Bathroom luxury on a budget
With good advice and careful planning, you can create a gorgeous, functional bathroom...
Keep it simple
Choose a plain white bathroom suite in standard sizes. Create an upmarket effect with cleverly chosen tiles, taps and towel rails.
Don’t move things around
Keeping the bath, basin, WC, shower and any radiators in the same position significantly reduces installation costs. The same applies to doors, windows and features such as built-in cupboards.
Do it yourself – or get someone in?
DIY saves money, but it does have limitations. Tiling and painting are fairly straightforward, and plastering or laying flooring can be tackled by a competent DIYer. Where possible use professionals for all aspects of the job; especially for plumbing or electrical work.
Choosing tiles
Plain white, square tiles can be jazzed up with coloured grout and laid in a fashionable grid. Or lay rectangular tiles vertically or in a chevron pattern. Instead of stone or marble wall or floor tiles, find a cheaper lookalike in ceramic or porcelain. You can sometimes save money by tiling over or painting old tiles.
On the walls
Bathrooms don’t always have to be tiled right to the ceiling, so only tile where necessary. Using paint everywhere else is cheapest, or consider humidity-resistant wallpaper.
Tactile essentials
It is worth investing in bath and basin taps, shower mixers and other moving parts that are touched frequently. Choose modern features in black, bronze or even gold.
Storage solutions
Custom-built, fitted storage can be more expensive, so consider a vintage chest of drawers or a metal rack on wheels. Wall-mounted off-the-peg units save space and slim shelves are useful. Add coordinating, free-standing storage.
Warm, dry, fluffy towels
For softness and absorbency, 100% cotton is best, and look for closely stitched edges and a luxury weight of at least 500 grams per square metre. Other options are ribbed, waffle or honeycomb towels, while lightweight linen gets softer as it ages.
Mirror, mirror
A large mirror helps increase the feeling of light and space. Consider a heated mirror with a backlight, perhaps a shaver/toothbrush charger socket or even a Bluetooth speaker, though you’ll need an electrical connection.
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“Are you ready to create a gorgeous, functional bathroom...”