Bathroom notions: top tips

Countrystyle bathrooms

Just click through our gallery to discover beautiful bathroom buys and sound advice from Country Living magazine, starting here...

A traditional-style roll-top bath lets you adapt the look of the room from old-fashioned luxury to a simpler, utilitarian feel. Positioned right beneath the window (so that the sill provides a bath shelf), the one shown is acrylic, which makes it lightweight enough for flats and upstairs bathrooms, and has central tap and plug fixings so you can bathe from either end.

Walls in House White modern emulsion, £30.50/2.5 litres; MDF panels in House White oil eggshell, £14/750ml: both Farrow & Ball.  Idealcast bath with castiron legs, £1,388, Ideal Standard; painted in House White oil eggshell, £14/750ml, Farrow & Ball. Fringed white bath sheet, £75, The Conran Shop. Antique caned stool, £150, Josephine Ryan Antiques. Hare on the Beach painting on canvas by Claire Fletcher, £250, Made in Hastings. Vintage white enamel bucket, £15, Pimpernel & Partners. Happy D chromed metal consol with 650 basin, £376, Colourwash.

Bathroom storage

Wall storage is excellent for bathrooms as it keeps things clear of the floor, which may be damp, and doesn\'t reduce the amount of floor space. Stools and linen baskets supply seating as well as shelving, baskets keep laundry out of sight and an old-fashioned bath rack will hold soaps and keep other essentials to hand. Ladder racks make use of vertical drying space for several towels.

Antique painted cupboard, £88, Pimpernel & Partners. Shell cross, £2.50; scented candle, £24: both RE. Bath gel, £23.50; lavender-filled heart, £9.50: both Notonthehighstreet.com. Vintage enamel plate, mug and pewter pot, antiques-shop finds. Postcard, £8.81 (set of eight), Cabbages & Roses. Shaving brushes, £18.50 each, The English Shaving Company.

Bathroom flooring

Bathroom flooring needs to be practical and waterproof, but not too cold underfoot. Limestone tiles are ideal for this colour scheme: cream in tone, with a matt finish that offsets the sheen of the sanitaryware, they are laid as large flags echoing the style of the wall panelling. A cotton rug adds to the warmth offered by the underfloor heating.

Crema rectangle encaustic floor tiles (30cm x 60cm), £69.63/sq m, Fired Earth; White Hotel Chic bath mat, £10, Cologne & Cotton

Bathroom accessories

It\'s the details that make a bathroom feel furnished rather than functional. An ornately carved mirror will add a touch of glamour and reflect light back into the room, while an enamel bucket for cleaning materials and simple wooden stool and brushes will suit the look of a plain traditional bath. The trick is to include items that are not specifically designed for bathroom use: pretty saucers to hold soaps, mugs for toothbrushes and old, decorative scent bottles. Panelling creates a shelf on which to stand pictures, and model boats and seabirds bring a beach-house feel.

Lidded jar, £29, Brissi. French stoppered bottles, from £25 each; soaps, £7.50 each: all Cologne & Cotton. Lavender glass, £7, RE.

Bathroom colour and textiles

Layers of white, cream and putty or taupe are restrained but warm, with the deeper neutrals taking the chill off white fittings. Stronger colour can be added with fabrics and toiletries. Here, a single red and white checked curtain is tied with a bright ribbon to keep the window clear of trailing fabric. Mix coloured towels with plain white ones or, if you prefer just an accent of colour, look for designs with ribbon or braid edging.

Curtain in Taymar Check pink cotton, £34/m, Jane Churchill; tied with red ribbon, from a selection, V V Rouleaux.

Bathroom lighting

Bathroom lighting needs to be both functional and relaxing. Plan it early on so that wiring and fittings can be installed at the building stage, before decorating. candle-style wall fittings on either side of the mirror add a more traditional, atmospheric glow. Separate shower lights are available in special shower resistant sealed units.

Tube wall-mounted light, £34; Mist soap dispenser, £19.50: both John Lewis.