4 Hill Street 
A well organised family bathroom plays a huge role in an overall household’s health and wellbeing.
This is because it works hard for all members of the household and has to be suitable for everybody’s ages and needs. Additionally we should also remember that it should serve guests and new family members. All in all, the family bathroom can often be seen as one of the most important parts of the house! In the ideal world a family bathroom meets both needs: a relaxing sanctuary for adults and a fun playtime experience for children.
Because of all of the above reasons, it is crucial to design the main bathroom making sure it ticks all the boxes for every user plus it has to look good and appealing. There are a couple of main aspects that can be useful in designing a perfect family bathroom.
We will try to introduce you to some ‘do’s and don’ts’ when planning a functional, beautiful and long lasting family bathroom.
Layout
No matter how big or small the family bathroom is, it is essential to plan well where each of the bathroom items will be playing its role best. Here is where professional, experienced advice comes in handy. Most of the bathroom renovating companies, such as Home Expert will offer a design service that would let you visualise the future bathroom prior the installment to make sure it is ideal and fully personalised considering your own needs. It is always good to present your thoughts, views and visions of how you want your bathroom to look to direct the designer in the right way. In combination with that, designers’ practice and expertise will be able to advise you in the most competent way on how to create a family bathroom of your dreams.
One of the fist questions that should be asked would be about the basin.
In a family bathroom sink plays one of the most important parts of the room. There will be times where not just one but actually several members will be gathering around the basin at the same time so the bigger basin the better is the rule here. A vanity top with a large bowl and big surface area to either side would be ideal for all toothbrushes and other every-day essentials. The morning rush hour can be sometimes stressful so having two sinks instead of just one can be very helpful here too. However it may take a lot of space so make sure the room is big enough for such a solution.
Second, but the same important thing in deciding on a room’s layout is to determine which of the two will be more desirable in your home: bath or shower? The perfect scenario is to have enough space to fit the both in. Not only because it can serve each of the family members differently but also it would add to a designer appearance to the bathroom. Beautifully crafted shower walls can introduce a touch of luxury and sophistication without a doubt.
Yet smaller rooms have to compromise on having only one of these. Most people would be keen on centring around having the bath. Some people would stick to the idea of having an option of a long relaxing bath at the end of the day and families with smaller kids can prefer having baths included in their daily routine.
For those asking about having two in one, there is also a solution at hand. For more practical use, a shower bath can be ticking all the boxes. The amount of differently shaped and sized shower baths on the market is surprising. Very cleverly installed screens can be adjusted to a person’s needs, whether it is fixed, rotatable or folding making access easy at bath time.
https://www.phoenix-uk.co.uk/product-category/bathing/shower-bath-bathing
However we should also remember about all the sizing of the bathrooms, and for those families that having a shower can be the only option, there is a solution here too. Well designed walk-in showers can make the showering experience convenient and trouble free. It is important to remember about using anti-slip trays or matt tiles to minimise the danger of falling under the shower.
https://www.phoenix-uk.co.uk/product-category/enclosures
There’s also an option of installation of deep tray showers that can allow small children to have a bit of a ‘bathing’ time. Another alternative would be to have a seat installed in a shower area. For those with mobility issues or people who simply enjoy a little rest during taking the shower-this could be a good solution.
Bathroom Storage Ideas
Speaking about a family bathroom that will be serving the whole household we should mention a crucial aspect: that is storage solutions. Unlike the master bedroom ensuite, family bathrooms will be full of toiletries, bath toys, lotions that you may not want to display at all times. Depending on the size of the family bathroom it is recommended to install as many storage solutions as possible: alcoves within the shower enclosures, at the end of bathtubs, shelves and cabinets that will add a huge practicality factor to the whole room. Today’s market is full of absolutely stunning vanity units, open shelving ideas and more so there will definitely be something that will catch your eye.
A handy wall hung storage unit can add a bit of elegance and sophistication or mirrored fronts can add a modern touch to the room.
Keeping it all neat and tidy is also said to influence the level of relaxation for everyone that enjoys a long lie in the bath after an intense day.
Some people are concerned that having a small family bathroom can be impossible to plan because of the lack of storage space. However a high demand of small bathrooms has led the market into creating newest solutions to that too. Space saving bathroom furniture made many people’s dreams a reality. For example a vanity unit that is only around 200mm deep made it possible to hide necessary bathroom items under the basin making the whole room look tidy and organised. https://www.bathroomstolove.uk/furniture/alba/
Style
Family bathroom is often seen as having to be designed specifically for children, colorful and fun to see. However just because the room is used by all ages, there is no need to have this room looking less sophisticated than the rest of the house. One day children will grow out of certain habits, keeping their items all around the room, having toys in the bath etc. and this is when you should think what would the room look like with all of these items out of the picture. In the end, renovating a bathroom can be sometimes costly and not everyone can have the luxury of changing the tiles, baths and overall bathroom style every two years.
