While the contemporary, Victorian, country and industrial styles are still huge hits, people who want a hint of elegance even while sporting a modern, bright and cheerful bathroom environment are experimenting with European bathroom ideas. European bathrooms are on glossy pages of expensive magazines but that doesn’t mean you can’t afford them. With the right kind of furniture and design, you can pull it off with ease and a few minor changes.
The shower enclosure
Frameless shower enclosure doors are a typical look. They have actually European origins and look modern. Besides, if you get the transparent variety, it will make even a small bathroom look bigger as the wall behind the enclosure will be brought into focus. If you want some privacy you can also go for the patterned variety. Sliding and pivot doors look best. In most European bathrooms, the shower enclosure is situated in a corner. This makes the most of a small area.
Walk in enclosures are perfect for a larger room. Having a grey wall behind with a concrete effect will have a semi-industrial look. If you want shades of the contemporary look too, add a pear shaped bath. Frameless doors can be as durable as framed versions but in case of sliding doors, there’s more wearing down with daily use. However, frameless doors are easier to clean.
Basins and counters
Wall mounted basins and counter tops basins are popular. The emphasis is on the neatness of the finish and a clean look. You can have a mounted heated towel rack nearby or a clothes holder for your dressing gown.
Sit in tub
Half tubs are common in the European look. It’s easier to have a good clean up too as you can sit comfortably. A bidet helps in a through rinse down and is also fun to use. Bidets are also installed near toilets as European bathrooms aren’t pro-toilet paper. Toilet paper has more of an American heritage.
The whole package
If you don’t have enough space for a separate shower enclosure, go for an overhead one above your bath. If you don’t want an enclosure on all sides, opt for a rimless screen. The taps can be wall mounted ones to give a neat look to the arrangement and compliment the frameless doors.
A few minor details
When going for a shower enclosure, if you want to pull the European look off to the T, it is important to have a floor drain as well as a wall mounted nozzle. These minor details help in perfecting the entire look.
Colors and shades
You can have a touch of the rustic look with wooden finished vanity cabinets of dark wood preferably glossy. Walls can have a black and white pattern and floors could be of light shades. Red and white too can be employed. If you like the wooden floor effects, keep a strip of the floor with such a pattern. It could lead to the shower enclosure or the basin area. And if you are a plants person, have a few plants in large ceramic pots in the corners.
Donna loves to write about her latest experience about home designing and decorating house. She recently designed a bathroom with European style and got good compliments. She bought accessories from victorianplumbing.co.uk for bathroom.
