Family bathroom
(MAKE YOURS BULLETPROOF, BUT NOT BORING)
Add a style splash and make yours kid-proof but not boring
Biggest bathroom overdue a revamp? Follow our guide to making a splash style-wise in a room that can stand the kids getting messy while getting clean
Above all, your family bathroom – so called because it is used by all the family, unlike a private en suite – needs to practical. Yawnsville. Sorry, but there’s no escaping it. There must be storage, especially if dozens of plastic toys are still a part of the bathtime routine. And yes, we’re afraid all surfaces must be easy to clean and devoid of nasty little germ-trapping crevices. However, this does not, repeat not, mean it has to be personality free and lacking in street style. Family bathrooms, whether or not you are sprogged-up, should uplift the spirit in the morning (or at least sustain you until the first caffeine fix), and help you relax and unwind at the end of the day.
According to the design experts, the key to any successful bathroom is space. A bit of a blow given that the average UK family bathroom shimmies in at a paltry two metres square. Recognising that the daily benefits are worth sacrificing occasional-use guest accommodation, many people are opting to convert their spare bedroom into a luxuriously big family bathroom.
Some are able to steal space from a dead-end hallway, or by relocating the hot water cylinder. If physically up-scaling your bathroom’s footprint is a no-go, you can make the most of what you’ve got using space-saving sanitaryware. Try Ideal Standard’s Concept Space range. Also check out corner vanity units, narrow-depth wall cabinets and baths with storage built underneath.
To stop the budget rising, aim to keep as many existing fittings as possible – a plain white WC or basin is pretty timeless. And don’t change the layout just for the sake of it. Moving the soil pipe can prove a major hassle, and expense, while achieving the right drainage levels for the bath or shower usually involves all manner of upheaval, including raised flooring and extra boxing in.
Think carefully about who will be using the bathroom now, but also cast your mind forward at least 10 years .
A bath is pretty handy for toddlers, but teenagers usually prefer to drown their sorrows in the shower. Older relatives may struggle to access a shower-bath, while a double-ended tub could be just the ticket for ‘date night’. The point is, don’t limit the design to your lifestyle right now, forward planning will save you the pain of a premature do-over.
Planning a new family bathroom may well be the pinnacle of adulting, but it doesn’t mean you have to abandon all your youthful exuberance at the door. Be fearless in your decorative choices, splash out on that mind-blowingly beautiful tile you saw on Instagram last week, and, above all, go for what you (and, ahem, your family) like. After all, it may be visited by many, but only you have to live with it.