As many of us will be painfully aware, sharing a home and a bathroom comes with its own unique set of frustrations, issues and problems. Whether you are living with parents, children, friends or complete strangers, even the smallest matters can become magnified, leading to arguments.
Living with your partner, combined with a shared bathroom suite, can lead to simmering tensions which, if left bubbling away, have the potential to cause problems in your relationship.
Celebs such as Joan Collins and Michael Caine feel that separate bathrooms are the key to a happy marriage. However, unless you live in the lap of luxury (just like a Hollywood star), it is highly unlikely you’ll have the space or budget for a second or even third bathroom.
Luckily for you and your loved one, we’ve come up with 5 great bits of advice on sharing a bathroom, so you can both enjoy this most relaxing of spaces in the way it is intended.
Pick a décor you both like
Often, when decorating a home, it is all too easy to defer to a single person’s choices when selecting a colour scheme, patterns and accessories. However, bathrooms, much like relationships, require compromise, so the two of you should settle on a look that appeals to both your tastes.
If one of you has a passion for traditional products, like a roll top bath and cross head handle taps, but the other prefers a more contemporary look and feel, why not try and incorporate both? Eclectic styles are very on-trend right now and you can certainly cater to both of your tastes. Or, if you wish to play it safe, go for a more neutral palette, with a monochrome base of whites, blacks and greys. This may seem a little dull but it should prevent any arguments in the long run.
Split it down the middle
This may seem a quite drastic option, however, we’re not suggesting some “Berlin Wall” style division. If you are blessed with a larger bathroom, you could simply allocate one half to your partner and claim the other half for yourself. That way, you have complete creative control over the look and feel of your bathroom sector, plus, you’re in full charge of cleaning duties.
Whilst you may feel this will give your bathroom a weird, unbalanced appearance, “zoning” bathrooms, by using different tiles and flooring, is very popular right now, so it could end up looking very stylish.
Of course, installations such as your toilet, bath and shower area may still need to be “shared”, so you will need to come to a compromise in these areas.
Fit a separate bath and shower
They do say opposites attract, and in many cases this can extend to your preferences in the bath v shower debate.
If you prefer a nice, relaxing bath but your partner likes to take a quick shower, a separate shower enclosure and bath means you can use them at the same time. This not only promotes a happier, more sociable bath/shower time, where you can chat with each other, instead of burying your heads in electronic devices, but you can also save time when getting ready to go to work or out on the town.
Install two sinks
One easy way to make things run smoothly in a shared bathroom space is to fit a double sink unit. Whether this is two pedestal basins side by side, or a specially-designed twin vanity unit, it’ll mean no one ends up hogging this most precious of spaces.
You can double up on other items too, including mirrors, storage units and accessories, so you can both maintain your own private space.
Create a space that’s easy-to-clean
One of the main causes of arguments in shared bathrooms is cleaning. If both of you like to keep your space spotless, it shouldn’t be an issue, but inevitably people do have differing standards when it comes to cleanliness.
Aside from assigning a cleaning rota (which will probably, eventually, be ignored), you can minimise the hassle by creating a bathroom that is easy to clean. When purchasing items, look out for back to wall or wall hung toilets, which don’t leave you with awkward gaps which accumulate dust and grime. Some shower enclosures and panels come with an easy clean coating, whilst shower wall panels can be much easier to maintain than tiles, which can lead to unsightly mould if not regularly wiped.
The secret to a better bathroom for you and your partner is compromise. Take all these tips into consideration when designing your bathroom to enjoy a relaxing and stress-free experience.
