Small wonders

The trend for smart and stylish bathrooms has hit Britain in a big way now and however small your bathroom is, there are now endless design possibilities and products to buy to make your mark and create your very own sanctuary.

Since the bathroom has been elevated in recent years from a place to simply wash away the grime of a hard day's toil to a place to luxuriate in and sample all the gorgeous smelling lotions and potions that you can buy for the home spa, the choice of baths and sanitary ware available has also increased and there should be something to suit everyone's taste and budget.

So while there are plenty of luxury goods out there from Japanese washrooms to dramatic roll top baths for those who can afford to live the celebrity lifestyle, there's still plenty of choice available and today's materials are much more varied and versatile so you should be able to turn even the smallest space into stylish room to relax in.

For most of us the bathroom is probably the smallest room in the house and you'll need to take a bit more care and thought when planning the layout to really make the most of what little space you have available.

You really do need to think ahead though before choosing a bathroom suite - don't forget that once bathroom fittings have been plumbed they become permanent fixtures and will cost a fortune to re-plumb elsewhere. It's now possible to find baths that have been specially designed for small rooms and there's a huge array of wall-hung sanitary ware, which will give the illusion of more floor space. Go for linear designs to make the bathroom feel larger.

Another clever and simple trick to give the appearance of more room and to free up some useful wall space is to re-hang the bathroom door to open out to the hall or landing.

And try and making use of every corner of the room with specifically designed wire corner baskets to keep all those oils and lotions. Think about using larger white wall tiles, 200mmsq, which will open up the room and give a sense of space, as will using clear materials, such as glass bricks or clear shower doors.

And don't forget perhaps the most crucial element for any bathroom, particularly a small one, is keeping it clean and tidy! Hide all that clutter away in streamlined furniture and use a really good cleaning agent like Flash to tackle all the grime and germs that will build up now that you've produced this perfect retreat and find that you and your family simply can't keep out of the bathroom!