When was the last time you took a bath? When you did, chances are that it was in a standard, rectangular fitted bath. Most of us have this type of bath in our home, that is if we have a bath at all. Freestanding baths in the centre of the bathroom or even in the living room have been a huge fashion trend of recent years, but what about the good old corner bath? Is installing a corner bath something worth considering or should the corner bath be consigned to the skip of history?
The main reason why corner baths have fallen out of favour is that our bathrooms are shrinking. Think about the space a normal bath takes up in your bathroom compared to a corner bath. The difference is considerable, and in the shrinking British bathroom of the 21st century there just is not enough space to accommodate a larger bath in the corner of the room. It's this simple fact which has led to the decline in the popularity of corner baths rather than the bath itself falling out of fashion. In other countries, especially North America, where houses are larger and bathrooms roomier, the corner bath is still hugely popular.
If you are faced with a choice between installing a corner bath and fitting a standard bath with a shower, always choose the option of having a shower as well. This is especially the case if you are thinking about selling your property at some point in the future. Buyers are less likely to be bothered by a corner bath if they have the option of a separate shower, whereas any sort of bath without a shower will make your house less attractive to buyers. It can be more difficult to fit an over the bath shower unit to a corner bath, so this might also be something worth considering when making your choice and there are a range of shower baths on the market in different shapes and sizes.
Part of the reason why corner baths can look old fashioned is that so often they were installed in all those rainbow colours which were so popular back in the 1970s or 1980s. An avocado green or bright blue bath is never going to look modern and coupled with the less common corner shape, it can look extremely dated. If you're ever considering installing a corner bath at home, never consider any colour except white. Even cream or off-white can have a dated appearance and will never look as contemporary as plain old, boring white. If you've inherited an older corner bath in a property you've bought, investigate whether it would be cost-effective to have it resurfaced rather than replacing it completely. Resurfacing a bath will cost around £350, but this is small change when it comes with the additional costs of plastering, tiling and replacing flooring incurred when ripping out a corner bath and replacing it with a rectangular one.
If you are stuck with a corner bath which you feel looks a bit old fashioned, then you might be able to give it a more modern feel just by changing the taps. Swapping old fashioned gold taps which are very ornate to sleek, modern taps with clean lines will change the appearance of the whole bath and might be enough to restore your faith in your corner bath. A new set of taps will cost as little as £50, and if you're good at DIY, replacing them is not too tricky a job. Just remember to turn off the water supply first.
If you're still not convinced of the attractiveness of your bath, then you can always try the old camouflage trick instead. Draw your attention away from the corner bath with an unusual light fitting, or with an oversized piece of artwork on the wall. Paint the walls or buy tiles the same colour as the bath to make it blend into the room, and use colour in other parts of the room to provide different focal points. Keep in mind though, that if you love your corner bath, there are plenty of other people out there who will too.
Most bathrooms in the UK are not only tiny but also lack the necessary 'spare' corner with which to install a corner bath, but if space is at a premium then why not add it to the list of considerations for your bathroom installation? Our extensive collection of corner baths offer a range of sizes to help. The Carron corner baths are of exceptional quality and come in a range of sizes depending on your requirements, not to mention the Vitra Space saver baths too which are designed specifically for those who want a little more space in the bathroom.
Video courtesy of DIY Hip Chicks
