We’d like to welcome to the world little Bo-Pierre Courtney. The tiny tot has hit the headlines this week, after being born on 10th May following a labour lasting just eight minutes. Bo-Pierre was born a healthy 8lbs 4oz, in her parents’ bathroom.

We’re not saying that you should design your bathroom based on the off-chance that a baby will make its way into the world close to your toilet or sink, but the occurrence got us thinking. How can you make your bathroom so comfortable that, if the occasion ever arose, you wouldn’t mind giving birth by your bath?

A corner bath, complete with an in-built seat, is probably your most comfortable choice for a long and lazy soak. They offer an abundance of space you simply won’t find in an ordinary, rectangular tub.  They require a certain amount of space, and a bathroom with a certain layout, but they’ve got more space for a little rubber duckie, for larger bodies and for a couple who want to share (ooh la la!). Besides, water-births are becoming increasingly popular!

You can make your bathing experience even more relaxing by including a bath pillow. They’re a cheap addition for a softer soak, often valued by bathers with mobility issues as well as those who want to sink back with a book. Bath pillows can also be useful for bathing babies slightly older than those bathroom newborns, protecting baby from the hard side of a bath if they should happen to move around a little too much.

Bathroom comfort can also be increased by the proper use of storage.  Hiding all those objects and accessories will make your bathroom look more spacious, which can really improve your mood. Vanity cabinets are particularly useful, offering plenty of space for items you don’t want strewn across the floor.

Lastly, consider heated towel rails for that nostalgic warm and cosy feeling. You can use your towel rail to dry your bathroom towels between uses, to warm them ready for when you get out of the bath or shower, or to warm a dressing gown in time for your bedtime cup of hot chocolate when you’re wrapped up for the night. Warm towels and dressing gowns can really help you relax after a long and stressful day, and heated towel rails are available at all sorts of prices making them an affordable addition to any home. What’s more, they can replace existing radiators with the right fittings, and don’t take up much space.

Your bathroom should be a place you want to spend your time in. It should offer privacy and comfort, and be a relaxing place to while away the minutes or the hours. You might not be planning to use your bathroom as a labour suite any time soon, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared. Little Bo-Pierre was born in a swift eight minutes, but with the right fittings and furnishings your bathroom can be somewhere you’d be happy to stay for far longer each day.

The public toilet is of course the home of graffiti writers. Much of their written work is unprintable in a family blog, but some can be shared.

A man wrote:  ”My wife follows me everywhere”
Written in another hand below: “I do not”

Seen in a University toilet, above the loo roll:
Sociology degrees – please take one

Many authors favour poetry:

Here I sit, In the Halls of Vapour;

Some darn fool done stole the Paper

Or:

If you sprinkle when you tinkle,

Be a sweetie, wipe the seatie…

As you might expect, the ladies have a more subtle tone then the men:

Seen in a Women’s bathroom -

“We aim to please: men claim to please”

The Gentlemen’s equivalent is -

“We aim to please: You aim too, PLEASE!”

What do you call WillyWonka’s bathroom?

The Candyman Can.

Personal Messages

When it comes to your own private w.c., are you brave enough to post a message above your mirror? Here are some possibilities –

You don’t have to brush your teeth….just the ones you want to keep!

Or ladies, if you are something of a wicked witch in the mornings –

I AM the prettiest of them all!

Another well-known aphorism with a suitably right-on ecological message is -

If it’s yellow, leave it fellow; if it’s brown, flush it down

One with a more surreal message -

Do not flush toothpicks; The crabs are learning to pole-vault

Bathroom thoughts of the rich and famous

The toilet is of course known to be a great place to hide from the demands of the world and think great thoughts – and maybe write great songs?

