The bathroom is one of the most frequently used rooms in the home, but often one of the smallest.  This places great emphasis on the need for good planning and design.

A small bathroom obviously involves some limitations but attention to detail such as re-hanging the door the opposite way, or to open outwards, or replacing an existing door with a sliding one can make a great difference. If there were sufficient ceiling height to allow the floor to be raised to accommodate a sunken bath, this would create an illusion of space. An alternative approach is to consider sitting some of the sanitary ware, elsewhere to create a separate shower room or WC.

Tiny bathrooms are a common breed so manufacturers are responding to the demands for scaled-down fittings.

Planning is the most important aspect of fitting out a bathroom. To optimise your space take advantage of the expert advice and computer-aided design packages offered by bathroom companies.

Design Tips to make the space more efficient.

Choosing sanitaryware.

White ceramic ware is still the most popular; an up to the minute suite with smooth curves will give the smallest bathroom a sleek look.

Try to fit the bath, basin and loo in a line to give as much clear floor space as possible.

For a combined bath & shower, a rectangular bath with a tapered end would provide generous space for the actual shower, creating more floor space.

If you opt for a shower instead of a bath, choose a large enclosure to give it a more luxurious feel. A glass door will prevent it from making the room feel cramped and choose one that opens inwards to save space.

If you opt for a shower instead of a bath, choose a large enclosure to give it a more luxurious feel. (image sienna interiors)

A Wall mounted basin can be fitted to a height suitable to the individual and the matching wall- hung toilet is functional, looks good and leaves a clear floor.

Wall mounted leaves the floor clear creating a feeling of space.

Heating:

A wall mounted towel rail doubles up to give heat and warm towels, however in small bathrooms care must be taken not to site a radiator where it could cause injury – too close to a bath for example.

A space saving solution would be under floor heating which can be electric or attached to your gas central heating system.

Tips to make room look bigger:

• Make efficient use of space with multifunctional items, such as cabinet doors that double as mirrors. A wall-mounted cupboard swallows up toiletries and cosmetics, leaving basin and bath surrounds clear and preventing clutter from killing the sensation of space.

• As well as having a clean, contemporary appeal, glass shelves give a more open look than those made from solid materials and can be supported by discreet brackets that will blend in with the wall.

• Using large-scale furnishings in a small room can trick the eye.

Big tiles seem to enlarge a floor area, while hanging a sizable picture on the wall may also create a surprisingly spacious feel.

• Every bathroom needs at least one mirror; so make full use of their space-enhancing properties. Large mirrors visually expand a small room by reflecting space and light, and placing one along a wall in a narrow room can make it feel twice as wide.

• If you want to fit a large bath into a small space, opt for depth over length. A roll-top bath combines character with a generous bathing area.
• 

Prefer a large bath choose depth over length.

• Fuss free white walls and matching sanitaryware can work like magic in a small room, creating a bright contemporary scheme that really opens up the space. However a dash of colour saves a tiny bathroom from that broom-cupboard feeling

Although light cool colours give the illusion of space, deep warm shades will make the room feel cosier. To enhance the space you have, choose plain shades rather than patterned and balance a deep colour with pale wood or lighter tiles.

A dash of colour saves a tiny bathroom from that broom cupboard feeling.

• Accessorise the bathroom with matching towels and if possible, roll up the spare ones place on a glass shelf for an instant spa look. Besides, it’s much easier to roll than fold tidily.

Have a few large church candles dotted about were you can you don’t have to light them, but if you do want to then it’s much easier to light a few big ones than faffing around with a  100 tealights like they do in the movies.

As well as the pure function of keeping everyone clean, the bathroom maybe the only room where you can be alone for half an hour. Make sure it has flexible lighting, storage to clear the clutter and somewhere to rest a glass of wine. At the end of a hard day this is your sanctuary and you’ll thank yourself for the little etc’s you have managed to plan in.

Images from

http://www.bagnodesignglasgow.com/

Nowadays almost all potential buyers research properties online, a fact that has seen kerb appeal overtaken by online appeal!  Buyers use the internet to take virtual room-by-room tours, browse property imagery and ‘explore’ the local neighbourhood with Google’s street view.  With choosy buyers making instant decisions based on internet photographs, exceptional property presentation is more important than ever before.

The secret to successful home staging is getting the buyer to imagine themselves living in the property, as surprisingly, 9 out of 10 people cannot visualise a room looking any different to how it’s presented to them.  By depersonalising the space and showing the home to its best advantage, potential buyers can quickly see its best assets, without being distracted by the owners’ possessions or turned off by interiors that aren’t to their taste.

