It’s exciting to unleash your creativity when planning a new bathroom, but don’t forget one important practical feature – an extractor fan. Most bathrooms can benefit from an efficient extractor, especially is the new room is an internal bathroom without an opening window…
1 – Deal with Splashes and Steam
Bathrooms get steamy and splashy, there’s no way of getting away from that fact. One of the best ways of keeping everything looking spic and span is to dry off the fittings after a particularly splashy bath. We’re particularly delighted with our Trent Brushed Brass Bath Filler and Hand Held Shower set, which means the bathing area can be easily rinsed down with the hand shower. If you notice that your wall surfaces are getting wet, try and make sure that air circulation in the bathroom is adequate, either by installing an extractor or opening a window. Leaving the bathroom door open after a particularly hot steamy bath helps air the room, too.
2 – A Compact Cloakroom
We have lots of furniture options that are perfect not just for a family bathroom or en-suite, but for a compact cloakroom too. A cloakroom may be a narrow room, slotted into an under stairs space or perhaps squeezed into a loft conversion. Include an extractor in these small spaces, especially if there is no opening window. Extractors are generally wired into the electrical/lighting system and have a timer that can be set to run for five minutes or so after the cloakroom or bathroom light has been switched on and off. This is our beautiful Corsica Midnight Green Wall Hung Drawer Vanity cabinet, 600mm wide, a super choice for a new cloakroom.
3 – Fully or Partly Tiled?
A fully-tiled bathroom or shower room can be prone to condensation, so there needs to be some decisions made at the start of a new bathroom project. A fully tiled room, especially a shower room will need to have an extractor, or a window that can be easily opened to let some steam and condensation evaporate. If you’re looking for an extractor, the capacity of different models depends on the size of the room, so get your tape measure out! This simple bathroom design features our Austin Close-coupled Toilet and Pedestal Basin set, along with a mixture of White and Grey Apollo tiles from Tile Mountain.
4 – Consider the Surfaces
A walk-in shower room with lots of hard shiny surfaces will be prone to condensation, and larger rooms will definitely need an extraction system. So, whether the walls are clad with shower panels or tiles, take a moment to think about ventilation. An opening window is great, but the family may not be so keen on letting cold air into a lovely warm room in the colder months! So once again, think about installing an extractor to head off those arguments. This is our very elegant Helsinki 1400mm Hinged Shower Door, teamed with our Ballina Matt Black Round Thermostatic Shower Head.
5 – A Battery Operated Illuminated Mirror
This battery operated mirror is a great update for a bathroom – it doesn’t need to be wired into the electrical lighting circuit, so can be added without intruding or changing your existing lighting/ extraction fan systems. A good idea for bathrooms that already have wiring in place for extraction and lighting. Our Arabella Illuminated LED Mirror is battery operated, with different sizes available (this is the 700mmx500mm version). The Arabella range also includes illuminated mirror cabinets which are highly practical for compact bathrooms, adding convenient storage space.
6 – Small Space Suggestion
We’re full of ideas for small spaces, and the Elba furniture range is perfect for a compact bathroom… add a discreet extractor to ensure the room stays dry and fresh. Our Elba range of furniture has lots of size options so you can make the most of the smallest space, and there’s an exciting range of colours too, including Midnight Green with Black Handles as shown here, Charcoal Elm, Graphite Grey and Inky Blue. Definitely something for all adventurous designers!
7 – The Over Bath Shower
A bathroom with an over-bath shower will definitely get steamy when the shower is running, so consider adding an extractor to help keep the room steam-free and dry. Of course, this particular room design has a lovely big window, but if you don’t like to keep opening the window, an extractor fan will help keep the room fresh and dry. Shown here, our Hereford Shower Bath with Easy Clean Matt Black Framed bath screen. We think the ‘Easy Clean’ aspect of any item of bathroom equipment is most important…
8 – A Corner Shower Enclosure
This super-sleek bathroom is fully tiled and could easily accommodate an extractor fan – if planning the new shower room/ bathroom from a blank slate, consider the positioning, it will also need an on/off switch or be wired into the room lighting circuit. Shown here, our London Bifold Shower Enclosure, 700x700mm, which works well when an inward-opening shower door is the best choice, space-wise.
There you have our help and advise on ‘does my bathroom need an extractor fan?’. We hope you’ve found it useful! Don’t forget to tag us in pictures of your design over on Instagram, @bathroommountainuk, we love seeing what you’ve been up to!
