Only decades ago the bathroom was a place outside the house with a pan and running water sometimes, the luckier ones had a basin or a bath in the bedroom where water had to be carried with a bucket. Slowly people realised about the number of things they could do in a bathroom adding mirrors and some accessories. It was not long before the little room finally entered the house and became part of the planning and design considerations of a home. Invested with this new status the bathroom grew in stature of importance in the house, together with the kitchen which was already integral part of it, only it was relegated downstairs, at the bottom, "the place for cook and maid". The influence from Europe finally was what gave bathrooms the ultimate status within the home boosting literally hundreds of new products designed for the purpose. The bathroom now has baths and basins, mirrored cabinets and vanity units with storage, heaters, various accessories and the obvious pan, with carpets on the floor! It does not end here, a bathroom in a house is now in competition for being the most designed room as people are appreciating other possibilities like showers (only lately very popular in U.K), bidets, hydromassage baths, steam showers and saunas, music, TV screens and colour therapy. Unfortunately the average sized bathroom does not have enough space for it all so in some cases the bathroom becomes an open plan integrating itself with the bedroom. However, ceramic and stone tiles or wooden floors have replaced carpets and wall decoration in most if not all bathrooms built in the last few years.
