Room by room: The bathroom

The bathroom

We all need a bathroom, it's the place that the entire family use during the day (and night) to keep clean and visit the toilet!!  My bathroom is made up of three rooms, a shower room, a bathroom (with bath and sink) and a toilet (which I think Americans call something else!!).  Whatever combination you have, it is a room that is used everyday and is an essential space in the house. It is also the room that needs to have everything working tiptop. Toilets flushing properly, showers not leaking, taps not dipping . . . a lot of water (money) can go down the drain if these things are not keep well maintained. 

We have a relatively new bathroom in our home as we renovated the old bathroom which was falling apart. Bathrooms can be very expensive to renovate. We had asbestos in the walls that had to be removed with great care, the plumbing had to be re-done, new tiling and new fixtures. It didn't come cheap. We decided to not do it ourselves and found an excellent builder (who was a elderly Greek) who did a great job, employing a Spanish tiler and an Italian plumber!! It should last us a long time. 

However, if your bathroom/shower/toilet is just looking worn out, but still in good shape, there are things you can do to freshen it up. Tiling is one option. As  you have already guessed, I love colour and love colourful tiles, these are all great examples that would turn an old sad bathroom into a bright and colourful space. Buy tiles on sale or look for seconds saves lots of money. If your tiles do not go all the way to the ceiling, freshen up the room with a new coat of paint. 

Having enough storage in a bathroom is important, however it isn't essential. My towels, for example aren't stored in the bathroom as I don't have enough space. They living in the cupboard in the hallway. Under my sink I keep new bottles of shampoo, condition, creams and potions (!), soaps, toothpaste and the like. What is in use is in a small trolley next to the sink and bathtub.  Shelves on the walls seem to be a common element in many of the ideas I have found. Shelving is cheap and very handy. But careful, if your home is oldish, make sure that the walls don't contain asbestos, as drilling holes can be dangerous (the dust particles contain fibres). 

Adding colourful and interesting accessories to the bathroom can add interest. Add colourful towels, candles (out of reach of children), flowers, a rustic trolley, a tray for all those bits and bobs. What you add will depend on the size of your room, my bathroom is tiny so I can only add a few items to add character to the room.  These extras can make all the differences and do not need to be expensive.  Have a look at your local dollar store or at places like Kmart. I buy my towels when they are on sale as the savings can be significant. 

If you have young children, you might like to make the bathroom more inviting for them by adding colourful shower curtains, words on the walls and places for them to store their toys. 

Other useful things in the bathroom:

• Lighting is very important in a bathroom especially near the sink and mirror. If you have ever tried to put on make-up with poor lighting, it can be difficult and frustrating! 

• Mirrors are also very useful. We have a very large one that can be used by more than one person. Make sure you have a mirror that children can see or at least something for them to stand on!

• Having enough power points is also important to cater for all equipment that is used in the bathroom - hair driers, hair straighteners (we can have two going at once in our bathroom), electric toothbrushes, shaves that need to be re-charged.

• Have enough towel rails for all the towels, many bathrooms never quite have enough. I quite like the hook idea as they take up less space and can be used for many things, not only towels.

I will leave you with this interesting idea for storing your toilet paper!! Very creative.

If you are interested in other parts of this series:

1. The kitchen

2. The pantry

3. The laundry

4. The living room

5. The hallway

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