The key to a successful bathroom is continuity. You simply cannot install a traditional claw foot bathtub in an otherwise modern, minimalist bathroom. Nor can you install a wet room in an otherwise traditional bathroom. Well, you could, but it would look ridiculous. Not even the most daring experimenters of style would advise crossing styles that have belonged to different ages, not unless you want your bathroom to look like a post-modern art installation.

There is plenty of variation while keeping to a specific style. You still have a range of colour, accessories and other options while keeping to the era that your bathroom is meant to represent. However, this idea of continuity should not be limited to your bathroom. A traditional bathroom would be quite a shock to visitors in an otherwise modern, minimal house.

Mismatching rooms in your house has the same effect as mismatching individual styles in any single room. It would be like stepping into a different house altogether, if you entered a bathroom which clashed with the rest of the house.

So how can you tell if your house has the continuity it should? That’s simple. Pick a room that really defines your house. It could be the lounge, it could be the kitchen, or it could be the bathroom. Consider all the things that really make that room special, that really define that room. It could be any attribute. It could be the colour scheme, the material used, or anything else that affects the ambience.

Now apply this to all the other rooms in your house. Of course, you will want your bedroom to feel cosier than your kitchen, and you will want your bathroom to feel a bit more sanitary than your lounge, but there should be an underlying continuity between all these rooms.

You should be able to feel this continuity when you walk into your bathroom. If you can’t, there is probably something in your bathroom, most likely a single item of bathroom furniture that jars against the style of the rest of the room. Many people will not bother to replace a bath or toilet until it breaks, so it is not uncommon for a more old fashioned bath or toilet to inhabit an otherwise redecorated and modern bathroom.

Whatever style of bathroom you choose, it should be one that suits your style and temperament, because a bathroom is a major investment and usually involves a great deal of inconvenience – not to mention cost- to make changes!