There are a number of useful tricks in order to make the room appear modern and elegant. Big floor and wall tiles are definitely playing a huge part here. They can often make the bathroom space look much bigger and more sophisticated. Mosaics and stone-like tiles can be the next step. Not only because they can easily add a designer touch to the final look but also, they are great with disguising any unwanted dust and dirt.
Another tip for making the family bathroom look stylish would be adding trendy accessories. For example taps, such as gold or matt black, can introduce a fine touch but also minimise the neverending fingerprints (that are often bothering parents in family bathrooms ;).
https://thehomeexpert.uk/galleries/bathrooms/
Child friendly bathroom ideas
So, what does a family bathroom actually do?
The best description of a family bathroom would be that it should include consistent, safe and easy to maintain finishes. It would mean a room where everyone has his privacy and convenience of use. As much as the bathroom should be looking nice and welcoming there are a couple of ideas that can make the room kids-friendly too.
First of all, the lighting. There is nothing better than when kids are old enough to use the bathroom at night time independently- parents can finally have a proper, uninterrupted sleep. This is when careful planning of a family bathroom becomes a huge deal. When arranging electrics in the room, think of the little ones, and how to improve the room so that they can see their own way in late night walks to the bathroom. Keeping a night light feature on would add a convenient way to help kids find the bathroom and use the toilet without waking up by a main light. The electrician can easily install two sets of cables and switches, one for the main light and another one for a low wattage night light (that would be keeping your bills low too!).
Secondly, the flooring. Carpets in the bathroom are no longer seen as hygienic, especially around the toilet (there may be times when little kids use the toilet independently but not everything goes according to plan…). Having the floor fully tiled or using vinyl tiles would be the solution to keep the moping at hand, easy and safe for the surfaces for years to come. Cleaning the family bathroom can be seen as a never ending chore but having an easy clean floor can definitely help.
Thirdly, the mirrors. Older kids are often seen rubbing the mist off mirrors with their bare hands or towels after they have had their long steamy baths or showers. This means that when it dries off, all of the finger paths will be seen and sometimes more difficult to clean afterwards. Such attemption is ineffective and can only result in soiling the mirror. However the perfect solution can be closer than we think. We would advise to consider mirrors with heated demister pads-it will ensure it’s crystal clear even after those steamy showers or baths!
Speaking about the mirrors, we should also mention that it is suggested that family bathrooms look and feel better when bigger mirrors are installed. This is because of a few factors. One-it makes the room visually bigger, two-adds a sophistication feature and three-it can let more than one person use it at one time (ideal with kids fighting over space…). Plus we should mention an option of a bluetooth controlled mirror that has speakers installed. It lets you connect your phone wirelessly allowing streaming music, radio and podcasts while enjoying a relaxing time in the bath or under the shower. Check out for yourselves https://www.roperrhodes.co.uk/mirrors-with-music/ Classy 🙂
What should be on the walls?
All family bathrooms have to serve all household members offering relaxing baths or taking long, steamy showers. And it should serve them for years. This is why it is recommended to choose the wallcoverings wisely. Not only because it should have a nice appearance for many years to come but also, to last long and be easy to maintain. Children having fun in the bath do not necessarily watch the surroundings, preventing the foam and soap to splash around the tub. It is often a matter of the opposite-the more bubbles up in the air-the better. Having tiles or aqua panels can be seen as the best solution here. They are easy to wipe off, and clean without leaving long lasting marks. (A tip can be used here too-patterns can hide unwanted streaks!). https://www.bushboard.co.uk/bathrooms-overview.
Additionally, the newest grouting solution has improved not just the family bathrooms experience but the overall bathroom market. Epoxy grouting (made of resins and filler powder) makes it waterproof and almost completely resistant to long-fighted stains. It means it is durable, looks well for years and is safe to use with the bathroom splashbacks, floors and high-traffic areas.
Although wallpapers are also seen as beautifully looking and adding a feature to the bathroom, maybe it would be best to use it in less occupied rooms, such as guest bathrooms or cloakrooms where less steam and water splashing is involved. It should be also remembered that wallpapers are recommended in well ventilated rooms, to reduce the amount of mist that could cause the covering to come off.
Overall there are many things to consider when planning a family bathroom. It can take a long time to search over ‘dos and don’ts’ and even if you spend ages reading about it, the reality is that there are no simple answers as to what would be the best because everyone is different. Everyone has different needs and visions but we are here to help.
Home Expert team is always up for new challenges. With the use of our experience and expertise we can advise you on any matter and help create the perfect bathroom of your dreams.