The Complete A-Z of Bathroom Furniture

A is for… ACCESSORIES

Matching bathroom accessories are a perfect finishing touch, but don’t just coordinate your towel rail, toilet roll holder, toilet brush and soap dispenser – think early on about how all your taps and handles will work together.

B is for… BOW-FRONTED

A bow (or curved) fronted cabinet could add interest to an otherwise boxy room, or compliment other bathroom items featuring smooth curves, such as a freestanding slipper bath.

C is for… CABINET

Cabinets are the over-achievers of bathroom furniture: available in all shapes, sizes and designs, they’ll go anywhere and – more importantly – hold anything.

D is for… DRAWER UNITS

A handy alternative to cupboards and shelves for getting all that bathroom junk under control and out of sight.

E is for… ERGONOMIC DESIGN

Ergonomically designed bathroom furniture minimizes physical effort for an efficient morning shower routine. Choose items that are easy and comfortable to use: you’ll be using them every day, after all.

F is for… FITTED BATHROOM FURNITURE

Whether floor standing or wall mounted, fitted bathroom furniture will maximise your space (both inside the units and out) and will bring a coordinated look to your bathroom.

G is for… GLASS SHELVES

A feature of many washstands: the open space below the basin is emphasised by barely-there glass shelves and the items stored there seem almost to be floating.

H is for… HIGH GLOSS

Often a feature of plain white bathroom furniture, making them anything but boring. Reflecting the light to brighten your room, high gloss finishes give you an easy clean, go-with-anything beauty.

I is for… ILLUMINATED MIRROR

An illuminated mirror will work wonders: shaping your eyebrows, shaving, applying make-up… it’s not easy to do any of these in partial shadow, lit from above or behind.

J is for… JOINER

The man or woman you’ll rely on if you opt for bespoke bathroom furniture. Your bathroom furniture can be made to your own design – but hire someone you trust, and discuss your plans fully with them from the outset to avoid any nasty surprises.

K is for… KIDDIE FRIENDLY

If you’ve got children, you’ll know how important this K is. Safety catches on cupboard doors and toilet seats, a low toilet bowl that’s easier for a small child to scramble up onto, and ergonomic taps and handles make your job as a parent that bit easier.

L is for… LINEN UNIT

Fitted bathroom furniture can feature a coordinated linen or laundry unit, so the whole household can jettison yesterday’s socks in style.

M is for… MIRRORED CABINETS

All the benefits of a capacious, clutter-banishing cabinet, with a mirrored front: two items in one and perfect for a small bathroom as the mirror reflects light and opens up the room.

N is for… NATURAL WOOD

Often used in the construction of ‘statement’ bathroom furniture, natural wood will need treating in order to avoid water damage. It makes hard wearing, beautiful furniture that can be rubbed down and restored many times over its lifetime, so the initial expense of a piece is often well worth it.

O is for OFF-THE-SHELF

Fitted bathroom furniture can be bought ‘off-the shelf’: you’ll find a range of sizes and any number of shelf, drawer and cupboard combinations, plus various handles with which you can personalise your choice.

P is for… PANELS

Coordinating bath panels will bring a standard bath into perfect harmony with other fitted bathroom furniture; wall panelling could be used in place of tiles, perhaps in a rustic or coastal themed bathroom.

Q is for QUICK ASSEMBLY

If your new bathroom furniture is not delivered fully assembled, it should be flat packed with a set of easy instructions to follow, so that it takes the minimum of time and effort to put together.

R is for… REAL WOOD VENEER

A veneer is a thin sheet of real wood with which a man-made, composite, or unattractive material is covered, for an attractive finish.

S is for… SOFT CLOSE MECHANISM

A feature of many doors, drawers, and even toilet seats, soft close is the mechanism that stops your bathroom going bang in the night!

T is for… TALL STORAGE UNIT

Tall, slim storage units will fit almost anywhere, holding a lot of bathroom clutter for the sacrifice of very little space.

U is for… UNDER COUNTER BASIN

An under counter basin sits below the counter of your vanity unit, so that the basin is as unobtrusive as possible. Those who prefer to make a feature of their basin may prefer a counter top style.

V is for VANITY UNIT

The home of your basin, there’s usually plenty room on the surface of one of these for your toothbrush, soap dispenser and other useful items, and a capacious cupboard or set of drawers beneath for the things you don’t use every day.

W is for… WC UNIT

The WC unit conceals your toilet cistern, and supports your back to wall or wall hung toilet, coordinating your WC with the rest of your bathroom furniture.

X is for… X-TRA STORAGE

You know how it is when you begin an A-Z list: you think it’ll be easy, and then you get to X… Never mind our slapdash attitude to spelling though – you’ll love all the x-tra space that you could gain from fitted bathroom furniture!

Y is for… YOUR DREAM BATHROOM

Yes – Y is a bit tricky too! If you’re bored of your old bathroom and dreaming of something better, fitted or freestanding bathroom furniture can give you a coordinated and space-saving finish without costing you the earth. C is also for ‘cheaper that you thought’…

Z is for… ZEBRANO

A striped wood effect finish for bathroom furniture or flooring. Blond and dark stripes combine for a contemporary finish.

Helen Davies is a senior content writer for Better Bathrooms, suppliers of a range of discounted traditional and contemporary bathroom furniture.

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