If I want to be alone, some place I can write, I can read, I can cry, I can do whatever I want – I go to the bathroom.
Alicia Keys

You may live in a mansion but somehow there are never enough bathrooms for any given family…

The only way for this father to be certain of bathroom privacy is to shave at the gas station.
Bill Cosby

I grew up with six brothers. That’s how I learned to dance – waiting for the bathroom.
Bob Hope

Increasing age is accompanied by the imperative to rapidly locate toilet facilities whenever you visit someone else’s home:

At a formal dinner party, the person nearest death should always be seated closest to the bathroom.
George Carlin

Beer is not a good cocktail-party drink, especially in a home where you don’t know where the bathroom is.
Billy Carter

Always go to the bathroom when you have a chance.
King George V

You might think that we all have the same basic fundamental (sorry) habits but national characteristics also apply:

As for the British churchman, he goes to church as he goes to the bathroom, with the minimum of fuss and no explanation if he can help it.
Ronald Blythe

Castro couldn’t even go to the bathroom unless the Soviet Union put the nickel in the toilet.
Richard M. Nixon

It is hard to retain the romance in a relationship when you have to share the facilities – bathroom designers please note:

For marriage to be a success, every woman and every man should have her and his own bathroom. The end.
Catherine Zeta-Jones

The fact is that most of us are feeling the pinch these days. We are watching what we are spending at the supermarket, worrying about our jobs, waiting years for a payrise and concerned the interest rates will finally go up. All this probably means that your bathroom project has hit the backburner.

It really doesn’t have to be the case. It is possible to create a new bathroom which will rival any of those you see in showrooms without spending nearly as much as you thought. Simply use some of these tips to keep the costs down and start dreaming about doing the kitchen next!

Recycle and reuse

Take a good look at your current sink, toilet and bath before you hire that skip. If it is white and clean, there is a really good chance you can reuse your bathroom suite and update your bathroom with new taps, fittings, tiles and flooring. Overall this could save you a minimum of £200 but probably much more. If you can save the taps, you have just saved another £100.

Take advantage of sales

Check out your local bathroom store or better still, shop online when sales are taking place. These often occur just as new stock is being introduced – ie at the end of Summer and Winter. New ranges often hit the stores in Spring and after the Summer holiday season. You can always ask your store when they are getting their new ranges in and then jump in and buy when old stock is reduced by 20% or more.

Buy showroom stock

Stores who have large displays will rotate them at least once or twice per year. This means that the showroom bathrooms will be going for a song. You will have to accept a little wear and tear, but the reductions offered usually make this worthwhile.

Learn some DIY

Use resources like DVD’s, books, how to websites and You Tube to learn how to tile properly, lay flooring and even how to do some basic plumbing. Don’t forget that you will need to get an expert in to do the electrical work. A good bathroom fitter will charge you around £1500 for a completed bathroom with tiling, plumbing and electrics – so there are good savings to be made.

Negotiate hard

No one is immune to a little haggling. Start with the store you are buying your bathroom fittings from. Ask for a discount, especially if you are buying it all from one place. Often the manager will offer 10% off- which is a good start. Or you could get some freebees added to your order.

Next you need to negotiate with your fitter if you have hired one. Many builders are struggling these days as well and may be receptive to you asking for a discount. If you are willing to be flexible in terms of how long you will wait or having your job fitted in around others – the fitter may be willing to do your job a bit cheaper. But don’t be cheeky, they need to make a living too!

Get creative

Not all bathrooms are born equal, in fact some can carry off a look which might not suit the average home or  home owner. If you are the creative type you could try using wallpaper, glass screening, antique furniture, broken tiles for mosaics or second hand bathroom suites. If you are willing to search high and low and have a great imagination, you can always make your bathroom into something attractive on a budget.

Being on a limited budget doesn’t mean that all hope of having a new bathroom is lost. It simply means that you will need to take the long route round. You will get there in the end with help from your imagination and the willingness to search out those bargains.

In the past, purchasing a home was an enormous decision in which location played a big part. When people bought their home, they considered it a home for life. You had to choose the right house, in the right place, convenient for work and for visiting family.

Time moved on, and people became a little more nomadic. In recent decades, homeowners have thought very little of a change of scenery. Selling a house and buying one elsewhere has been a fairly common activity – in fact, house-swaps offered the perfect chance to ‘up sticks’.

As house prices stretch back out of reach, people are going back to the old ways. Homeowners are choosing a property for life, once again. Surveys are showing that people are staying in their homes far longer, and that new buyers are considering the possibility of never working their way up the property ladder, or of settling down for a stable family life.

