If you're just back from a summer holiday that involved drifting around a gorgeous spa-like bathroom, seize the moment and get inspired to add that spa-like touch to your own bathroom. Ok, so the reality may be a little less glamourous - after all we don't always get it together to have an endless pile of white fluffy towels instantly to hand! But if you're about to plan or update your current bathroom there are a few ways of adding luxurious touches that won't cost a fortune and which will make the room more appealing and luxurious.
Needless to say, one of our favourite ideas is the double shower head concept - beautifully illustrated here with Abode's Storm double head shower.
We love the idea of a pair of basins in the bathroom... saves jostling in the morning rush, or allocate one to the children and one to the adults! The tall, monobloc basin mixers here are the Harmonie design by Abode, see other options in the collection HERE
Deck-mounted taps are a good way of achieving a streamlined look in the bathroom. Look out for three-hole sets (filler/spout plus two hand wheels) or even four-hole sets, which include an additional pull-out hand shower - invaluable for helping children bathe, or simply just for rinsing and cleaning the bath!
A quick update that can be achieved on a budget is of course, a coat of paint. Always use a 'kitchen and bathroom' formulation if the bathroom is splashed and steamy; they are designed to discourage mould and fungus growths, and will resist any damage that may be caused by condensation and steam. Of course, a properly ventilated bathroom (extractor fan or open window) plays the most important part. If you've got an all-white bathroom, consider adding a pop of bold colour - just one wall for starters. Consider deep purples, greys and navy for a contemporary touch. Remember 'greenery' (a vibrant jungle green) and 'blush' (pinky-copper-gold) which have been highly popular this year. One of our favourite pain ranges is by Zoffany - ideal if you're keen on updating with bold feature shades, but perfect for a great choice of muted greys and neutrals too. Shown here, the flat matt grey is Unicorn's Breath by Hicks & Wetherburn, from Dowsing & Reynolds; the navy is marble matt emulsion in Mayfair Dark by Mylands.
Wallpaper is also a great option for the bathroom. Not necessarily for behind the basin, of course, but if there's a bit of space and the wall in question is unlikely to get splashed, consider a luxury vinyl paper. Zoffany's wallpaper and Blendworth's Tim Wilman ranges are defintely worth a look - think about luxury gold or silver metallic finishes (which will also compliment the new taps and shower equipment you may be considering!) We're also particularly enthusiastic about these options; the embossed and textured Palm Leaf in Copper and Black by AS Creations, and Muriva's Tropical Bird vinyl wallcovering, all available from I Want Wallpaper.
Or you could skip the painting idea and head straight for a new set of towels, bath mats and baskets. Go for an eclectic collection of vivid shades - shocking pink, citrus yellow, acid green and cobalt blue all clash or match beautifully, depending on your point of view! The gorgeous blue towels are from a selection at Next. On the other hand, to revert to the spa-;like ambiance, a pile of beautifully fluffy pure white towels looks irresistible and sophisticated. We're also rather fond of hamman-style towels in pure linens and cotton, which can be used as a wrap if it's too warm to slip on a towelling robe.
Whilst discussing updates it would be remiss of us not to mention a couple of gorgeous new tile designs from Johnson tiles. Eminence is an intricate textured pattern which would look stunning as a simple, small-scale splashback behind a basin, and Subway is a bolder, three-dimensional design that would make a luxury feature of any plain white colour scheme. See the rest of the new designs here.
A more extensive bathroom overhaul may include new taps and shower fittings. If the brassware looks shabby, but the furniture and sanitary ware is still in good working order, think about updating the taps and shower equipment. To minimise upheavel, you'll need to replace like-for-like - ie a monobloc basin mixer will need to replace a monobloc basin mixer, a three hole set of wall-mounted taps (ie two hand wheels and a spout) will need to be replaced by the same set-up. However, simply changing from dated styles to sleek and contemporary styles in a chrome or new on trend finish will work wonders for the overall look and appeal of the bathroom. Catch up with the extensive range from Abode here.
