One of the biggest challenges of updating any bathroom is turning it into a space that everyone in the family can comfortably use. And since renovations can be expensive, your new bathroom design should also be timeless. Start by working out how each family member uses the bathroom. Do you need a changing table for the baby and a stool for the toddlers? Should you have a shower or a bath or even both? Listing down your key priorities allows you to see what kind of updates you need. No matter how big or small your bathroom is, it can be turned into a practical space for you and your loved ones. Here’s how:
Make room for plenty of storage
Ideal Home recommends having plenty of room for storage to prevent clutter. Remove or minimise bottles, pouches, bags, and other things that will take up space on your bathroom counter. Add cupboards with vanity units under the sink or hang cabinet mirrors and fitting shelves wherever you can. A family bathroom can easily turn into a war zone, especially if you all share the same bathroom. Having ample storage is your best bet on keeping it clean.
Organise the room
The bathroom often becomes really crowded in the morning, so it’s best to make sure everybody has enough space to move around. Towel racks should be easy to reach as well as common items like toothbrushes, combs, and other toiletries. To prevent family members from using each other’s towels or bathroom slippers, you can colour code everyone’s things or keep each family members’ bathroom items in their own containers. That way everyone has their own space in the bathroom.
Add environment-friendly features
The statistics researched by Discover Water reveals that an average person in the UK uses up to 141 litres of water in a day. With a large family this can mean large water bills. To conserve water and minimise your monthly spending, opt for AAA-rated showerheads, which can help reduce the flow rate of water, lowering your consumption by half. You can also update your toilet to save water. The toilets featured on Screwfix come with dual flush functions, which is an effective mechanism to help save money on water bills. It is also a good way to teach your children the value of conserving resources.
Invest in child-friendly installations
Homebuilding & Renovations encourages you to think carefully about your bathroom design if you have children. For one, toilet seats need to be soft-close ones and showers should have a thermostatic feature to prevent scalding. You can install temperature regulators for your taps and non-slip surfaces for your baths and shower trays. Textured floor tiles are also great options. For your shower screens, go for ones with curved edges to keep your children safe from scrapes and bumps.
Try the open plan layout
If you want to update your family bathroom and make it a bit more modern consider an open plan layout, which can also be called a wetroom-style bathroom. You can simply use a single glass shower screen to divide the shower area from the rest of the room making the room look bigger than it actually is. Make sure you install non-slip mats to prevent any accidents. Keep the layout simple and avoid cramming everything in—you should be able to dry yourself without banging your knees and elbows on corners. When adding a new feature like a shower make sure you give your family enough room to move around freely.
Invest in a completely new bathroom
If you have space, and the budget, then consider building a whole new bathroom. If the whole family is sharing one space, an extra bathroom will make things a lot easier. Even something as simple as an extra toilet room can make all the difference. An extra bathroom will also add value to your home in the long run, which is an added bonus.
In my blog archive you can read all about finding home improvements challenging, but there’s no mistaking they’re a lot of fun, too. It takes a lot of planning and coordination, which can easily be achieved if every member of the family pitches in.
