Bathroom TIPS: Marine Style

Use shades of aqua and mosaic to create a smart, practical family bathroom. The simplest way to create the mosaic effect is to use a water-resistant wallcovering.

This cheerful bathroom scheme creates a stimulating atmosphere and the mid-aqua walls give the room a fresh vibrancy.

For Practicality and durability, PVC (vinyl resin) floor tiles have been used in a similar shade to work with the rest of the scheme. For added impact, the flooring incorporates a slightly sparkly quality.

To protect the painted walls, it may be worth putting up a simple glass or Perspex splashback along the length of the bath, especially if your children are young.

Shelving is kept at a sensible height, out of reach of small children. A mosaic wall covering has been used to jazz up an old cabinet, as well as lining shelf edges for added decorative touch. Try using real mosaic panels as insets between plain white tiles to further enhance the look. Finally, keep accessories to a minimum for this breezy look.

Bathroom Tips: Technicolour tiles

Use bands of brightly coloured tiles to create a stimulating, technicolour bathroom.

 This colourful style can be applied to the plainest white bathroom, starting with neutral white walls. This look works best with one or two tiled walls, as any more may be too much. Once you have worked out how many tiles you need and the area that you are going to cover, choose up to four different vibrant shades of tiles, such as blue, yellow, red and purple. Apply the tiles in horizontal lines of colour.

For a really bright look you could even choose flooring in another shade. This bathroom features wood laminate flooring - the most practical choice to achieve a similar look is to go for a wood-effect vinyl flooring as real as wood is not really suitable for very damp areas.

Fit a blind that coordinates with the tiles - a navy blue or yellow, perhaps. This is a colourful bathroom so a white bathroom suite is the best choice to set off the tiles. If you want to add shelving, display a few colourful objects to emphasize the theme.