Do hide what you can in the wall, especially in a small space
“Create clever visual illusions by using wall-mounted vanity units and lavatories,” say the team at Catchpole & Rye, “which mean the floor space is less cluttered and the eye is tricked into thinking the room is bigger than it is. Concealed fittings, such as lavatories, are excellent, especially if you have limited space and are looking for a more minimal look.”
Do invest in the things you touch
Taps have a good claim to be the things you notice and touch most in a bathroom, so these are a good thing to spend some money on. "Always spend on good quality hardware that works," says Katie Glaister of K&H Design. "The cost of installation is the same either way but you don’t want to end up having to replace it all in a couple of years because you didn’t spend the money initially."
Do plan everything well in advance
Long lead times for things like tiles and taps have become the norm in the interior design industry, and nothing derails a project like leaving a decision to the last minute and discovering that there is a 12-week lead time. Lisa Mehydene of edit58 has several decisions like this to lament. "When I think about the money I wasted on express deliveries for our home, ordering the wrong thing in a hurry (hello weird £500 shower tray with horrible non-slip base), having to ‘make do’ with an expensive but inferior alternative because the item I really wanted had a five-month lead time, or worst of all, spending too much on goods (radiators being one example) because there wasn’t enough time to do sufficient research to find what I really wanted, at a price I wanted to pay.
Do use wall lights
“Lighting is a huge part of making a bathroom feel warm,” says Sarah Peake of Studio Peake. “Go for a layered approach: as well as overhead spot lights, place wall lights at head height to create a warm, flattering glow – the mirror may not lie, but it can be made to bend the truth.”
Don't be afraid of the shower bath
‘People tend to have a preconception about placing a shower over the bath, but it’s actually a great solution for smaller bathrooms,’ says Tony O’Donnell, managing director at Catchpole & Rye. This is a good way to save money and can look very smart, especially if you have a double-ended bath and install an elegant shower screen or curtain. You could also use a concealed shower unit and shower head, which would prevent the area around the bath from looking too busy.
Do find ways to add softness and texture
“Bathrooms are inevitably full of hard finishes,” says Sarah Peake. “It’s important to find space for fabrics to soften the atmosphere.” Using a favourite fabric for a roman blind can be an easy way to add pattern and texture, while a vintage or antique rug (in less splashy areas) is also a popular choice.
Don't default to tiling your walls
Tiles plus paint is the usual way to handle bathroom walls, but if you have reasonable ventilation then there's no need to assume these are the only options. Rita Konig is a fan of using wallpaper in bathrooms – “The bathroom is a good place to use an extravagant paper -the chances are you don't have that much wall space and you will enjoy it every day, several times. The bathroom is also a room that you are generally in fleetingly, so you are unlikely to tire of a bold pattern. Unless you have a very cold house and very hot water, you shouldn't have a problem with the steam – I never have, but that's no guarantee.” Tongue and groove panelling is another interior designer favourite for bathrooms – it's an appealing way to surround the bath, and using it on the walls can reduce the temptation to tile everything in sight, making for a warmer, less echoey space. “I would advise using MDF and have the contractor gouge the tongue-and-groove lines since the real thing will expand and contract,” says Rita.
Do consider your grout carefully
“Never underestimate grout!” says Melinda Stevens, creative director of Loupe, as she looks back on her bathroom renovation. The colour of your grout can make the most enormous difference to how the finished surface looks, as can the amount of space between the tiles. “When the builder started filling in between the tiles with the usual creamy-white grout I had a kind of panic," Melinda continues. "It didn't look like the picture I had in my head. It sounds perfectly simple, but it makes such a difference. Going for a coloured grout which makes the treatment of these tiles so much more graphic and far less public swimming pool.”
Do make the space feel personal
“Think about how you can make your bathroom personal to you – perhaps with art, books or a riotous mix of family photos," says Nicola Harding. Sarah Peake, agrees, explaining that in her bathroom she used “splodges of character throughout: a favourite painting above the mantlepiece, a bookshelf next to the loo (I must have books in every room) and a roman blind over the sash window.”
Do make sure your bath is cast iron
"The golden rule of any bath is that it must be made of cast iron," says Ben Pentreath. “Accept no substitute. Though cold to start with, the iron draws out the heat of the water and stores it, acting as its own radiator. In some projects, we are lucky enough to have original old cast-iron baths, or clients who want to buy them. For new, my normal specification is good old Aston Matthews, or Drummonds if something lavish and Edwardian-esque is required. Above all, go for as large a size as you can in the room available: a long, deep soak is the ultimate luxury.” The other advantage of a cast iron bath is that it can usually be repainted, so you can change the colour if you decide to refresh your decoration scheme.
Don't forget your shower niche
If you’re building a stud wall, consider adding a niche into it. They are great in a shower, to hold bathroom products, but can also be a useful addition elsewhere in the bathroom. When we canvassed our team about what they regretted during their own bathroom renovations, our Creative Director Jenny Lister's biggest regret was forgetting to add a tiled nook into her shower, since she now ends up wedging her bathroom products in between the wall and the shower fittings. They can be useful elsewhere too. ‘If you have decided to add a half height wall which conceals the cistern, don’t forget to add in a few niches to it too’, says Nicola Harding, ‘they can hold baskets for any bathroom odds and ends’.
