The bathroom is a part of every home essentially because it is functional; it exists to serve a purpose. Now of course, over the years, we have learnt how to make our bathrooms comfortable and a natural extension of the d©cor and aesthetic throughout the rest of our homes, but aside from colour and comfort, what other ways have modern manufacturing processes and new technologies improved contemporary bathrooms? Let's examine a few of the most impressive and useful innovations now allow us to create bathrooms which not only look stunning, but are incredibly efficient and fully up to date as well.

Bathroom furniture spent a few years in the wilderness whilst minimalism was by far and away the dominant trend in bathroom design, but it's now firmly back in favour and more popular than ever before. Designers are creating new cupboards and cabinets in just about every conceivable variation of size, shape and finish. It isn't just in design that furniture has improved, either; new manufacturing improvements mean that modern furniture is now more suited to its purpose than any previous incarnations. Soft-close doors and drawers are becoming the industry standard, to finally eradicate any irritating slams and bangs, and many units can now be purchased pre-treated with a moisture-resistant coating, in order to better withstand the steam-filled rigours of daily use.

To help you fight against the old winter problem of frozen toes in the bathroom, under floor heating can be a wonderful ally. Once the sole territory of those with enormous budgets, under floor heating has dramatically reduced in price and improved in quality in recent years. Interlocking heat tiles can be installed underneath just about any surface and controlled wirelessly from a wall-mounted control panel.

For luxurious, ambient warmth, under floor heating really is difficult to beat. A great way to complement this type of heating, and to add an extra dash of panache to your bathroom is to upgrade from a standard bathroom radiator to contemporary chrome finished, heated towel rail. Not only will this give you an extra heat source, but it will also ensure that you access to warm, dry towels whenever you require them, and create a stylish focal design point as well.

If you're looking to replace your bathroom suite, then modern manufacturing processes mean you will be selecting new fixtures that are a vast improvement on their predecessors. The freestanding bath, the epitome of glamorous bathing, will now be made of better quality materials, such as acrylic and stone resin, which will mean that it is more scratch and stain resistant, easier to keep clean and better at retaining heat than previous models. If you don't wish to replace you suite, then purchasing new taps, wastes and flushes in bright, contemporary chrome will give your bathroom a refreshed, revitalized feel. By choosing modern taps that feature ceramic disc technology, you will also benefit from taps which last longer and give you far greater control over water temperature and flow rate.

These are just a few of the ways that technological innovation and modern manufacturing processes can result in contemporary bathrooms which not only look fantastic, but perform the highest standards of efficiency and reliability instead. Why not take some time to have a click around and discover them for yourself? I guarantee you'll be impressed.