But what makes a house a home?

Storage from BathEmpire

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately as I’ve just moved in to a new property and am struggling to make it feel like my home.

In particular I don’t feel at home in the bathroom I have at the moment – the bath isn’t comfortable, and the whole room is a bit cold and unwelcoming – and because I’m just renting, I can’t install a new one, as much as I’d love to.

I’m dreaming of having a gorgeous white roll top bath and enormous walk-in shower. I think if I could have a bathroom like that then this place would certainly feel more like home.

When it comes to the bathroom, the things that make it feel like your own seem to be:

1. Great storage and work surfaces so there’s somewhere to put all your belongings, and everything’s right at hand, just where you expect it to be.

Constance freestanding bath from BathEmpire

2. A comfortable, clean bath that’s positioned well so you can get in and out easily and can totally relax while you’re taking a soak (so that means no mildew on the grouting and no dripping taps!)

3. A spacious, powerful shower – with places to put your bottles while you’re washing.

4. A clean, efficient toilet that flushes well and looks good.

5. Attractive décor – nothing too ‘corporate’ or faceless, but nothing too loud either.

6. A warm reception. Draughts are definitely not welcoming, a cosy bathroom is essential and towel radiators are the perfect finishing touch.

It’s pretty easy to get all of these things right if you’re installing a new bathroom in your house or flat, so take some time to really get it right.

After all, as much as people talk about the kitchen or the living room being the heart of the home, if you think about the place you go to relax, have privacy and just ‘be’ then the bathroom comes top of the list, so it’s really important that you make this room feel like your own.

A few foreign references in your home will make you look well-travelled, and will help to ensure that your rooms are unique – after all who wants a bathroom that’s just like the neighbours’?

One of the cultures which offers lots in the way of interesting design ideas is that of the Japanese. It’s full of tradition and ritual, which we think makes it the perfect source of inspiration for bathrooms.

So what are the key elements of the look?

One of the main considerations is that Japanese designs are typically very grounded in nature.

Bonsai trees are a simple way to create a Japanese look

Natural materials like wood, pebbles, stone, sand and plants can all be combined to create a relaxing ‘zen’ space where you can retreat to. Isn’t that something we all want in our homes?

You can have a plain white bathroom suite, as this is practical and the best idea if you’re ever planning on changing the look of your bathroom. Choose baths and sinks with stream-lined, modern, simple shapes for best effect – anything too ornate won’t work.

Then you can then make the accessories work hard to create the Japanese atmosphere. Set to work on decorating the room with dark, atmospheric colours – perhaps choose a dark wood floor, deep red walls or black tiling.

Keeping plants in your bathroom is one of the easiest ways to get a Japanese look – the obvious candidates are bonsai trees, bamboo or cut cherry blossom branches (or even some faux ones, we won’t tell anyone).

The Cahora bath from BathEmpire has a shape inspired by pebbles

You can choose to take the look one of two ways – either make it all very earthy, light and spiritual, or take it darker, make the surfaces glossy and create a more grown-up vibe. Which one is right for you will depend both on your home and your lifestyle.

If you want to make the look really authentic, you could recess the bath and have a ‘moat’ around it containing smooth black pebbles.

Another option, and much cheaper, is to have simple colourful paper lanterns which you can light when you want the bathroom to become a relaxing rather than practical environment.

Then all you need is a Yukata robe (a light cotton Japanese robe) hanging on the back of the door, and you’ve created your very own Japanese bathing temple.

Picture: Modern Home Idea, www.modernhomeidea.com.

The minimalist approach in this design creates a huge space in the middle of the room. The suite itself uses a block look, softened by curves to give a modern feel. The use of a block of green across the cabinets emphasizes on the design of the bath tub but still remains minimalist because of its sparse use of colour. And by having the walls and floor white the entire minimalist look is pulled together.

You can replicate this look with the Ladoga range at Bath Empire. The Ladoga toilet gives the bold look in its block design but this is softened by the curvature at the front.

The Ladoga pedestal basin replicates the bold look with the straight lines which are again softened by the curves at the top of the basin. The overall look is simplistic.

The Balaton freestanding bath really complements the Ladoga range with its bold design block look with the curves at the ends of the bath tub.

For more detail you can add the Boll mixer taps to complement the bold look with a simple design.

And to finish the look off why not add the Francis flat panel towel radiator. The blocks really complement the bold features from the Ladoga range and overall it is very minimalist.