If your budget will extend to buying new bathroom fixtures and fittings, you will be able to design a bathroom that meets all of your family’s aesthetic and practical needs. However, most of us have to make do with existing bathroom furniture, at least for a time. If this is the case, you should still consider the possibility of moving the fittings around, or perhaps replacing one item at a time.

Bathtubs

There is a wide range of bathtubs now available. Reasonably priced acrylic plastic tubs are available in many colors, are resistant to chips and scratches, and are warm to the touch. Traditional cast-iron and pressed steel bathtubs are hard-wearing and long-lasting. They are available in a number of colors and styles, but are more expensive than acrylic versions. Another disadvantage of this type of product is that it can chip on impact.

Bathtubs are produced in an ever-widening range of sizes and shapes – from elegant. Victorian, free-standing bathtubs with claw feet, to practical and space-saving tubs in which you sit rather than lie. This vast array of styles means that, with careful consideration, every family should be able to find a practical and aesthetically pleasing tub for their bathroom.

Basins

Choose as large a basin as your room will allow. It should be deep enough to allow you to bend over it while cleaning your teeth or washing your face without banging your head against anything, and wide enough to catch any water dripping from wet arms and elbows.

The basin should be set at a comfortable height and firmly supported, either on a pedestal, mounted against a wall or inserted into a vanity unit. Inserting the basin into a vanity unit brings the additional benefit of storage facilities. In a family bathroom, you may wish to provide younger members with a small, sturdy footstool on which to stand when washing in the basin.

Lavatories and bidets

The range of lavatories currently on the market is extremely broad. Most are made from glazed china and come in a wide range of colors. There are even styles available where the cistern is concealed within the wall area, ideal for a contemporary setting. As well as aesthetic considerations, you should also ensure that the lavatory you choose uses water as efficiently and economically as possible.

While the bidet is a regular feature in French bathrooms, it is generally seen as a luxury item, if space allows, in other parts of the world. When positioning a bidet or lavatory, make sure that there is plenty of leg room in front of it.