The Crusade Begins....

Please allow me to introduce myself - I'm Gary Baker, chief evangelist for avante bathrooms (www.avantebathrooms.com) and just as importantly, I'm trying to lead a crusade to change how we think about our bathrooms and cloakrooms in the UK.

At the moment the bathroom tends to be the last room in the house that we think of doing up, normally just before we try to sell the house. We spend as little money as we can and think that a white bathroom suite is the answer to our dreams. Some people even seem to think that it's OK to "live with" the avocado suite that they inherited when they moved into the house in the first place.

If this is true for the bathroom then the lack of effort that goes into a cloakroom is even more criminally pitiful.

Over time we have started to view the kitchen as a key part of the house and the way we want to live our lives. Design has been introduced to the kitchen and we all want a room that not only functions well but looks stunning. Well, the bathroom and cloakroom should be no different.

For me, time is the ultimate luxury and creating a haven in our bathroom so that we want to relax and spend time in it should be much higher on our list of priorities.

Bathroom furniture does not have to be stuck in the dark ages - with sleek, contemporary vanity unit design, it is easy to create a stylish, warm feel. Light oak or Wenge tend to be the main wood colours found in bathroom and cloakroom furniture. But why not experiment with a chrome bracket where space is at a premium or create a completely different look with a solid surface vanity shelf.

And don't be shy to add colour to the bathroom and cloakroom - a bright orange basin on a wooded vanity unit looks amazing or why not experiment with a vibrant red ceramic square sink (I know it's a basin really but I'll deal with this little issue in future blogs...) on a white ceramic vanity console.

If you really can't tear yourself away from cool, crisp white vitreous china (otherwise known as ceramic...) then at least look further than a stylistically challenged pedestal basin and go for a cool design such as a rectangular slab or an oval bowl on a bracket.

It's time to take a few risks in the bathroom and cloakroom and turn them into rooms that you want to find an excuse to spend time in; rooms that you're proud to show off in the same way that you would your kitchen or living room; rooms that are fit for contemporary living.

To see what I'm banging on about please come and visit www.avantebathrooms.com and take a look at our range - I think we have some truly stunning basins that are full of brilliant colour and contemporary design, as well as stylish vanity units and a wide selection of bathroom accessories. It would be great to know if you agree and even better to find out if you don't agree.


Gary Baker
avante bathrooms
www.avantebathrooms.com
tel. 0113 201 2259