 Top Home Staging Tips:

• Thin out personal possessions to maximise the feeling of space
• Check furniture placement is optimal and furniture is correctly sized
• Make sure any maintenance jobs have been completed and the finish is up to scratch
• Ensure your home has a harmonious colour scheme
• Maximise light in the property by checking window treatments, mirrors and lighting
• Ensure a high level of cleanliness
• Remove or reduce items that reflect your personal taste and could turn off buyers
• Introduce aspirational accessories and complete the final styling
• Finally make the property feel alive by appealing to all the senses with plants, fragrances and lighting.

Ensure that every room has a clear function and purpose.
Play up the existence of a dining room even if you don’t use the space as a formal dining area.

Before

After

Clear the clutter
Mess all too easily becomes familiar junk!

Before

After

Furnish empty rooms
A parade of empty rooms often fails in capturing the interest of buyers both online and in person. Rooms without purpose, warmth or appeal challenge today’s buyers who typically cannot see past what they are presented with. Without furniture, rooms look small and buyers have a tough time envisioning both how their furniture will fit and how they will live in the property

Before

After

Images from Jo Woodward of Sienna Interiors & House Doctor

The very thought of introducing a new colour scheme into your home or adding new life into an existing colour scheme, can be overwhelming especially when deciding which colours compliment each other or compliment your existing furniture.

If you feel overwhelmed then you may want to remember the following:

There are no such things as bad colours just bad colour schemes!

Mother nature is a wonderful guide to finding beautiful colour schemes. Using colours from nature are a fail-safe combination for a new colour scheme.

Creating a foundation for your new colour scheme

The easiest rule to follow when creating a colour scheme is the 60%, 30%, 10% proportion rule.

This is where for 60% of your room the colours chosen are in a neutral tone.

Large parts of the room are flooring, walls and ceiling. The floor is usually the darkest shade whilst the ceiling is usually the lightest of the chosen neutral.

 60% neutral tones used in flooring, walls & ceiling

The next 30% will consist of your larger pieces of furniture, cabinets, doors, woodwork & larger scale soft furnishings such as curtains, these all look better if they contrast or compliment the neutral 60%.

30% darker contrasting furniture & Soft furnishings

The final 10%  is usually the most forgotten part of the rule, it’s what adds the interest or pop of colour to your room. This will be via your accent pieces & will usually consist of the darkest and strongest hues in your colour scheme.

Consider them the jewellery of a room, the pieces you use to complete the look. New cushions, a throw, art or new lampshades, can freshen a room instantly.

10% Added interest with a pop of colour using different textures

It is the red coming through within the fabrics, the flex on the bedside lamp & in the art. Pulling our 60,30,10 rule together.

& Finally – how to create flow, and how do you transition the colour from one room to another?

An easy way to create flow, especially in a new home, is to take one colour and alter it from the lightest tone to a darker version and use throughout the house. Choosing a few accent colours to add in via accessories, art, rugs, lampshades and flowers will add interest and life. Choose no more than 3 to 5 accent colours for the whole home or the scheme will stop feeling cohesive and just look a little jarring.

As most of us do not have the scenario where we can decorate in one fell swoop you will have to decide whether to have a future proof plan and slowly work towards a cohesive scheme as you decorate room by room or just decide which rooms you cannot change but can coordinate and create a better colour flow by the addition of your chosen accent colours.

Incorporate colour by the addition of  cushions and art.

Ensure that your existing colours work with the new addition.

Photo credits

Images from Sienna Interiors owned by Jo Woodward our resident interior designer.

We’re delighted to introduce you to interior designer Jo Woodward, Jo will be writing regular blog posts for us on interior trends and giving us great insider hints and tips to improve your living space and help you sell your home.
Look out for her first post next week on incorporating a new colour.

Jo was trained personally by Channel 5’s House Doctor Ann Maurice and she runs her own company Sienna Interiors.
We asked Jo to answer a few questions to get to know her better, here’s what she had to say:

What’s your favourite room in your house and why?

At this time of year the sitting room as it opens out to the garden, calming and peaceful space especially when the sun is shining!

What colour scheme is your living room?

Grey neutrals with a mix of citron colours.

What’s your favourite piece of furniture in your home?

I have an old chair that was revamped & upholstered using a sumptuous velvet from Zinc Textiles.

We look forward to reading Jo’s first blog article next week…..