Local Life - St Helens - May/Jun 2021

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This hybrid bath is designed for smaller rooms, allowing luxury,
comfort and choice to fit into even a modest space.
Mini Ebb shower bath, £1,495, Waters Baths of Ashbourne.
12 ways to make your bathroom a
Relaxing Oasis
Functionality comes first in the bathroom, but there’s no
reason why you can’t combine efficiency with aesthetics
– and gain all the benefits of a space that looks good and
feels good at the same time. Here are a dozen ideas to
start you off:
• Lighting is vital. Check that the bulbs in your light fittings
are giving off the light you prefer, though try not to mix
different light temperatures (warm or cool) in the same
room. Smart bulbs can be switched on and off and the
colour temperature changed or dimmed using a remote
control or an app. Or, if you have a light switch outside the
bathroom door, consider swapping it for a dimmer.
• Sort out your storage. Slim wall cupboards, shelves,
ladders, caddies, peg rails and over-door hooks are
options, while small storage items – such as wicker
baskets, pretty ceramics or bright plastic tubs – bring
texture, colour and interest.
• If your shower is pathetic, investigate whether you can
add a pump to make it more powerful.
• Add a large mirror – it’s not only useful and a focal point
but increases the feeling of light and space in the room.
• Buy a set of coordinating towels. The fluffier the better, in
clean, bright, hotel-white or a colourful pattern.
• Add plants, large and small, high and low – they usually
thrive in a bathroom’s humid atmosphere. Choose pots
that complement your overall scheme.
• Lay a woven cotton or ‘outdoor’ rug on the floor – it can
easily be washed or wiped down and will introduce a
softer feel, adding colour, pattern and texture, too.
• Change a dated pair of taps for some good-looking,
modern ones. Check that they will suit your water
pressure, and make sure the new spout extends the
correct amount over the bath or basin – they should
reach about as far as the plug hole.
• A chair or stool is always useful in a bathroom, even if it’s
just to throw clothes over or to hold soap and books next
to the bath.
• Get rid of the grunge and scrape out the old grout and
silicone between and around your tiles, especially if there’s
any mould. Redoing them will make an extraordinary
difference.
• Replace a shower curtain with a shiny glass shower
screen – the look is clean and minimally efficient (and
won’t need replacing regularly).
• Jazz up your windows. Options include decorative
window film, a beautiful blind (Roman or roller) or some
minimal wooden louvres.
Wooden blinds are elegant and practical, and
come in a range of natural colours, or brighter,
painted shades.
Luxury Clay Brown wooden Venetian blinds
with tapes, price depends on size, English Blinds.