Splash Out On Style
New showrooms at Preston Plumbing Supplies demonstrate how to create bathrooms with the wow factor. Stephanie Sparrow takes a tour. Photography: Paul Currie
A well-planned bathroom gets your day off to the best start. Imagine flicking a bedside digital switch so that the shower water is already warm and welcoming when you step in, or wall mirrors which light up on approach, no more stumbling around on dark winter mornings.
When night falls that same bathroom could help you unwind, relax in a Bronte whirlpool bath (handbuilt to your specification), ease muscles with the hydromassage option, or turn on its Chromotherapy Aqualight and soothe your mind in turquoise-coloured bath water.
All these life-enhancing possibilities are on display at Preston Plumbing Supplies, where manager Paul Ross offers bespoke advice for any budget.
“We can accommodate any requirement, from £300 bathroom suites to £1k loos,” he says, adding that discounts are offered on the brochure price. “Busy family life may require a functional space, or perhaps age or frailties demand a low-level bath. If customers bring us the room measurements we can suggest styles and options.”
As Paul points out, a typical bathroom is 2m x 1.7m. He has created a room set to demonstrate stylish and practical ideas for this small area. “The display shows the benefits of a modern shower bath, which is the same length as a normal bath, but offers a wider area beneath the shower,” he explains.
“You can see how fitted furniture allows the wash basin to be semi-recessed into a work top and the loo to sit in a cabinet, no more ugly pipes on display collecting dust. Cleaning products and loo rolls are accessible but out of sight, while a vertical towel warmer saves space.”
Customers travel across Lancashire to see its Laura Ashley bathroom collection, but this family firm sells many other iconic British brands, such as Kudos shower cubicles from Cumbria, and the Midlands-based Imperial Bathrooms, whose classic designs incorporate the ceramic glaze and cabinet craftsmanship for which it is renowned.
Two other new showrooms are occupied by Bathroom Brands, known for its period-style suites, and walk-in showers, and the ultra-modern HIB section which features streamlined designs. HIB’s small, chic basins and cabinets add style and space to downstairs cloakrooms, while respecting household budgets. “At 300mm wide, the basins are big enough to rinse hands, but small enough to prevent water being wasted,” says Paul.
And who knew radiators could be a design feature? Striking displays include a space-saving model which looks like a coiled spring, and quirky coloured towel rails in purple or pink – popular for family bathrooms.
Paul and the team also advise on finishing touches such as wall panelling, non-slip flooring and underfloor heating, to ensure that your new bathroom will be showered with compliments.
Preston Plumbing Supplies
Unit A Dryden Mill
Manchester Road, Preston PR1 3YH
01772 203202
www.prestonplumbingsupplies.co.uk
