A bathroom or tub is typically a large room, usually in a house or other commercial property, which has either a toilet or an accompanying bath. The presence of a sink is also common. In some cases, the space can be used as a storage area for keeping clothes or linens. In most cases, a bathroom or tub is used as a place to take a warm shower before stepping out into the cold outdoors, and then another hot bath after returning indoors. Besides having a tub or a toilet, the majority of modern bathrooms feature additional features such as a vanity unit, shower wall-mounted tap, a whirlpool, and lighting that make bathing times more pleasant and relaxing.
Bathroom designs have evolved significantly over time. Although small bathrooms with only a toilet and a bath still existed some time ago, most modern bathrooms are now called half-baths or quarter-baths. In these cases, the toilet and/or tub are the only items of interest in the room. Most half-baths have a seat built right in, making it easy to transition from sitting to bathing or just taking a relaxing shower. Other popular options include shower stalls, which offer the convenience of both a toilet and a bath without taking up a lot of room. Some shower stalls open directly onto a soaking tub or into a bidet.
Typically a toilet or tub will be accompanied by a sink, a medicine cabinet, a couple of hangers for hanging clothes, and a few shelves or drawers for storage. However, there are many different ways to design a bathroom so that it contains all four components, providing somewhere for everything, even if it’s not convenient to access directly. For example, if the toilet or tub is situated at the end of the bathroom, there may be no need to worry about a vanity unit. Since the entire area is already used for showering, there’s no need for additional storage space.
Instead, the best approach for using up space in a small bathroom is to combine both a sink and a toilet into a single vanity, perhaps in the shape of a quadrant. A common combination would be a vanity with a sink and mirror, or even one with a vanity top and sink and shower or bidet. In this case, plumbing and wiring would be centralized in one area of the bathroom vanities could hide plumbing and wiring while supplying plenty of cabinet space for storing clothes.
The toilet and bathtub are probably the most difficult items to move in and out of. Bathtubs are often on an incline, making access from the top to the bottom of the bathtub difficult. Adding a step or two to the bathtub will solve this problem. However, there are more creative solutions available for moving the toilet and bathtub. A corner soaking tub with a built-in seat, for example, solves the incline problem while providing more than enough storage space for a full size bathtub.
Bathroom fixtures come in so many shapes and sizes that there is something available to fit any decor. For small bathrooms, try using wall-mounted sinks and faucets. They are usually recessed, which makes them ideal for smaller bathrooms. If you have a larger bathroom, you can consider installing an island to free up floor space. Consider using freestanding, countertop plumbing fixtures to make a bold statement in your bathroom, or go with wall-mounted fixtures if you have the space.