CHANGING SPACES Bathrooms

Bathroom history stretches back further than you might imagine, and while separate rooms for baths and indoor toilets weren’t standard until the mid 20th century, daily ablutions have played a part in our homes throughout history.

The earliest bathing rituals had strong religious value, seen as a purifying element for both body and soul, while early toilets were as simple and as practical as possible. It was developing ideas of cleanliness and changing social habits over the centuries that dominated the evolutions of what would become the bathroom, now as integral a space for our homes as any room.

Design evolution

Before the advent of the modern bathroom – consisting of shower, bath, basin and toilet – things were far simpler, if a little less accommodating than we know today. In medieval England people