A settled lifestyle, with the same home for decades, will lead to an increased need for change and renovation. No longer are people re-modelling and refurnishing to impress potential buyers. Now, if you’re changing the look of your house, it’s probably for your own good. People are aging with their homes, and fashions are changing by the decade. If you’re looking to a long future in your current home, here are three ultra-modern bathroom fitting, furnishing and accessory tips that will drag your bathroom from the past and prepare it for the future:

‘Round’ is the New ‘Square’

Sleek curves are becoming increasingly popular as we head into the future. The Doc and Marty McFly could never have predicted how few straight lines there could be by 2015, yet we’re just a few years away.  Though circular rooms aren’t a productive use of space, using circular fittings can make a bathroom look modern and stylish.

Music Makes the World Go Round

Bathrooms have always been a place of contemplation and inspiration, but you can now go one step further. Add a music system to your bathroom, and you can use your bath to hone your singing talents, or can switch on the radio to hear breaking news as you shower before a day in the office. We’re letting the media into every aspect of our lives – why stop at the bathroom door? Even your mirror can now play your favourite tunes to as you clean up or sink back in the bath tub.

You Really Can Bring the Spa Home

If you’re the type of person who visits a spa, and wishes they could have the same experience without an excessive membership fee, queues or the need to book an appointment, you’ll be pleased to know that you can now enjoy the power of steam in your own bathroom. No, we’re not saying you should simply have a long bath or shower without switching your extractor fan on – there are shower cubicles built specifically for this purpose.

Steam cabins offer the ultimate in rejuvenation and relaxation. The best have monsoon shower heads, powerful jets, steam systems that let you burn up to 300 calories per session and in-built radios because a book isn’t a practical solution with all that moisture. Ahh, bliss!

Bathrooms aren’t as simple as they used to be. Fortunately, there’s no harm in renovating yours and selecting the best. If you’re making the decision to stay in one place for decades, and perhaps to raise your family in the home you’re currently in, you’ll know that everyone deserves the best. Prepare your bathroom for the return of the DeLorean, and make your bathroom future-proof.

Many a comic has fallen back on the old quip that they do their best work on the toilet. But the act of relieving oneself is an essentially contemplative one, which involves a break from the everyday routine and one which can often yield great inspiration. Here are some documented examples.

Potty Rap

Rapper Eminem is often described as a potty-mouth, with justification, but he was actually on the toilet when he dreamed up his nickname Slim Shady. When he was interviewed for his memoirs ‘The Way I Am’ in 2008 he explained that he finds his bathroom an inspiring place where he comes up with a lot of ideas.

He said: “I was sitting on the toilet and a lot of good material came out of that. (I think that is one of his typical double entendres…) This name popped into my head. I was kind of skinny and I thought maybe it should be something slim. And then for some reason Slim Shady popped into my mind and I just thought of 20 things to rhyme with it. “I just thought, ‘This is it’. I went back in the room and just kept writing.”

Better Loos and Libraries

In the world of business, the giant Home Depot DIY chain was founded by Napoleon Co. He remembered his poor origins in the Philippines, saying “In my elementary school, the restrooms were, to say the least, ill-maintained and ill-equipped”.

He held off using the school toilets and waited until he got home—a habit he found hard to break while studying in provincial schools in Cebu. This led to later health problems. But the ordeal merely challenged the young Co. Having been deprived of proper hygiene and sanitation, he vowed never to let his children experience this.

“If you ask me why I got into this business, I would say the toilets jump-started the vision. I was moved, through this painful experience, to help poor people out there who have had it harder than I did. I know how dehumanizing it feels to relieve yourself in the dirtiest of these places.”

Moreover, he funded toilets for a Philippines Peace Library where poor Muslims and Christian children take free computer lessons and reading lessons and do not worry about dirty facilities. Co says: “It’s a small thing—to be able to build a clean toilet for a kid. But it is no insignificant thing to promote the health of a child—and ultimately, his growth and development, and his good future.”

