Whether planning a new bathroom or renovating an existing scheme, there are a number of considerations to make at the planning stages, to ensure a smooth process. Yousef Mansuri, Head of Design at C.P. Hart, shares his top 5 bathroom design tips.
LAYOUT
When planning a bathroom, always start with the layout. This layout of the scheme is primarily dictated by the position of the soil stack pipe for the toilet and whether it can be moved or not. The toilet has stricter limitations than moving pipework due to the fall of the waste.
Once you know where this is positioned, you can start thinking about where the basin, bath and shower will go. Pipework tends to be more flexible when it comes to repositioning. Once you have your layout and therefore measurements, the exciting part starts – you can create your mood boards and choose your products. Make sure you don’t forget about towel rails and heating when considering all of this. One big mistake we often see is once having left the shower, people have to walk across the bathroom to reach their towel.
LIGHTING
Bathroom lighting is as important as positioning the sanitary ware. The overall mood and atmosphere of the bathroom is dictated by the lighting scheme, so this should be decided prior to signing off any designs.
Make sure you consider lighting without relying too heavily on downlights. Although these are fantastic at giving an even covering of light, they are not the most sympathetic and can often take the charm out of a room, leaving it looking clinical. Try using two lighting circuits, one for the downlights and another which includes more inventive feature lighting, such as recess lights, under basin lights, wall lights and marker lights fitted to the floor to up light the bath.
SHOWERS AND WETROOMS
The first thing to consider with a shower is the type of floor you have. Be it a tray or tiled floor, an anti-slip option is essential. Many steel trays offer an anti-slip option and composite trays are often matt in finish for additional grip. If tiling the shower floor, it’s incredibly important to choose a matt finish tile for grip, rather than a gloss, which would be dangerous.
If opting for a wetroom, there are several designs available, from ultra-minimal frameless options to the bold statement black Cryttal styles. It’s important to note, that if the width of the panel is larger than 1100mm, you will require a bracing bar for stability. These can either be fixed to the wall or the ceiling, depending on the design. Some homeowners, however, prefer an entirely enclosed shower rather than a walk-in. The benefit of this is that the heat is kept within the showering space. Finally, for toe tingling luxury why not consider under-floor heating? Warm tootsies and a self-drying floor!
BATHS
Baths come in many different shapes, styles and materials, and consequently there are baths for every budget, style and need. Freestanding stone, composite and cast iron baths are at the high end of the price spectrum and offer substantial benefits compared to inset steel and acrylic tubs. Composites are warm to the touch and can be repaired easily, while cast iron baths arguably have the best heat retention properties.
BRASSWARE
Brassware is one of the the most important elements of any bathroom. As working parts with continuous water flowing through them, they need to be durable enough to withstand the wear and tear of daily use. Of all the elements that make up a modern bathroom, we recommend investing in quality brassware to ensure longevity. Most brassware is wall mounted which makes it much harder to fix. Therefore, paying more for brassware at the beginning will pay dividends later on.
It’s also important to pick products that suit a property’s water pressure. Older Victorian properties for example, typically do not have suitable plumbing to give enough pressure for large overhead showers.
For assistance planning a bathroom, the C.P. Hart Design Service is still open for virtual consultations. From initial layout planning and 3D CAD renders to product and style advice, please call us on 03458 731 121 or email [email protected].
