Table of Contents
There are certain items that no bathroom should be without. We’ll cover those. However, there are one or two other items that no great bathroom should be without. We’ll cover those too.
Bathrooms should have all the essentials, but should never be just about the basics. A bathroom can say as much about you as any other room in the house. Make sure it’s speaking your language.
But first, what essentials are needed? Using a bathroom requires certain articles to be present. Let’s see what they are.
Towels
Dry as you might, you won’t find a better post-shower solution for wet bathroom users. Bath towels have been around since the Turks came up with the first models in 1600, and they’re unsurpassed as a means of soaking up the splashes, so let’s face facts and get ourselves some decent models.
Big and fluffy is the order of the day – nothing worse than trying to get yourself dry with a towel that’s pocket-sized. However, don’t be thinking you need only get yourself some whoppers and that’s the towel box ticked. Oh no, you need to buy some smaller towels too.
You may ask ‘why’s this? All my friends are regular-sized’. Well, you need to think about when people are just washing their hands – they’re not going to want to be unfurling a quilt-sized number for a quick hand dab. Nope, what they’ll need is a hand towel, so make sure you’ve got some of these too. I could tell you to get a towel that’s even smaller too, but that’s just talking flannel.
Don’t forget somewhere to hang it too. A towel rail is ideal.
Shower curtain
OK, you may have a shower door. In which case, well done you. No need to show off. Just quietly proceed to the next item. The rest of us will carry on with curtain talk.
The nice thing about shower curtains is that you can treat them as not just a means of denying spurts of water the chance to cover your bathroom floor. You can really go to town with a curtain. Not just town. You can go to the desert, to the ocean, or right into space if you like.
Shower curtains can come with all sorts of amazing images on them. The universe is your oyster so don’t be shy to get adventurous with a curtain that fires that imagination.
Bath mat
Bathrooms can be slippery places. The surest footed mountain goat can come a cropper in a wet shower. You shouldn’t let them use yours in any case – those hooves can wreak havoc on your tiling.
When water finds itself on a shower base or a bathroom floor it can be skid central. Most countries feature bathroom accidents galore. Did you know that in the US for instance 78,000 people are injured by slips and trips in the shower?
It’s enough to put you off showers altogether. But don’t go down that route, for heaven’s sake. Here’s what you need to do: get a bathmat. This will take the whoops out of wash time and the shoot out of showers. Again, lots of adventurous colours and styles exist, so feel free to indulge in some mat magic.
Toilet roll
OK, there’s no dressing this up. Toilet roll’s needed and we all know what for. You can pretty up the picture by making your toilet roll recycled. This will reduce your impact on the planet in a big way.
Soap
Because washing without soap is like dancing without a partner. Of course you can do it without, but it’s much better with. And you can go to town on varieties of course, so, if you want tropical lush or polar zing, it’s all there for you in the dish.
Toilet brush
This is another less than pleasant object with a nasty job on its hands. Cleaning the toilet is a dirty business but something’s got to do it. Give your toilet brush the reward it needs for all that soulless scrubbing by treating it to an attractive home. Perhaps a pot in brushed steel. Or some striking ceramic.
Storage
This is so you have somewhere for what products are needed in the bathroom. Creams and potions have to go somewhere, so consider a nice wall cabinet or some shelving.
Bin
Another one that’s a bit short on poetry but long on necessity – you need somewhere for your rubbish, and scrunched up tissues and used dental floss will be much better placed in a neat and tidy discreet little bin rather than in a pile in the corner. Your choice in the end, but a bin’s really and truly the best way to go.
Mirror
On reflection, you’re going to need one of these. Your look won’t check itself, after all. Whether you opt for a wall mirror over the sink, a shaving mirror on a telescopic fixing, or a full length article for a complete outfit check, your bathroom’s not complete unless you can see yourself in it.
Now let’s turn to the special items that give a bathroom some brio.
Pictures
One of the best steps towards making your bathroom beautiful is to brighten things up with some images on the wall. They can be whatever you like, whether photos of loved ones or a repro of something appropriate, like the bathroom pieces by Bonnard, Larsson or Lichtenstein. Or something completely different – a splash of bold colour, say, or a map of the world. Whatever you like. It’s your space, so make your mark.
Taps
Yes, they’re essentials. But perhaps think beyond the basic for a totally titillating tap, a tap so hot that you turn each other on. Note: cold taps are available too.
Plant
Plants are fab for two reasons – they add personality and they boost oxygen levels. Personality’s always good, and oxygen, especially first thing in the morning, is a bit of a must have. Just make sure that whatever plant you go for, you ask it three important questions.
Question 1 – will your eventual proportions fit the room? Question 2 – will you promise not to make a habit of dropping leaves and adding to the general bathroom detritus that’s at a healthy enough level without you joining in, thanks? And Question 3 – can you cope when things start getting steamy? If you’re going to wilt when the action starts then you and that bathroom are not made for each other.
If you want a good place to start, look at a trailing jade or a philodendron. You can’t go wrong with either.
All set
So, with your essentials all in place and one or two extras making all the difference, you’ll have a bathroom that really hits the spot, whether you’re popping in for a quick visit or having a leisurely wallow.
With thought and imagination, you’ll get that bathroom looking like somewhere you’d want to spend some time in, rather than a room you go to when you have to. Before you know it, you’ll be looking forward to your next bathroom session. But you should probably draw the line just before having your dinner in there.
