A timeless and practical family bathroom that also looks good...

[CurrerBell]

We are about to spend a fortune fitting a bathroom into what was our spare bedroom. I want it to be practical to clean and keep looking good for many years (this is our forever home).

I've had a local bathroom shop help design the layout and quote. We're keen on having fitted furniture to hide some complicated pipework and provide storage. We're looking at Utopia's range but I'm just bewildered by the choice or colours for doors, worktops etc... I was thinking of either white gloss or walnut flat doors with integral chrome handles, but I don't know if gloss has already dated.

We're looking at Marmoleum flooring rather than tiles. I'm also keen on the idea of shower panels rather than wall tiles, but have no experience of these... Any tips or recommendations would be much appreciated.

Yes to 'shower panels', aka mermaid board. I had these installed in my new bathroom about four years ago. No leaks, they look great and best of all I hardly ever need to clean 'em.

won't gloss show every finger mark? Also avoid those bowls that stand on top of worktops, dirt trap beneath. Don't go too mad on storage so the room gets too small - you don't actually need to store that much in a bathroom.

panels are excellent, no grout to get mucky!

Personally those panels remind me of caravans so I wouldn't consider them. Marmoleum for the flooring sounds nice but is expensive - there are also lovely vinyls, rubbers and wood effect tiles available now.

Thanks - I will look into mermaid boards. We have a fully tiled bathroom at the moment (floor and walls) and the grout does get mucky and is impossible to clean properly.

I am thinking matt white might be safest to match our other woodwork which is matt/satin, but just hope it isn't too clinical. They have some lovely wood colours but I'm not sure about wood effect... I was thinking about overhead cupboards too but it might be a bit overkill - a slim mirror cabinet should be enough.

I was set on having Grohe taps and shower, but the bathroom sale guy has quoted for Crosswater stuff as he reckons they are as good as Grohe but cheaper. He says that a recessed shower valve isn't a problem these days as you can just take out the cartridge beneath it if it goes wrong...

Cross post skinnyflatwhite - I did have a look at the Mermaid boards website and they look pretty good I think - they also have them in glass but I'm guessing they are very expensive! Will have to investigate further...

If you are spending a fortune, Marmoleum would not cut it for me and neither would shower panels. Tiles from Porcelanosa would be beautiful especially the large format ones which are 90 x 33 so fewer joins in a large area. I think tiled showers and floors are fantastic and definitely will look good for years.

Not sure I'm brave enough to be on a TV programme... Interesting idea though... Just wish we could do our house transformation a bit quicker as so much still needs doing!

I love Marmoleum as it's eco-friendly and easy to clean - it suits the age of our house as it's a 60s house (and I love mid-century modern). But am not discounting the idea of tiles. We did our other bathroom out fully with travertine-effect tiles, and it still looks good but was very 'now' at the time we did it... So it's made me think about going for something that won't look totally 2014 in 10 years time!

I'm now thinking darker floor, white walls, white units and grey worktop, and we'll keep any tiles/wall panels to a minimum, just in the shower area mainly.

I had Marmoleum put in a bathroom 18 years ago. Ripped it up 3 years ago. Tastes change. It was warmer to touch but just not up to the standard of fantastic floor tiles and underfloor heating. I guess it just depends on what you think is luxurious.

I also like Marmoleum and would find that much nicer and more luxurious than hard tiles even if they are warmed with underfloor heating.
SOunds ideal for a 60s house too.

Thanks Milly and Pannacotta for the last replies (sorry I didn't respond to until now).

We have been getting quotes and the first plumber has tried to steer me towards tiles. They are looking like the best value option, as we only need them in the shower area and on the floor mainly, and I do think tiles look good. I was mainly worried about the cold feel and the grout getting dirty.

I am baffled by the choices of tiles though... What trends should I avoid? In the rest of the house we have white walls and modern Scandinavian style... pops of bright colour through accessories etc.

Will I regret white tiles? How will I keep the grout clean?

I've seen some white tiles with kind of textured/geometric effects which look great... I also like the wood effect floor tiles. Just trying to pick something that isn't the next big thing (as with travertine when we fitted the last bathroom)...

We have these

http://m.toppstiles.co.uk/tprod43988/section888/Antique-White

they give an amazing finish and look much better in thr flesh, I don't think they will date snd because they are different shades you can pic any colour for the rest of the bathroom.

Also, no mould and they've been in place 6 months

Thanks Mrsladybirdface - they are lovely.

I have seen some gorgeous porcelein wood effect tiles - I'm thinking of these for the floor.

We have these floor tiles
vinyl

I love them. They look amazing are warm underfoot and most importantly hide all dirt!

Have a look at the Ston-Ker range at Porcelanosa. Their photos are just inspiring. You do need underfloor heating though and then the floor will be way more cosy than any other floor covering. What is more, any spilled water dries very quickly too. We have a tile from the Venis range for our en suite bathroom and I love them. They do not get dirty! They are in a super clean bathroom and the grout is minimal anyway. Less than stone - that always seems to have a wider space for some reason. If you are doing a super bathroom in a house you will live in for a long time, go for something stylish and timeless. I don't think these tiles will date.

Thanks for the tips - we're off to Porcelanosa at the weekend!

I have just done my bathrooms and my advice is keep tiled areas to a minimum, it doesn't matter how timeless/modern you think the tiles you choose are they will date, painted areas are much easier to change as tastes change. I would also think about timeless colours, white is never going to be that exciting but bathrooms have had white tiles in them in one form or another since we started putting them into our houses. Black and white can be quite timeless but not a colour combination I like. I think if you go for built in cupboards/units of any type they will date but again white would be the best option. Paint colours can be as bold as you like to add interest to all the white as they are easily changed. Bathrooms are such an expensive room to do out so you like you I didn't want to have a room that looks dated in a year or two or want to change it any time soon.

Ive just done my two bathrooms with white tiles on 3 walls and black slate-like tiles on the floor. The remaining wall is painted so it can be changed anytime to update the look. Everything goes with black and white. I'm really pleased with them.

Everything dates but simplier styles are easier to update.

I've only ever seen panels used as a cheap fix to cover old tiles tbh.

Yes both plumbers pulled a face when I mentioned panels (although I'm sure the high end glass ones would be good). We're set on tiles now, although we will keep the tiling to a minimum.

This is a look I really like - see the 'Magna' picture on here. You can't see very well in this photo, but the tiles are 3D relief geometric tiles from Porcelenosa. You can see them better here.

They are 60s inspired, so not timeless exactly... but I've always loved the 60s / Scandi look and that's what we've done in the rest of the house.

I expect I'll have to sit down when we go there and find out the price!

I bet the fitters pulled a face at shower panels - much quicker to fit...

seen a lot of the panels both abroad and in the UK, look really good and smooth, and stand up to hard wear without getting mucky. Tiles are nice too of course, we are going to have a mix in our bathroom.

zombie