Every bathroom has its own individual character. And considering that a country house often has several bathrooms at once, it is no surprise that each room can differ fundamentally from the others in style, decor, size and purpose.
No men allowed!
If you compare the time a woman spends in the bathroom with the time a man has spent on this part of the house, the conclusion suggests itself: the fair half of humanity perceives bathrooms as multifunctional spaces. Indeed, some try on all their outfits here, and others even take phone calls into the bathroom. So when organizing a bathroom in the house exclusively for the ladies, it is worth considering all the subtleties of the female nature.
The interior of a woman’s bathroom requires combining convenience and aesthetics. Soft-to-the-touch towels, a bathrobe, cosy slippers and a rug, and refined accessories help recreate an atmosphere of warmth and comfort. The decor of the room plays an important role. All kinds of shelves and niches are appropriate here, neatly arranged with candles, boxes for storing cosmetics and costume jewellery, and miniature vases with artificial flowers. The furniture should be expressive, graceful and rich in decorative elements. The bathroom can also contain exclusively feminine interior items: a dressing table, a comfortable pouffe, an abundance of mirrors, furniture with built-in compartments for storing linen, and a hair-dryer holder.
Special attention should be paid to the design of the bath itself. As a rule, it is women who are devoted to aromatherapy and lengthy relaxation, so it is advisable to equip the room with a comfortable bathtub rather than a shower stall. A podium or a pair of wavy steps can emphasize all its beauty and significance.
For the strong in spirit
Practicality above all. That is how the strictly male territory can be described. A man should know what he is paying for, so the finishing materials of the bathroom must correspond to a certain status. A man’s bathroom is best “dressed” in marble, porcelain stoneware, bottle-glass tile, and terrazzo (concrete with pebble inclusions). There is no place in a man’s bathroom interior for items that have purely decorative value. One can, of course, make do with some serious sculpture — for example, a pedestal figure of a Spartan or an ancient Greek thinker. But no more. It is more correct to leave as much free space as possible rather than clutter it with unnecessary things.
The arrangement of furniture and other interior items should be convenient. Only women are capable of making the long journey to a distant cabinet to fetch a necessary item, while a man should have everything at hand. Incidentally, designers recommend organizing women’s bathrooms on the principle of dynamism. From time to time the interior can be refreshed by replacing the shower curtain, accessories and bath textiles with others in a different colour and pattern. In a male room, however, there should be stability: the impression must be created that this interior is built to last for centuries.
Bathroom for a child
Here colour is of enormous importance. There is no need to try to create a variegated interior — after all, a combination of two colours can also look bright, cheerful and fun: orange with salad green, blue with green, white with yellow, pink with milky. It is important that the decorating of the bathroom happens together with the child. Take into account, if not all, then at least some of his wishes, and make it clear that this territory in the house truly belongs to him. Let him take part in choosing the tile, the toothbrush cup and the soap dish. Do not think that children’s interiors are merely a riot of colours and absurd ideas: the room can be made truly original by using modern materials. For example, mosaic panels on a marine or fairy-tale theme, partitions of glass blocks, ceramic tile with a three-dimensional floral pattern.
If the bathroom is being prepared for several children, one must consider the psychology of each child, his views on life and hobbies — especially when it comes to children of different sexes. It is more correct to divide the room into zones. For example, lay the wall along the bath with tile featuring pictures of little cars, and complement the washbasin with a mirror in a romantic, girlish frame. Try to maintain the separation in textiles as well (towels of different colours) and in accessories.
It is also important to take care of the children’s safety. To prevent injuries, the floor covering must be chosen textured and non-slip, and a rubber mat must definitely be placed next to the bathtub itself. If there are steps or a podium, a special anti-slip covering should be glued to their surface. And to make climbing easier, small metal handrails can be built into the wall.
If the house has guests
The availability of free square meters in a country house allows you not only to plan a bedroom intended for guests, but also to provide a separate bathroom for them. Ideally, the bathroom should adjoin the guest bedroom — that is, the two rooms should be connected by an internal door. If you did not plan for this at the house design stage, try to allocate a single zone in the house for the guests. For example, give the bathroom farthest from the bedrooms to the guests, and make the room adjoining it the guest bedroom. Then no one will have to wander along the corridors at night in a strange house, barely finding their way.
Having a separate bathroom for guests is important from the point of view of personal hygiene. So it is better to equip a combined bathroom for the guests, saving space and territorially limiting the guests’ presence in your house. Since this bathroom will be used less often than the others, inexpensive, less beautiful and less luxurious — but sturdy and reliable — sanitary ware can be installed here. It is important that the materials used in the finishing of the guest bathroom interior can be washed quickly and easily and are resistant to aggressive household chemicals. So limit textiles to a minimum — and cover as many surfaces as possible with inexpensive ceramic tile. One more recommendation: the tile should preferably be matte rather than glossy, since streaks and stains are less visible on its surface and it does not have to be diligently polished.
How to decide on the layout
Organizing a bathroom involves far more nuances than might appear at first glance. Say, how to properly assess a combined bathroom. Is it a space-saving measure or a practical solution? Or perhaps both? A combined bathroom becomes a big drawback if it is the only bathroom in the whole house. Conversely, it is a very sound solution when the bathroom and the toilet are on different floors of the house. Then the combined bathroom is regarded as one of the most practical and versatile rooms in the house. Accordingly, it must be equipped to the maximum: besides the traditional toilet, also provide a bidet, find a place for the washing machine and a laundry basket, and put in rolling cabinets on castors for storing towels.
You will also face the choice of sanitary ware when organizing a separate bathroom. For example, a room serving as an additional bathroom is better equipped with a shower stall. And the main room in the house should be graced with a spacious bathtub or a full-fledged whirlpool bath. Incidentally, you will also have to think about how to properly place the bath in the room. A fully tiled bath is too traditional a solution. Today fashion is returning to freestanding bathtubs — cast-iron and ceramic, solid and glossy, on beautiful massive legs. Such a bath becomes the centre of the interior: it sets the style of the room, and its design determines the character of the decorative finishing.
Bold solutions
Lately, owners of country houses have approached the organization of the bathroom with complete seriousness, endowing the room with a multitude of additional functions. Spacious bathrooms are in fashion, matching a bedroom or a dining room in area. The bathroom in a country house has become a place where the most original design ideas are brought to life.
Today a cinema bathroom can hardly surprise anyone.
Next-generation technologies make it possible to equip bathrooms with a water-resistant LCD TV and a stereo system. The room can be simultaneously a library and a home office and — if you wish — the bath can end up in the very centre of a winter garden. The boundary between work and rest is gradually being erased, so true originals are able to relax in the bath while simultaneously talking business with partners on the phone.
The multifunctionality of the bathroom has led to a more complex interior. A large room is customarily divided with interesting partitions, decorated with massive columns; the toilet is built into the wall and the jacuzzi is arranged with a view of the garden. In short, cramped and dark rooms have become a thing of the past for owners of country houses. Today light pours into the bathroom from attic or panoramic windows; it is bright and spacious, and you can find almost anything your heart desires in it.
