Amongst accessories, I include towel rails, lavatory-roll holders, toothbrush holders, soap dishes and mirrors. They are available for the most part in one of three materials; wood, plastic or chromed metal, and happily, although there is a lot of junk around, there is at least one good-looking range available in each. The qualities to look for are simple clean lines, suitability for purpose and strength in use. After that, you choose the material suitable for your style of bathroom.
Don’t, for instance, buy homely wooden accessories for a slick, modern, all-plastic bathroom. Be sure to have adequate accessories for your needs. There should be towel rails near the shower, the bath and the wash bowl unless you want to drip water over the floor, though sometimes if the sanitaryware is adjacent, one towel rail can double for two uses, and a small ring holder will generally be sufficient for the wash bowl. At least one rail should be heated or be in close proximity to a central heating outlet. Soap dishes are a dubious extra. Soap recesses to the wash bowl can avoid the necessity of having one there.
Over the bath, shower and bidet, the ideal arrangement – better than a dangerous projecting affair is a dish set into the wall, and many tile manufacturers offer these in sizes and colours to complement their tile ranges. Toothbrush holders tend to be rickety, projecting contraptions. There are handsome, solid ones though, especially amongst the very well-designed plastic and wooden ranges. Whichever you choose, be sure there are sufficient mugs and brush holders for the number of people using the bathroom. Lavatory-roll holders are in similar styles, but their positioning is important. I became particularly aware of this when suffering from a badly damaged shoulder and went through contortionist agonies getting at the paper in some people’s bathroom cabinets. To one side of the lavatory and at low level is best, not behind it and way above your head.