Whether you’re thinking of moving or staying put, our good friends at Ideal Standard, the UK’s leading bathroom brand, have come up with 5 top bathroom tips that’ll certainly help.
Don’t move—improve! That favoured saying of the interior designer and DIY enthusiast; a phrase coined when the thought of stepping onto the next rung of the property ladder would fill all but estate agents with dread.
But while interest rates—if not house prices—make getting a mortgage today much more appealing than the double-digit days of the late 80s and early 90s, analysts are predicting a slight slowdown in house buying, brought on by the B-word (Brexit, not Boris). The upshot, say these experts, will be an increase in home extensions, often including new bathrooms or bedrooms with ensuites.
When it comes to upgrading existing rooms, market research firm Mintel found that 22% of bathroom refits and installations carried out in the past three years were complete replacements. But, if you’d like to update your bathroom to add value to your property or simply make it a nicer place to live, you don’t have to go the whole hog.
Here are 5 simple steps to improving your bathroom, cloakroom or ensuite.
1. Swap your pedestal basin for a basin with furniture unit
Bathroom furniture is bang on-trend these days as it looks great but also has a practical purpose. Units can be wall mounted, freestanding and even space-saving but, regardless of shape or size, they add storage, allowing you to put away sponges and soaps and achieve that modern minimalist look. For great looks, an elegant vessel basin mounted on a sleek floating unit makes for a stunning centrepiece in your bathroom. Check out Ideal Standard bathroom furniture for more inspiration.
2. Update your fittings to save water
Another idea which will update the look but has practical benefits too is updating your bathroom taps and shower. Our brassware ranges feature technology which ensures you—or your little ones—can’t blast out hot water like a steaming Icelandic geyser.
Ideal Standard taps are fitted with a 5 litre per minute flow regulator while our showers are typically fitted with an 8 litre per minute regulator, as well as clever design which ensures less water doesn’t mean a poorer shower experience. Remember, saving hot water reduces both water AND gas bills. Why not read our eco-friendly bathroom tips?
3. Add a shower
Research shows that 85% of adults take showers, while 46% like a bath, so it makes sense to cater for those who prefer to go about their daily wash routine standing up. If yours is one of those increasingly uncommon homes with a bath but no shower, then adding value is a simple matter of installing a shower over your bath with a shower pack or a bath shower mixer tap.
With a little imagination, you could add an extra shower enclosure to your bathroom or even to your ensuite or cloakroom by relocating your boiler to the loft or re-purposing that redundant airing cupboard.
4. Upgrade to a freestanding bath
You’d be hard pushed to find any product which adds more to the appearance of a bathroom than a stunning freestanding bath. Available in more traditional designs with “feet” and in the modern style typified by our Concept Air bath, freestanding tubs really do make a statement, adding a truly luxurious feel to the home. They also bring flexibility to design and layout, unencumbered by the need to fit snugly to this wall or that. Install a freestanding bath and you’ll have that “wow factor” every time you walk in the room.
5. Refurbish your cloakroom
Updating tired ceramics and ageing décor in your downstairs loo can make a big difference at a small cost. With Ideal Standard’s Studio Echo cloakroom suite and a tap available for less than £500, it’s simply a matter of a few new tiles around the basin, a lick of paint on the walls and ceiling, and you’ve got a beautiful new cloakroom at a very reasonable price indeed. Feeling flush? Achieve a premium look with minimal fuss by swapping Studio Echo for our stunning Concept Air suite.
More ideas and advice from Ideal Standard
No matter what your future plans may be, Ideal Standard have been creating beautiful bathrooms for over 100 years. Discover more ideas and advice from the experts by clicking on any of the links below.
- 5 top tips to make the most out of a small bathroom
- Get the Look with the Ideal Standard Strada II collection
- 5 tips to create the perfect rental bathroom
- Top tips for adapting a modern bathroom to fit all lifestyles
- 5 future bathroom trends
- What to consider when creating an eco-friendly bathroom
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