6 Ways To A Hotel Bathroom at Home

It’s always been one of my biggest dreams to have a hotel bathroom at home.

I know, right? Aim high, Alice!

Let me explain.

Years ago the bathroom’s role in my life was simple: a place to bathe, a place to use the loo. But since I became a mum it’s so much more than that.

With two kids always wanting to know my every (bowel) movement, as a mum the bathroom is somewhere I go to be alone. Seeing that sentence written out makes me feel pretty sad for my hobbies – I should really be able to list something other than ‘peeing’ in my list of things I do for fun – but slap bang in the middle of a crazy noisy day, this can be the only time I get to sit down and take stock in precious silence.

I also believe my love for skincare and beauty is a huge part of this: even on the busiest day I know I’ll be retreating to my bathroom for twenty minutes at some point for dedicated me time in front of the mirror to slap on my fanciest of face creams. I may not be in possession of bathroom TVs but still, it’s heaven.

And I think we can agree that hotels always make the most of these most functional spaces, ensuring they’re not just rooms to be used but rooms to be enjoyed. Here’s how you can get this hotel bathroom at home vibe…

Lace blouse, now £13 in the sale, Marks and Spencer

1 Install large mirrors
One thing you’ll always find in hotel bathrooms – and my bathrooms – BIG MIRRORS. Big mirrors reflect light and give the impression of space, even where there’s little to be had. Plus, when they’re all shiny and lovely (see below) they feel totally luxurious. Visit IKEA for a great selection of mirrors in all shapes and sizes.

2 Buy a towel set in one colour
There’s nothing about a 10 year old cobbled-together towel collection that screams ‘hotel luxe’. Good-quality towels in the same colour are very much worth it; my choice is always white or for the slightly more practical of us, grey. Visit TowelsRus for literally every single towel under the sun (if your short on drying space Hammam towels are a great choice), or if you’re feeling more spendy I love John Lewis’s range of Egyptian cotton towels (mine are the colour ‘new steel‘).

3 …Except for the bathmat
In my opinion, if you have a white bathroom suite, a white bath mat will always make your space look bigger. Strange but true.

4 Hide EVERYTHING
Nobody wants to stare at a box of tampons while they’re trying to enjoy a candle-lit bath soak: it’s a scientific fact. The same goes for half-empty bottles of Pantene, rusting razors and brightly coloured bath toys.

I’m lucky enough to have HUGE drawers in my new bathroom, which is where all my crap and clutter lives, only to be brought out when needed (and I mean ALL my crap and clutter). As an alternative to this, IKEA do some brilliant plain boxes that can be used for clever storage (white or wicker are my favourite finishes) along with bathroom-friendly white or glass shelves.

5 Co-ordinate your products
If a product is out on the side in a hotel bathroom it always look consistent with the rest of the room’s decor. I achieve this at home by using luxury products that come in lovely dark packaging, with the exception of a scented candle or two. I like Aesop for hand soaps and body washes (the Rose By Any Other Name is a favourite), May Lindstrom for fancy face products – her new cleansing oil, The Pendulum Potion, is out later this month – and Bella Freud for candles.

Having such beautiful products on hand also has the benefit of enhancing the little time I get in the bathroom; even if it’s just a snatched five minute shower in the morning, sidestepping the Radox for a bit of Aesop makes me feel like I’ve given myself a lovely treat.

6 Clean your glass, chrome and mirror
Hotel bathrooms are always beautifully smear-free, something that’s easier to achieve than you might think. Showers and bath tile are best cleaned while still wet with a squeegee, while chrome, mirror and glass can be polished to a high shine with a microfibre cloth. I was taught to stay away from all kinds of glass cleaner by my mum, and she is frustratingly right. Shine away!

Do you spend much of your downtime in the bathroom?