Bathrooms have to cater for all the seven ages of man, and this leads to some of the problems associated with the use of the room. The conventional bath is too low down for anyone easily to bath a young child; the basin is too high for a child to use; the taps are too stiff; the water is too hot; the shower is too high and so on. Child-friendly bathroom child-friendly bathroom Attempts to provide special fixtures simply transfer the problem to the next size up. However, as with the elderly and the disabled, a few design features can easily be incorporated and the sensible use of furniture can help. An easily movable seat such as a small stool that can be used for sitting on when bathing young children is a boon. If the WC is sited close to the bath, the cover of this makes a good seat to use for this purpose. Grab handles by the bath, non- slip surfaces and good storage space for boats, ducks, etc, will help to make the bathroom usable by others, but if a children’s bathroom is specifically required, certain advantages result. The smallest size of the bath (1370mm) can be used, thus dramatically reducing the space required. In fact, a children’s bath- room with bath, WC and basin, can be fitted into a space 1320mm by 1675mm. Such an arrangement might be well worth considering. Hilary Gelson’s book on Children about the house in this series contains a number of useful tips on adapting a bathroom to children’s needs and on safety. Colour Architects and designers deal with colour in a different way from the untrained layman. They consider colour as only one aspect of a material,
Architects and designers deal with colour in a different way from the untrained layman. They consider colour as only one aspect of a material.
Architects and designers deal with colour in a different way from the untrained layman. They consider colour as only one aspect of a material, the texture being the other. It is best always to think, like them, in terms of texture and colour – and of course in terms of lighting, since daylight and artificial light produce different effects on the same material. Consider whether your room is used mainly in daytime or at night; many rooms that seem stimulating and satisfying by artificial light look tawdry in the cold light of day. Your bathroom has to do duty in both situations; try and take advantage of the good qualities of both daylight and artificial light. If your bathroom window faces east or south-east, take advantage of the early sunlight and plan your colours with this in mind. Most luxury bathrooms illustrated in books and magazines exist only in the showroom or the photographer’s studio and give a false impression of what can be achieved.