath panels is the colour options available. Many people go for a white, lets face it, many baths are white and if you want a light and bright bathroom, then you want to choose a light colour.

Some bathrooms benefit from a focal point, a centre piece and you can do this if you have a freestanding bath, for example. Finding bath panels in bright purple, black or even red can make a huge impact in your bathroom, giving it a “wow” factor.

Selection of Textures

Sometimes you want to keep everything natural. I’ve found this in a choice of bathroom designs where they are trying to create an indoor and outdoor flow. Imagine a huge wall of glass with a bath placed near the glass, you obviously want to welcome the outdoors into the bathroom and bath panels in wood can help you achieve this.

Wooden bath panels also add some texture to your bathroom design. Even smaller bathrooms can benefit from a wooden toilet seat and wooden bath panels. Just be sure you choose a light wood that doesn’t overpower the room.

Freestanding Baths – The Luxury Statement

This year is a year of luxury bathrooms and there isn’t a better statement in a bathroom than a stunning freestanding bath. When it comes to luxury you want comfort, you want beauty and a space where you can relax.

Spa inspired bathrooms are also a popular choice this year, they also ooze that luxurious feel and a bathroom that is designed for comfort can add value to your home when it comes time to sell.

Phoenix Rubartoi Freestanding Bath

A bathroom that is minimalistic in design finished in white with plenty of glass makes a great statement, but you want to add that splash of luxury. Some of the best bathroom designs I have seen this season incorporate the three, minimalism, glass and luxury.

Freestanding baths come in a range of sizes and designs, so you can easily find the best one to suite your bathroom design from the stunning oval designs available in a range of colours to the rectangular designs.

Picture a white bathroom with white walls and floor, a large purple freestanding bath in the centre of the room with a large walk in shower to one side with glass enclosure to capture the light. With the bathroom all being white and simple, the freestanding baths colour is the splash of colour the bathroom needs, it showcases the luxurious side of the bathroom, add a whirlpool or airpool option to the bath and you have luxury second to none.

Another of the fantastic luxurious designs I have seen is a bathroom in a home set in the heart of the country, the bathroom had a large picture window and a rectangular freestanding bath was positioned next to the window in white. The floors, walls and ceilings were white with light brown vanity units and glass basins, it made such a statement incorporating the light and bright design with the sheer luxury of the bath nestled under the window where you can soak in a steaming bubble bath as you gaze across the country landscape. It doesn’t get better than that.

Freestanding baths can be placed in the centre of the room, under or next to a window or against a wall, the choice is up to you. They are available in white to stick to the minimalist design or some of them are available with a selection of coloured panels for you to choose from. Either way freestanding baths make a luxury statement in a bathroom design when you’re trying to achieve luxury and practicality into one space.

Practical Bathroom Accessories a Must

Have you ever stopped to consider the functionality of your bathroom? You probably have a bath or shower and there is a basin and toilet, but do you have a vanity for storage, do you have bathroom accessories such as toilet roll holders, towel rails and soap dishes?

When designing a bathroom you want the space to be practical. It should function with ease making your bathroom experience convenient and easy. There is one thing that so many people forget when budgeting for their bathroom and that is the smaller accessories which make the bathroom a practical and functional space.

Chrome Soap Dish

The curbarc bathroom accessories available offer you a range of items from soap dishes and towel rings for your basin to toilet roll holders and toilet brush holders for next to your toilet. There are the stunning glass shelves and the towel rails, not to mention the robe hooks.

If you are planning a modern and luxurious bathroom, then cubarc bathroom accessories are an absolute must. The cubarc range is square in design with rounded edges in a beautiful polished chrome finish which will complement any modern bathroom design.

When you choose square taps and products for your bathroom, you want to keep the design flowing, so why not keep the design the same with your accessories?

There are tumbler holders, soap dishes, towel rails, glass shelves and so much more to make your bathroom space practical and convenient.

For next to the toilet choose the toilet roll holder and toilet brush holder in it’s chrome finish with square design, absolutely perfect and makes your bathroom easy to enjoy.

Next to the basin you’ll want tumbler holders, a soap dish and a towel ring for your hand towel. This way you are assured your guests won’t use your bath towels to dry their hands when they visit your bathroom.

Looking at your shower or bath, you’ll want a towel rail to keep your towels hanging neatly and reduce the amount of mess strewn across the floor in the mornings and a robe hook adds convenience to an already well organized bathroom.

The cubarc bathroom accessories also come with stunning glass shelves which can be placed next to your basin to store all your bathroom items, reducing the clutter and keeping your bathroom neat and tidy.

