How to Choose the Right Bathroom Suite: A Practical Guide

A new bathroom is one of the best upgrades you can make to a home, but with so many styles and sizes available it is easy to end up with a suite that looks great in a showroom and feels cramped at home. Working through the points below will help you narrow things down before you visit us.

1. Measure the room first

Start with an accurate floor plan. Note the length and width of the room, the ceiling height (especially under sloping roofs), and the position of the door, window, radiator and existing soil pipe. The soil pipe matters most, because moving the toilet can add a lot of cost. Bring these measurements with you and we can check what will fit.

2. Decide between a bath, a shower, or both

If you have young children or enjoy a soak, a bath is usually worth keeping. A shower-bath combination is a good compromise in smaller rooms. If nobody in the house uses the bath, replacing it with a walk-in shower or wet-room style tray can make the room feel much bigger and is easier to use as you get older.

3. Check your water pressure and heating system

Before choosing a shower, find out what kind of system you have. Combi boilers, unvented cylinders and gravity-fed systems all behave differently, and some showers need a pump or a minimum pressure to work properly. Tell us what you have at home and we will point you to showers that suit it.

4. Choose a toilet that suits the space

• Close-coupled toilets are the most common and usually the most affordable.
• Back-to-wall toilets hide the cistern inside furniture or a boxed-in wall for a tidier look.
• Wall-hung toilets leave the floor clear, which makes the room look larger and is easier to clean.
• Short-projection models are useful in small cloakrooms and en-suites.

5. Think about storage early

Vanity units with drawers or cupboards under the basin keep toiletries out of sight and make a small bathroom much more practical. Wall-mounted units and mirrored cabinets free up floor space. Deciding on storage now also helps you choose the right basin size.

6. Match your taps and finishes

Chrome is hard-wearing and easy to match, while brushed brass, matt black and brushed nickel give a more modern look. Try to keep the taps, shower valve and accessories in the same finish so the room looks planned rather than pieced together.

7. Set a realistic budget

Remember to allow for more than the suite itself. Tiles, flooring, lighting, extraction, a heated towel rail and installation all add up. A good rule is to decide your total budget first, then work backwards to see how much is left for the sanitaryware.

Get advice from our team

Choosing a bathroom is easier when you can see and touch the products. Visit our showroom and trade counter, bring your measurements and a few photos of the room, and our team will help you put together a suite that fits your space and your budget.