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Show WOMAN'S WORLD Bathroom Should Receive First Attention in Remodeling Plans By Ertta Haley BATHROOMS are usually the smallest rooms In a house, and deserve careful planning. With one bathroom, the whole family must use, it's essential to make it as colorful and useful as possible. If you're remodeling or building a home, experts say that the bathroom bath-room should be at least five and one-half feet by seven. This is the minimum size to be practical, and If it can possibly be any larger, it's wise to make it so. For those who already have their homes and cannot change the size of the bathroom, it might be wise to look to some tips for making more storage space available. If you can clear the floor of a small bathroom, for example, you will really have more room and thus simplify the cleaning job. Decoratively, much can be done to improve the bathroom and make it more cheerful. There are many accessories which will spice the basic color scheme which you can change at little expense. The main thought to remember in this respect is that the room is small and too many different colors cause a jarring note as well as a confused con-fused appearance. If you store soiled clothes in the bathroom, then have a hamper for them. Lack of floor space can lead you to place one which attaches to the back of the door. If several towels to hang are your problem Good storage space and you don't want them draped over the bath tub, then racks at different levels solve this problem nicely. Hooks for brushes, combs, hand mirror, shower caps and such items will also help clear the room and keep it more neat. Good Planning Held Essential Windows in bathrooms are a necessity, but they should never be placed over the bath tub. If set there, they would be hard to open and close, and it would provide too much of a draft for bathers. The window is well placed on one side of the basin or against a free wall. A separate shower stall is nice to have, but if there is not the space for this, the bath tub-shower combination works out well in most cases. If tiled, the tilework should be carried to at least the height of the shower curtain bar, to avoid damage around the walls around the shower, and the rod itself should be firmly anchored. If a bather feels himself slipping he will grab for the nearest object, and this is the shower curtain or rod. On this account, have the rod fastened with long screws into the actual studding, not just into lath and plaster. If all fixtures can be placed on the same wall, a considerable sav- for the bathroom which will look right for your family. If you and other members of the family are fair-skinned, the walls of the bathroom can be blue, peach, green or yellow. These shades compliment com-pliment light skin tones. On the other hand, tans, browns and aquamarines will set off brunettes bru-nettes to best advantage. It's wise to stick to one color or shades of one color inasmuch as the bathroom is small. Glazed tiles, for bathroom walls, are now manufactured in about 200 shades of basic colors, and unglazed tiles in about 75. The tile of the floor should be darker shade than that of the wall. Those who desire to use different colored accessories in the bathroom bath-room would do well to choose a subdued color like gray. This may seem monotonous, but put in towels, shower curtain and mat of clear yellow and the room will fairly sparkle. Change accessories to different colors and you change the scheme successfully and easily. eas-ily. If colored fixtures are chosen for the bath, plan to have them blend with the basic shade of the tile-work, tile-work, rather than seek an exact match. Both fixtures and tile may vary slightly in shade from samples from which you select. Avoid intense colors as they seem to hem in the room and make occupants uneasy. Finish the tiled wainscot with a cap of the same color, rather than black or a contrasting shade. This makes the room appear larger. Provide Maximum Efficiency With Storage Space Far from the least consideration in the bathroom plan is adequate storage space. Fully half of the home owners are dissatisfied with this fature in their bathrooms and would provide more storage facilities facili-ties if they could. Medicine chests are standard equipment, but many times they are completely inadequate for the average household. If the wall area permits, build a man-size chest with a full-length mirror as the door. Storage cabinets built under the wash basin are convenient and inconspicuous in-conspicuous places to keep face towels, soap supplies and powders and cloths for cleaning. Cabinets for these may also be built under counters adjoining the wash basin. Unused wall space coiiM be used beside the shower stall or behind the door for a built-in cupboard. Cupboards put in the space above the toilet can transform this space into a chache for medicine chest overflow. In bathrooms where the shower is not over the tub, cabinets built high on the wall over the tub can house towels, bath mats, extra paper and tissues. Tiled counter space around the wash basin provides extrn working space for those shaving, facing hair or make-up. The surface would be moisture-proof and can'bf cleaned with a swish of the clotl. Some of the storage space strain can be relieved in almost any old-fashioned old-fashioned bathroom by hanging what-not shelves in the corners. Use these for light-weight items such as soap and cosmetics. Provide Enough Space For Hanging Towels It's no fun to get ready to step out of the bath and find that you must run out into a hall closet to find a bath towel. For this reason it's good to place the towels within easy access of the tub. There should be enough hanging racks in the bathroom for hanging both bath and hand towels for every member of the family. Towels for children's use should be on racks low enough to permit easy access to them. You will thus encourage towels to be hung there after using rather than having them draped over bath tub or other fixtures. fix-tures. A good place for several hand towels and wash cloths is around the wash basin If you can place racks on either side. lili makes bathroom practical. ing can be made in plumbing costs. In homes with two baths or with powder room on first floor and bath on the second, savings can be made by placing one room over the other so they can both use the same waste pipe. Electric outlets should be placed carefully. Switches should be an arm's length or more from the tub and wash basin, say safety experts, so there's no temptation to touch them while hands are wet. Avoid metal pull chains on lights and put hi wall fixtures for safety's sake. Plugs for electric curling Irons and razors as well as vaporizers should be placed conveniently so the user can see In a mirror while the first two of these are being used. Let Complexion Guide Your Color Choice Colors can enhance or detract from your own personal appear-nce appear-nce and It's wise to choose those |
