IN THE HOME

Evening Star, Issue 22444, 15 September 1936, Page 2

IN THE HOME

THE MODERN BATHROOM EFFICIENCY WITH BEAUTY OF DESIGN DEVELOPMENTS IN DECENT YEARS As welcome a development as any in the planning of homes today is that which has made the bathroom something more than a mere utility. The primary purpose of a bathroom should, of course, be functional, but there are still many that do not express that purpose well. It is to the credit of architects that they have in recent years recognised the paramount need for skilful planning in the bathroom, and the secondary but nevertheless important and commendable need for making the use of the bathroom as much a pleasure as a hygienic necessity. Today the bathroom that is well planned, well equipped, and pleasantly decorated can give the householder almost as much cause for satisfaction and pride of ownership as any other part of the house. The history of bathing provides scope for interesting study, for it is linked with early civilisation. A writer in a recent issue of the ‘ Architectural Review ’ states that bathing was enjoyed by the ancient Egyptians, and the Athenians built private and public baths, and according to Homer, warm baths were used after exercise to remove fatigue. After the commencement of the thirteenth century there were few cities in Europe without hot vapour baths, and at the time of the Reformation, according to Erasmus, the bath was a common adjunct to the inn.

The private bathroom was not introduced into England until the end of the thirteenth century, by Eleanor of Castile, the wife of Edward I. The bathroom was usually placed in a building apart, and frequently at some distance from the house. It was not until the beginning of the seventeenth century that a French literary patroness and social leader, Catherine de Rambouillet, realised the importance of

placing the bathroom where it was easily accessible from the bedrooms, ami so introduced the practice that is general to-day. A SIGN OF GENTILITY, To possess a bathroom was, until some 30 years ago, considered a luxury and, as such, a sign of gentility. _ Today that is all changed. Individual householders have increased, bathroom equipment has been standardised, and hygienic conditions have made the bathroom a part of every modern house. There are still a great many people who can remember what a ritual bathing was in the Victorian era, and those are the ones who can best appreciate the advances in bathroom planning that aro generally accepted without much comment by the present generation. It was a Saturday night ceremony—and what a source of inspiration it has provided for humorists! Often there was no bathroom built for the purpose, but a converted bedroom was used. There stood tho portable bath, to be filled and emptied laboriously. There was no basin, for washing was done on a stand in the bedroom. One can readily believe that such conditions would discourage even tho most ardent devotee of cleanliness. Rut even when bathrooms became common there were many faults to be found. There was no thought given to planning. Tho units were, crowded in and there was little regard for comfort. Baths were often short, narrow, and deep, so that it was a struggle to get out of them. Basins were so small that it was difficult to use them without splashing water over the floor. The plumbing was untidy and illogical. There was none of the gleaming freshness that is typical of the bathroom of to-day that is kept clean so easily. There was no originality of decoration. It was meant to be functional only, but it did not even achieve that aim. FUNCTIONAL AND BEAUTIFUL. The modern bathroom is both functional and beautiful.. There is no difficulty in obtaining good equipment at reasonable prices, the fittings and walls can be kept spotless, and the housewife can have almost any colour scheme she wants. It is possible to buy baths and basins in tones of yellow, green, rose, black, blue, mauve, and pink. The basin may be of the familiar type supported on brackets or legs, or on a central pedestal which hides the supply and waste pipes. It may even assume a more architectural form. The hath itself has altered a good deal.. Now it is enclosed at the front and ends, preventing the accumulation of dust under the bath, with the attendant trouble of cleaning. Altogether there are innovations and changes which alike point to greater simplicity o? installation, simplicity of design in fixtures, with increased efficiency in operation and ease of maintenance For the walls it is possible to buy materials that are not affected by steam and are easily washed. There is paint, which has proved satisfactory if it has a good wall foundation and is given an enamel finish. Glass can provide a beautiful lining for the walls, and it has been used to excellent effect in some of the more recently-bnilt homes in Christchurch (says the ‘Press’). In one home-rolled plateglass has been fitted over blue painted walls, and the effect when the morning sun shines into the bathroom is delightful. Tiles are used widely, for they offer an extensive variety of design, and the suitability has been proved by use. In England there has been manufactured an opaque vitreous substance made up in large panels. These are said to be excellent and have a reputation for hard wear. VARIETY OF DESIGN. A study of architectural periodicals published recently in England and America shows an astonishing variety of decorative designs. In one bathroom the walls and floor aro tiled in 4in squares. The delicate pink of the walls is supported by a skirting of black, with a decorative course in green running along the top of the skirting. The fittings, such as recessed soap holders and tumbler holders, are coloured pink to match the wall tiling At a height of about sft the pink tiling ends in a floral border, above which there are several courses of tiles in a beautiful shade of pale green to match the green of tho pedestal basin and the bath, and harmonising with the deeper green of the mottled floor tiling. In another there is a delicate composition of blues and creams, the mottled tiling of which the main body of the wall is composed making an ideal background for the Staffordshire blue of t the bath and basin. The floor is made up of small moscaic squares of an unglazed vitreous material to match the glazed tiling above a frieze of blue. A neat arrangement is provided in another bathroom by the use of black and white tiles. The unusual vertical fixing of tho Gin by Sin white glazed tiles is very effective, and helps to form the distinctive character of the design, in which a few inset tiles in black, white, and red provide an appropriate note of relief. The skirting and the capping, as well as the base of the recessed fittings, are of black tiles, while the floor is of unglazed white hexagons, with a border of grey speckled floor tiles. Combined electric clocks and radio speakers are being installed in English residences. They are fixed flush into the wall. \