The great problem in planning a bathroom is not to sacrifice all warmth and color to sanitation. At present there are washable and sanitary papers made by the decorators that are very proper for bathroom furnishings. The seagull design in blues and greens and the kingfisher in a brilliant, cool green are both suitable and attractive
The upper left hand plan shows excellent spacing and good arrangement combining all the desirable features and conveniences of a bathroom. The upper right hand plan shows a desirable arrangement for minimum space. The lower left hand plan shows a modern idea of dividing the bathroom into two sections. In the lower right hand plan there is a complete equipment, well arranged, but with few more than the necessary conveniences
Every fitting or exposed pipe in the bathroom should be nickel-plated. The shower may be installed over the tub, as in one of the illustrations, or made a separate fixture with a floor receptor to drain off the water. It may be inclosed with a cotton duck curtain, which is more agreeable to the body than rubber or marble slabs. The merits of each fixture and its equipment I shall leave to the reader, because these things he can readily determine for himself; but the arrangements and number of fixtures required must be considered—the quality is a matter of price. The general bathroom of a house should be similar to the owner's—in some cases it is divided into two compartments, as shown in one plan, with the water-closet by itself—permitting independent use.
One especial convenience that should not be neglected is the shower with the duck curtain arranged over the top. For bathroom floors the hexagonal tile is very suitable and enduring
In homes costing from $15,000 up, the number of bathrooms is in proportion to the number of occupants. Every room may have a connecting bath with tile floor and wainscot, completely equipped—in such a case the visit of a guest is not fraught with hasty skirmishes to the nearest bath, perhaps only to retreat, and wait and listen for an opportunity to use it.
Plumbing fixtures are made in many materials; the most popular of these, on account of durability and cost, is cast iron with an enamel glaze fused on the iron. This ware will stand hard usage, is not easily fractured, does not craze, and therefore holds its color. The vitreous china ware is, I think, more appropriate for bathrooms finished in tile, because the materials, being similar, are in harmony, while the enameled iron is not quite as heavy or substantial looking when used with tile. Vitreous china is potter's clay, properly fired, with a vitreous glaze baked on; porcelain is similar and their cost is about the same, except that this increases rapidly with the larger pieces; because fewer perfect fixtures are obtained. Fixtures cut from solid marble block are the most expensive and their relative merit with their relation to cost is a question for the owner to determine.
A sunken bathtub is a form of luxury that is desirable but requires low ceiling in the room below, or that the bathroom be built on the ground floor. This is oftentimes an impossible arrangement