Folding Door: (Bi-Fold)
In these enclosures, the door folds in the middle and slides to the side, always opening inwards; these provide a great space saving option.

Sliding Door: (Sliding, Quadrant)
The sliding shower doors provide complete ease of opening. While the Quadrant styles are ideally placed to make the most of the corner of rooms, because generally the doors open from a central position. The Sliding styles are designed for slightly larger bathrooms (the largest enclosure extends to 1400mm in width).

Hinged Door: (Pivot)
The hinged door provides a sturdy, wide opening to the enclosure.

No Door: (Wet Room, Walk-In)
With no moving parts, these enclosures provide an open finish. The Walk-In enclosure can be installed with a tray, or installed as an alternative to the Wet Room.

Corner or Alcove?
You also have two options when installing a new enclosure. You can install a corner enclosure, which features the door and side panel in any corner of your bathroom.

Alternatively, with just a door panel, you can convert any bathroom alcove into an enclosure. Instead of using these areas for storage, purchase a tray to fit the space, and let the single door panel cover the length completely. Should you wish to add an alcove in an existing bathroom, simply construct a stud wall in the desired location.

A Bi-Fold Shower Enclosure, installed in an alcove.

These are some key things to look out for when buying a shower enclosure:

Quality of the glass – Always look out for tempered shower glass, as the manufacturing process heats and cools the glass several times. This provides an incredibly strong safety glass which should meet BS6202 standards.

Quality fittings – Molten metal is forced into a cavity at high pressure, and this is known as solid die casting. When this is done in a single mould, a quality fitting is produced as there is less chance of breakage.

Metal rollers – Too many shower enclosures have a single roller attachment. However, problems can occur if the roller detaches itself. A better solution is to have both rollers attach themselves on the top and bottom of the door to prevent such accidents.

Prespa L-shaped Shower Bath, by BathEmpire

Benefit both worlds

The trend in recent years has turned mainly to showers, with baths being seen as more of a luxury treat at the end of a hard week at work. Yet, when considering the resale value of our property, we are constantly reminded that a modern bath is needed to sell the idea of a ‘family’ home. Therefore, why not gain the benefits of both worlds, and merge the two in a shower bath.

However, if space is really at a premium, then a wet room presents a solution. With a stylish glass screen sealing the shower area, a wet room allows maximum use of the central space in a room, as other essential items can be placed around it.

Space Savers

Holt Counter Top Basin, by BathEmpire

As mentioned in our earlier post on large bathrooms, dark furniture is definitely making a comeback.

You can finish the contemporary look with some Lassen Wenge furniture, such as this floor standing cabinet. The integrated basin stands securely above the deep drawers, which benefit from soft-close technology meaning the sharp sound of slamming cupboards is now a thing of the past.

As an alternative, should you fancy a more open look, then you may be suited to this Holt counter top basin. Combined with the powerful angular design of the Canim mixer tap and the Virginia tower radiator, this look will be equally elegant.

For further products suited to urban bathrooms, be sure to check out the range at BathEmpire.

We can’t really remember a time that a simple black and white bathroom was out of fashion.

The Victorians loved the look, with grand roll top baths, black and white chequerboard floors and ivory walls.

Today the very same look would still look good, although there are other ways to go black and white as well – perhaps with black vinyl floors, white glossy metro tiles and black and white patterned tiles.

These fabulously retro white Metro tiles (left) are 40p each from Topps Tiles, for example.

The white bathroom suite is still a must though!

The bath can be roll top or a more contemporary freestanding style.

The reason why black and white bathrooms work so well is that you’ll never seem like you’re trying too hard, the look will be effortless and the interest will be created by patterns and textures.

A black and white bathroom is very likely to make your home more saleable as well, as most people will find it appealing and will have their own ideas about how they can add to it with accessories to make it their own.

If I have one suggestion for elevating a black and white bathroom from good to ‘good enough for an interiors magazine’ then it’s this… add a pop of bright colour.

Black and white looks stunning when teamed with a cheerful yellow, a hot pink, lime green or a jewel-like turquoise. .. or in fact with most bright colours.

For example, this zingy yellow bathmat by Linea at House of Fraser (right) is the perfect accessory for an all black and white bathroom – it’ll give it a lift.

Remember my jewel brights post from a few weeks ago? Well if you’re not brave enough to go for that, why not go for black and white basics in your bathroom then add the jewel colours in as accents – on towels, plant pots, frames pictures and bath mats.

You could even incorporate colour on the walls, or on a blind, for a different look.

Have you decorated your bathroom in a chic palette of black and white ? We’d love to know if you’re happy with the look you’ve created.

If you’re yet to create your dream look, take a look at BathEmpire’s white bathroom suites.

If you’d look at the bathroom and think: “Well, that will have to be replaced” then that’s got to be a bad thing.

Buyers are likely to find a shabby bathroom more off-putting than other flaws like untidiness (they know you’ll be taking everything with you) and even dirty carpets, an overgrown garden or walls that need painting, because these are seen as simple jobs they can do themselves.

The thing is, installing a new bathroom is a major hassle that new property owners would rather not have to deal with.

They’re going to have all the upheaval of moving in their furniture and all the admin that comes with changing address and the last thing they want is to be calling plumbers and having the mess and inconvenience of a bathroom installation as well.

That’s why fitting a new bathroom is a particularly savvy home improvement to make before you put your house on the market.You take on the hassle and it’s very likely that you’ll get back more than you spend when you sell up.

Buyers will be much more attracted to a property that already has a stylish, clean and well-laid out bathroom than one with a dodgy avocado suite, peeling wallpaper and mould. Eugh!

Cahora freestanding bath from BathEmpire

Now, if I was a buyer, and I saw a property on the market for say £200,000 that had a disgusting mould-ridden bathroom with an old, chipped bath, stained sink and toilet and little space for anything, and then I saw another property for £210,000 which had a gorgeous, up-to-date, neutral bathroom like the one on the right… well, I know for sure which one I would pick.

So installing a new bathroom really can mean that your is the property that sell instantly, with others languishing on the market.

And the thing is, a new bathroom needn’t cost you that much at all. At BathEmpire we have baths from as little as £219.99, roll top baths from £249.99, full-sized sinks from £59.99, shower enclosures from £129.99 and toilets from £69.99.

Your property particulars can mention that a new bathroom has been installed and the photographs of your property on-line will be much more appealing.

As any interior designer will tell you, if it’s saleability that you’re after you can’t really beat a plain white suite – that way the buyer can stamp his or her own personality on the room without too much difficulty.

Plain white suites will attract buyers

Sure, a gold bathtub or a grey suite might be trendy, but if it alienates even 25% of your potential market, then you may end up taking longer to sell, or having to drop your price.

So install a plain white bathroom suite from BathEmpire; use tiles in neutral tones such as stone, slate or white; dress the room with simple accessories such as fluffy white towels and bathrobes and a vase of flowers, then sit back and watch the offers come rolling in.

When you get to your new property visit us again – we know you’re going to want to recreate the look!

For sale image courtesy of efffective.com