Homeplus Scotland Magazine Jan-Feb 2009

Bathroom Trends 2009

'' With the average metro sexual male spending as much time primping and preening as his wife, bathrooms are fast becoming the style hub of the hone. But proper planning prevents poor performance'' says Trendenza's Becki Linley

Even in these hard hit times, we all demand a lot from our homes. And while there is a myriad of styles and trends whizzing around the bathroom market at the moment, the key to a successful bathroom is planning, research and attention to detail at the initial stages. Before you do anything revisit your existing bathroom and take a good look at the space, paying particular attention to windows, doors and plumbing positions as all these factors will determine the layout of your new look bathroom.

It is important to be realistic with how much space you have and choose fixtures and fittings accordingly. After all, what's the point in planning if you're only planning to fail? A scaled drawing will help you visualise the room as it will look and 3-d bathroom design tools available for those with a technical mind. Once you have taken the measurement and started your plan, think about how you want the room to look. This is the exciting point as you can let your imagination run wild with fixtures, lighting, ceramics, flooring, storage and facilities.

To avoid any un-necessary expense try and use the original plumbing routes for the soil and water as to move these will be a costly endeavour. If you're determined to re-locate the WC then enlist the help of professionals-they can often come up with a variety of options that can prevent the budget getting blown before you start. Boscolo has recently opened on Edinburgh's Causewayside and is fast becoming the primary destination for bathrooms on the east coast-defiantly worth calling before you make any decisions.

Lighting in a bathroom is vital, as whilst it is important to have task lighting, ambient lighting can add to the mood of the room, transforming your boring bathroom into a sensual spa. Down lighters can be softened with cream and off-white bulbs, or for the more adventurous, there is a rainbow of coloured LED'S ranging from pink, purple, green, blue and red. These can be used to accent a feature or create a more dramatic setting. Be Creative; walk over lighting in wet floors, brick lighting placed in walls and guide lighting next to floor fixtures can add a boutique hotel feel to your bathroom without being vastly expensive.

When installing your lighting I would recommend you look at placing your lights on a double gang switch- one switch working the main lighting and the other switch working the feature lighting. This will be particularly useful when you need to get up through the night and just want light to guide your way and not fully wake you up. As always it is important to consider the safety aspect of electrical work, especially ensuring that any light fitting in a bathroom has an IP ( ingress protected) rating fitting.

Flooring can be used to great effect, but. first and foremost, it must be practical, durable, slip resistant and easy to maintain. Ceramics have long since been the preferred choice of most due to the vast array of tiles available from leading distribution companies such as Cosmo Ceramics from Italy, Spain and Portugal. Ceramics are tough, resilient, waterproof and most designs come with a floor tile that has a slip rating between 9-13.

When finishing off your bathroom it is a great opportunity to inject some personality with your accessories or window dressing- both of which will really pull your bathroom scheme together.

Roman and wooden effect vertical blinds are favourite looks in bathrooms right now. Be brave with the colours of your vertical blinds and of course, fabrics come in a plethora of designs and textures if you are opting for more luxurious Roman blinds.

However, before you get carried away, it is important to approach the project with care. Take time when pulling all the trades, suppliers design and look together, as bathrooms can be notoriously hard and austere spaces without thought and attention. Get that right and fun in the tub is only a heartbeat away.

Becki Linley