So much emphasis is being placed on bathrooms this year. It’s a year for modern and luxurious inspired bathrooms and making them practical just adds to the overall functionality of the space, a space you can be proud of when a guest walks through the door.

The History of Baths

Did you know it was only in the twentieth century that private bathrooms became popular? The bathrooms you know today with stylish rectangular baths, toilets and basins were not even thought of before then.

In fact baths were first introduced in the third century when the Greeks and Romans introduced bath houses. These were public baths and were very busy places sometimes enabling thousands of people to bathe at the same time. Public bath houses were a place the gladiators went to soak after a fight and servants would bathe them, feed them and run errands for them while they lay in the waters.

Roman Baths in Bath

Actually the Romans were the ones that believed bathing was hygienic while the Greeks believed in a quick wash and only the women were expected to bathe in a bath submerged in water.

The Turks introduced the Turkish Baths, which are still popular today, these were hot baths and were spectacularly furnished with gold and silver finishes. Very spectacular and very luxurious.

The Muslims also introduced bath houses, these were located close to the Mosque because they believe in bathing before prayer. In fact if you travel to North Africa and visit Morocco or Tunisia you can still enjoy some pampering at one of these traditional baths which are still used today. These public baths are called hammams and produce steam, you let the steam soak into your skin while you bathe and finish off your cleaning process with a massage.

The public bath houses were short lived even though the Romans and Greeks ran aqueducts for their baths, disease soon spread through the water as you can well imagine with so many thousands of people all bathing in the same water.

Our Bathrooms Today

I must say that I am thankful I didn’t live all those thousands of years ago when it was customary to only bathe every few weeks, I love having my rectangular baths, my showers and toilet and not having to share my water with anyone else. I enjoy feeling clean when I get out of the bath.

To think that so many people were bathing in the same water makes you wonder how clean they really were when they were finished. They were washing themselves with other peoples dirt, no wonder disease spread so quickly back then.

Today we enjoy the luxury and convenience of our own private bathrooms with all the plumbing and water we need, but if it wasn’t for the Romans and Greeks, would the private bathroom have been introduced?

The Quick and Easy Way to Clean Your Shower

After a long and hard day at work coming home and having to tackle cleaning the bathroom is one of the worst things, especially the shower. Showers are not huge spaces so getting inside and giving them a good scrub is often time consuming and exhausting work.

Here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way to make the cleaning process quick and easy.

The first step is remove everything from inside the shower, this includes any shower mats, shampoos and soaps. Actually this is a good opportunity to clear out and remove the clutter, throw any old and empty items away. The ones you are going to place back in the shower give them a good wipe.

Fantasy Bathroom Design

Next you’ll want to rinse the shower with hot water. If you have a shower head that you can move around this works perfectly, otherwise fill a jug or bucket with hot water and throw it all over the walls, enclosure and tiles. The hot water gets all the dirt to lift making it much easier to clean.

You’ll need a good mildew remover, you can buy it in any shop and you can get rid of any mildew build up, this could be on the shower enclosure tracks, the walls and even the shower enclosure in line panels.

Make your own cleaning mixture, you can buy all the fancy and expensive bathroom cleaners in the shop but an equal amount of vinegar mixed with water is the best solution when cleaning your shower, especially your shower enclosure in line panels and shower door.

Put your mixture in a spray bottle or on a sponge and rub it on the inside of your shower enclosure, the mixture works wonders on soap marks that ruin the look of your shower.

You can also use it on the tiles, use an old toothbrush or brush between the tiles to remove any unwanted marks.

All you have to do now is rinse. Now for me personally I give my shower another once over but only because I can’t stand the smell of vinegar, while it is probably the best cleaning product for your shower, the smell isn’t one you want permeating through your bathroom. I still use a basic bathroom cleaner and give my shower a quick spray, let it stand for a few minutes, give it a wipe including the shower enclosure in line panels and then one final rinse to leave a sparkling clean shower.

Affordable Bathroom Designs

Designing a bathroom on a budget may seem difficult, but if you know what to look for and ways you can save costs, then you are able to complete your new bathroom within your budget.

Bathroom Suites

Bathroom suites is just one of the many ways you can save money when designing a new bathroom. These suites include a toilet and basin, sometimes a vanity. The advantage is that you pay one price for all the items and another advantage is that they all match and work well together. This can save you a lot of time and energy trying to source bathroom products to match the ones you have already purchased.

Bright Bathroom Suites

Shower Sets

If you’re putting a shower into your bathroom taking advantage of shower sets can save you a lot of money in the long run, in fact it’s easy to finish off your shower working to a tight budget.

Shower sets usually include a slide rail, taps and the shower head. What this means is again everything is matching and you don’t have to try and source a shower head to match your mixer taps or vice versa.

