Going all the way with a large main bathroom or ensuite retreat.

Bathrooms have come a long way since starting out in history as an annexe out the back near the laundry, or being the smallest room inside the house. Where space allows, today’s bathroom is a more glorified room in its own right, and central to the lifestyle enjoyed by home occupants.

If you’ve got the budget and space to turn your bathroom into a generous family-sized bathroom with every possible convenience, or sumptuous adult retreat, consider the following:

• Freestanding baths with freestanding taps are the ultimate in style and luxury.
• Drop-in baths, surrounded by wide tiled areas, are practical and still very popular.
• Allow for a broad tiled step if your drop-in bath platform is quite high off the floor.
• Sunken baths are not making a comeback – they are hazardous and hard to clean.
• Larger wet rooms can have two rail showers plus one or two overhead rain showers.
• Double showers aren’t just for adults – kids can get showered twice as fast too!
• Large vanity cabinets with double basins are very practical for couples and families.
• Vanities don’t need to be against walls – you can create an island within the room.
• Bench-mounted basins allow for the bench to be as long and wide as you’d like it.
• Glass basins and shallow rectangular or oval porcelain basins are in vogue for 2015.
• You can provide privacy for the toilet area with a full or mid-height partition wall.
• Clean towels can be stored within the bathroom to add colour and luxurious texture.
• Add a beautiful timber chair (or even a small chaise lounge!) if the space invites it.
• If in a house, you could look at adding larger windows, or a frosted-glass door to outside.