Ensuite bathrooms were once a luxury found in only the largest homes but they are becoming increasingly affordable. In this guide we take a look at how you can design your own beautiful and spacious ensuite bathroom.
Ensuite Bathroom Furniture
One of the biggest choices you'll need to make is the type of furniture you want to install. Ensuite bathrooms will often be small so you'll need to pick furniture which is compact and makes the room appear larger.
Storage space is also an important consideration. Nothing can make a room feel smaller than large amounts of clutter. So although you'll need to choose compact furniture, it's important for you to have enough room to store everything you need.
Some of our products mention a certain amount of projection in millimetres. In basic terms this is the distance your furniture will protrude into the room from the wall, so choosing furniture with short projections will help your ensuite feel more open.
Wall Hung Vanity Units
The vanity unit is an essential item when it comes to en-suite bathroom optimisation as it enables you to create a bathroom design that is as streamlined as possible. Wall mounted vanity units are ideal for your ensuite as they are hung on the wall, leaving the space underneath empty. The unoccupied floor space can help your ensuite feel larger and more open.
Combination Vanity Units
If you're looking to create extra space in a small ensuite bathroom, look no further than the combination vanity unit. These units combine a toilet, basin and storage into one neat and compact package. This should help your ensuite feel more spacious but could also allow you to install a larger storage unit or shower elsewhere.
Wall Hung Toilets
Like the wall hung vanity, wall hung toilets leave the floor below them empty. This creates a sleek, modern aesthetic which will help your en suite feel more spacious. When choosing your wall hung toilet pay close attention to the projection. A toilet with a smaller projection is ideal if you're short on space.
Showers For Ensuite Bathrooms
There's a number of different types of shower available for your ensuite and your choice will largely come down to size and looks.
Corner Shower Enclosures
If you have a small ensuite bathroom, a corner shower enclosure is ideal. These can fit into the corner of your ensuite to maximise the available space.
Walk In Shower Enclosures
A lot of people will have a functional shower bath in the main bathroom of their home. So if you have a larger ensuite to work with why not install a stylish walk in shower enclosure? The large glass panels of a walk in enclosure will allow a lot of light to bounce around the room and a slimline tray can help the bathroom feel larger.
Luxury Freestanding Bath
For some people, an ensuite bathroom can be a relaxing sanctuary away from the chaos of family life. If this is the case for you and you have the space, consider a freestanding bath. The height of bathroom luxury, these will give you the perfect place to relax and unwind with a good book. Although these are on the larger side, there are many different sizes available and with careful planning and arrangement of furniture, you could find one to fit in your bathroom.
Recessed Shower Storage
If you are working with a small ensuite, maximising storage space is key. That's where the shower cubby comes in. These are a stylish way to keep the clutter at bay in your bathroom and can be constructed relatively cheaply. If you really want to make a modern statement, install an LED light into the roof of the cubby.
Colours
Choosing the right colours for your ensuite can be tricky. As these spaces can often be smaller, we'd recommend sticking to lighter colours which will reflect light and make the room feel brighter. If you want to add some colour and different patterns to your ensuite, colourful, patterned tiles are the way to go.
Bathroom Mirror Cabinet
Mirrors are an important part of any bathroom but they are particularly crucial for an ensuite. Mirrors, like light walls, will reflect light to help brighten your bathroom. If you want to maximise space choose a mirrored bathroom cabinet. These will give you some extra storage space to keep the clutter at bay and can include some useful features such as illuminated mirrors, demister pads and even Bluetooth speakers.
Tiles
The style of tiles you choose can have a big impact on the look and feel of your bathroom, so it's important to get them right. A smaller tile pattern can often make a room appear more crowded. On the other hand, large tiles can increase the sensation of space felt in a room. For this reason alone, we suggest you use as large as possible tiles in your ensuite bathroom.
Combine large tiles with a single coloured approach (rather than alternating tiled patterns as often seen in Victorian-era bathroom décor) to produce a wonderfully clean, fresh, welcoming aesthetic.
That isn’t to say that patterned tiles are a complete mistake when it comes to your ensuite bathroom. A tasteful combination of the two also works wonders. Perhaps a themed pattern in line with your larger bathrooms? The potential is endless: dark to light, light to dark, solid and light colours, transitions made from floor to wall and even to ceiling – discover the palette that works for you and work it!
Ensuite Lighting
To tile your small ensuite bathroom intelligently is one thing – to light it properly is another. And as you can imagine, when performed correctly, the results are remarkable.
Take into account windows, natural light, the size of your ensuite . The reality is that it will not require much lighting at all. Less is more, when it comes to lighting!
LED lighting used to be considered cold and uninviting – but with the rising popularity of LED mood units that run colour cycles, you should no longer be so bothered. Do away with the chore of replacing bulbs and run LED strips along recesses at skirting board levels for a cheap and innovative solution to totally transform your ensuite.
Open Plan Ensuite
If you want your ensuite bathroom to be as open and light as possible, consider an open plan ensuite. This refers to bedrooms which have a bathroom within them without any walls or dividers aside from a glass panel. This isn't to everyone's taste and you'll need a large bedroom, but they can look stunningly modern & minimalist when designed correctly.
Accessories
If you want to keep your ensuite tidy the right accessories are key. A wall mounted soap dispenser and tumbler will help keep your basin tidy whilst a shower basket can stop the shampoo clutter. We also have a great selection of toilet roll holders and towel hooks in an excellent choice of finishes, so you can find the products that perfectly complement each other.