In fact shower sets are the convenient way to plan your shower, there is a wide selection available for you to choose from including those designed for the more traditional bathroom to those specifically designed for the ultra modern and luxurious bathrooms.

Other Suggestions

Once you have purchased your shower sets or your bathroom suite you will want to complete your bathroom still using some of your budget. A lick of paint goes a really long way and you should bear this in mind, in fact painting your bathroom can give your bathroom a completely new feel.

Choose light colours and natural tones, natural tones are a firm favourite this year that offers warmth and texture to what would be a very clinical bathroom.

Buy bathroom accessories that blend in with your basin taps and shower sets, chrome is often preferred because it’s a modern material with a great shine that enhances the bathroom space. Choose your accessories to match from your toilet roll holder to your towel rail and then ensure they are the same shape as your taps and shower sets, so square or circular in design.

Keeping the same design throughout your bathroom helps keep your bathroom looking elegant and stylish and you can buy all these items on a shoestring budget and still finish with a spectacular bathroom.

An Easy Guide To Selecting Basin Taps

When choosing basin taps there are a few things to take into consideration, while you may see taps that really appeal to you, you need to ensure they blend in with all your other bathroom fixtures and fittings and that they will work with your new bathroom basin.

Tap Mountings

Before you go online and buy your new basin taps you will need to determine where and how you intend to mount your new taps. Does your basin have two tap holes or one? How close together are the two holes? These are important factors you need to take into consideration and that will help you find the right taps on your first try.

Phoenix WF Series Basin Mixer Tap

The basin taps you get are pillar taps, these are when you have two holes in your basin, one for hot and one for cold. Preferably if you have chosen a basin with these holes your bath will be the same.

Mixer basin taps are for when you have one hole in your basin for your tap, these taps use the same outlet for both hot and cold, mixing the water to your desired temperature and pressure.

The Finish

Your basin taps should be finished the same as all the other taps in your bathroom. My personal favourite is chrome, it blends in beautifully with the white bathroom products and is very modern and stylish.

There are a variety of materials to choose from, but if you are looking for elegance and style you may want to go with the chrome finish where you can match your bath taps, shower head and even your designer radiator to your basin taps.

Complementing The Space

The one mistake I have seen so many households make when choosing bathroom taps is not taking the design of the bathroom into consideration. Taps are available in the traditional design or very ultra-modern designs such as the stunning ZD Series Mono Basin Mixer, which is straight edged and modern with an unusual curve.

Now this basin tap may be what you have been dreaming of but will look out of place in a traditional or cottage bathroom. The same as if you are designing a modern bathroom and your bathroom products are all square and stylish, then the traditional pillar taps such as the JA Series basin taps would look out of place and ruin your overall design.

Spice Up Your Student Accommodation Bathroom

Because you’re a student and living in student accommodation doesn’t mean your bathroom needs to have the bare essentials in it. You can spice it up without spending a lot of money and enjoy the convenience you would enjoy if you were using your bathroom back home.

Paint Party

Whether you’re in shared accommodation or have a small studio apartment near campus you can get some friends together and give your bathroom a lick of paint. Choosing white is the best option as white gives the bathroom a brighter feel which in turn makes it feel bigger than it is. Not to mention that hanging out with friends and painting is always a great and fun way to spend the evening.

Painted Bathroom Floor and Walls

Accessories

Adding some comforts from home will not only give your bathroom a more homely feel but make you more comfortable in your own space. From towels to candles and other bathroom accessories, these will all just make your bathroom look that extra special.

Mirrors

For student accommodation the back lit bathroom mirrors are a must, they are stylish and trendy and will make a statement in any bathroom. Never mind that they come with a range of benefits including the fact that they offer additional light in a darker bathroom, they give you place to get ready for glasses and they work as an art piece on your bathroom wall.

The advantage to the back lit bathroom mirrors is the different shapes and sizes available from round to rectangular with either vertical or horizontal lights. Placing one above the basin will not only make your student bathroom look stylish, but will give it that modern twist.

Storage

Now that you’ve given your bathroom a lick of paint, added some accessories from home and placed a back lit bathroom mirror on your wall you need space to store all your bathroom items, especially if you are sharing a bathroom.

Any bathroom can become cluttered in the blink of an eye so having adequate storage for all your products can help keep your bathroom neat at all times. You don’t need to spend a fortune, a small bathroom cupboard with just enough storage space for all your goodies can make a huge impact on your bathroom, leaving it neat and tidy and making you feel more comfortable in your student space.

Image Source (http://jpmdesign.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/fabulous-painted-floors.html)