• Adding colour to your bathroom

• Buying a new bathroom (Part 1)

• Essential, but never boring….toilets!

• How to pay for a new bathroom?

• A guide to bathroom furniture

Easy and cost-effective ways to refresh your bathroom this new year

With cost-of-living top of the current agenda, many are keeping a close eye on household expenditure. In some cases, homeowners have made the decision to put on hold or even cancel bathroom, ensuite or cloakroom projects, while others continue to press on with original plans building, renovating, or refreshing.

It won't come as a surprise to anyone that these days hard-earned money doesn't go as far as it once did, but for those who have decided on a bathroom refresh, the good news is that there are ways to update and create an amazing space without breaking the bank.

Taps, handles, accessory sets, upstands, and splashbacks are small items, but ones that can make a real difference to the overall look and feel of the room.

Taps can have a big effect both visually and practically but check the level of water pressure. Many taps are designed for certain pressure levels and will not work properly if the water pressure is not high enough.

Whether changing taps or accessory sets including loo roll holder, towel rail, toothbrush, and soap holders, consider finish. Long gone are the day of chrome taps or chrome taps! There is now an impressive choice of metal finishes on offer, from brushed brass, copper or matt black to brushed chrome, satin and matt white. Something for every bathroom. Also consider shape. It is important to bear in mind the other elements in your bathroom such as cabinet and shower door handles. Your choice of tap needs to work with the other brassware too so try to ensure shapes and finishes match.

Vanity units, wall hung units and shower enclosures all require handles. There are a wide variety available on the market from pulls and knobs to T-bars, J-bars and drop design. These are often available in different materials including wood, metal, and leather as well as different finishes for example brass, brushed chrome, copper, or matt black. Where possible, try and hold different handle types up to your cabinetry or shower enclosure before you decide.

The size of the handle is important. A pull-style handle can look tiny on large doors or drawers but too large and they can overpower. Just be careful of handles with sharp corners if you have children as they can cause a safety issue. Of course, you can mix the type of handle, but finishes should all match. Consider whether you want your handles to match or work as an accent to your light fittings and taps.

Finally, placed behind bathroom basins to protect the wall from splashes, stains, and steam and to prevent mould and mildew from cultivating, upstands and splashbacks provide a quick and easy way to inject colour, personality, and creativity into a room.

Upstands and splashbacks can be cut to fit and are often bespoke in size to incorporate shaving or light sockets or come in standard sizing to fit the average vanity unit. Providing a functional solution to everyday problems, upstands and splashbacks can be made from a variety of materials – stainless-steel, porcelain or ceramic tile, composite, laminate, engineered stone or glass.

So, whether installing taps, handles, upstands, or a splashback, you are guaranteed to transform a simple bathroom into a statement one. All are relatively easy to fit and none of them need break the bank!

19th Dec 2022