Heart-Warming Plunger

Moving on to science and medicine, there is a curious cross-over invention. A Californian cardiologist announced in 1992 his device to resuscitate people whose hearts had stopped beating. It has a rubber suction cup and a pump handle. In tests it was said to be safer and more effective than CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

The inventor, Dr. Todd Cohen of the University of California, San Francisco got his  inspiration for the device, ACD (Active Compression-Decompression resuscitator), from a man treated at San Francisco General Hospital. Cohen recalled:

“His family was not trained in CPR, so they just grabbed a toilet plunger and started plunging the guy’s chest, and he was resuscitated.”

Bankrolling Loo Rolls

Finally, a tale from the underworld.

Albert Talton, another Californian but a criminal one, set out to create forged money that would fool the detection systems. Counterfeit-detection pens marked yellow on genuine currency but brown or black on his and other fakes.

He could not crack this problem until one day, sitting on the toilet, he found himself staring at the roll of tissue. He took out the detection pen and found that the mark showed up yellow. On further investigation he discovered that toilet paper, the pages of Bibles and dictionaries, and newsprint, are all made from the same kind of recycled paper pulp, and all leave the yellow mark. From then on the authorities had a problem. How was it resolved? That is another story…

It seems that supermarkets are starting to understand the importance of being eco-friendly in our homes and Sainsbury’s have started in the bathroom with a revolutionary new product – toilet paper on a smaller roll.

Believe it or not the supermarket has shaved off some cardboard from the inside of a toilet roll in order to make the entire roll smaller – but still just as long. The smaller rolls require less packaging, fewer lorry trips and they take up less space on the supermarket shelves. All a bonus for the supermarket (the price is still the same despite these savings) and a minor win for the eco-conscious among us.

To be fair, this example of making eco-savings is kind of lame – but it does bring to mind the other, more useful things we can do in our bathrooms to make them greener and more attractive all at once.

Choose the right towels

It is a good idea to choose towels which are made from a recycled product or at least a sustainable crop. Cotton is a great option as long as it is organic and doesn’t use a chemical process to clean and dye it. For the most eco-friendly option look for hemp. It might be a bit pricey, but as far as green credentials go, you can’t get much better.

Toilet paper does count

Sainsbury’s might be making the inner tube of the toilet roll their main focus, but what about the paper? Recycled toilet paper which comes from 100% recycled materials is really the only good option. In addition it is best to buy non-bleached paper. Contrary to popular belief this paper is not scratchy – nor does it fail to “do the job”!

Think about your paint

Many paint brands contain high levels of VOC’s. These chemicals are designed to keep the paint looking fresh and to make it easier to apply. Unfortunately they are also dangerous to breathe in and are not great for the environment when it comes to production. There are a number of good organic paint brands which you can choose from. Also many paints are now low VOC’s and are a better option for an eco-bathroom.

Accessorise wisely

When deciding on your bathroom embellishments, you will need to think green all the way. Avoid plastic and opt for long lasting and recyclable glass or natural products such as bamboo or cotton. This includes your bathroom mat and even the shower curtain. Most curtains are made of PVC plastic, which gives off organic compounds – however a better choice would be polyethylene vinyl acetate (PEVA) which is much kinder to the environment.

Source recycled bathroom suites

It isn’t just for the good looks that many people choose second hand baths, sinks and toilets. Yes, you will save money, but you will also prevent the suites from heading for landfill. You can always use a mix of new and old, replacing those items which are not in the best condition. Please note that no-one is suggesting that avocado, pink or blue bathroom suites should be recycled. They definitely should be in the skip!

Cleaning products

There are plenty of eco cleaning products on supermarket shelves these days and many of them contain very few harmful chemicals. However it is possible to make your own cleaning products. Lemon juice or vinegar work brilliantly to clean up lime-scale or even down the toilet and bicarbonate of soda mixed into a paste will remove stains and dirt from your bathtub or sink.

While supermarkets work out the best ways to save themselves money and make it look like they are saving the planet, we should all be working out the best ways to legitimately turn our bathrooms from chemical laden science labs into eco-friendly recycled washing areas. It is easier than you might think.