Bathrooms Central

The Bathroom

A bathroom is simply defined as a room that contains a toilet, a sink and either a bathtub or a shower. This definition, however, did not hold true in the old days. Originally, the term bathroom was coined to describe the “room that has a bath”, bath being a bathtub. When the shower was incorporated into the equation, sometimes even totally replacing the traditional bathtub for bathing purposes, the room's name then came to somehow mean “the room a person or someone bathes in.”

Bathrooms are also called by different names in different parts of the world, ranging from the simple toilet, to water closet and to the term restroom. While the term bathroom can also mean a public toilet if you are in The United States, a bathroom, in general, is almost always certain to contain the usual amenities that we have all come to know it has.

The basic structure of a bathroom includes a water source and a toilet, with the water source being the shower, the bathtub and the sink. Hot and cold running water also became the norm for some of the present day bathrooms, along with the bathroom mirror and sufficient lighting fixtures to brighten up the room during darker moments.

While the common household bathroom functions as a place simply used to facilitate the excretion of bodily waste and to cleanse oneself, today's bathroom seems to be metamorphosing into something more. The birth of the luxury bathroom or otherwise known as the designer bathroom, has revolutionized how we use this once unappreciated part of our homes.

Bathrooms of late have started to incorporate luxurious and even state-of-the-art items to create, not only an atmosphere that promotes relaxation, but can also boost wellness and healthy cleansing and living habits. Ventilation units have been incorporated into some of these bathrooms, which in turn promotes the better circulation of air that serves to prevent excessive moisture from generating an environment conducive to the breeding of mold spores. 

These ventilation systems may also provide the user with warm air by means of an added built-in heater, should the bathroom become too chilly in colder climes or seasons.

Another technological innovation that has been added to some present day bathrooms is the upgraded shower. Selections for this bathroom commodity now come in choices of steam, jet or massage and the standard showerhead. These may be paired with shower enclosures constructed for utmost safety and comfort.

Enclosures or shower cubicles can now have built in seats, multiple showerheads for the massage option, slip-proof flooring and may even have built in speakers, CD players and even go as far as having a TV screen in it. These can be built in a combination of materials that include, fiberglass, acrylic paneling, plexi-glass and tempered safety glass.

Bathrooms have also started seeing some furniture that is usually only seen in living rooms and bedrooms in the house finding its way into its territory. Chaise lounges, sofas, arm chairs and even end tables have come to share the bathroom space with the sink and bathtub to help beautify and expand the room's usage capabilities.

Area rugs and decorative curtains have also been employed by various bathroom owners to help spiff-up their personal space, using a common color or motif to achieve their design ideas.

Another healthy decorative idea that has crept into the traditional water closet is the integration of live plants into the bathroom area. Plants not only come across as appealing to the eyes, but bring with it the production of oxygen from the carbon dioxide present in the room.

As innovative and decorative we may have become in the way we build our bathrooms, some old-style restrooms do still exist these days.

Since remodeling may require a licensed architect, a competent contractor and quite a big sum of cash, do it yourself kits have also become available for those who wish to renovate and upgrade their bathroom bit by bit, as the budget permits.

Changes in lighting options can be done by the homeowner at a fraction of the cost with simple, easy-to-do steps. Affordable yet stylish light fixtures are available in various designs and models. Creating the expensive atmosphere of luxury bathrooms is now achievable with a little imagination and some common household items.

Heating pads are also available for self installation to convert plain mirrors to defogging ones and cold bathroom tiled floors to heated floors. These developments all serve to glorify and make better the one room in the house that is usually the least appreciated, the bathroom.

From its humble beginnings as a simple room to bathe and do nature's bidding in to its present spa-like transformation, the bathroom has indeed come a long way.

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