The King of the festivals is just around the corner – Glastonbury takes place at the end of June. Not only will the likes of the Rolling Stones and Mumford & Sons grace the stage, no doubt the rain will fall and with the rain comes barrels of mud. Glastonbury isn’t really known for its glorious sunshine and dry spells, so Mira Showers wants you all to be prepared for the inevitable. We’ve also included a couple of other general festival tips (we’re nice like that.)

Pack lightly

Before you can relax and crack open a couple of drinks, you have to pick the perfect festival camping spot. And, they’re never close by! The one thing you can guarantee at festivals (apart from the mud, of course!) is a lot of walking. A LOT of walking! Pack lightly; don’t take your wardrobe. Capsule pack so you can actually lift and walk comfortably with your ruck sack. You’ll thank us later.

Queue for a shower

Festivals are all about the mud, aren’t they? NO! Granted, you will encounter mud, there’s no getting away from that. However, remaining muddy shouldn’t be the case. Mira Showers recommends you invest time in queuing for a power shower at least once during the weekend. No-one wants to share a tent with a muddy, smelly person now, do they? Pick a peak music time (maybe not during the Rolling Stones… that’s just a guaranteed way of getting no satisfaction) where the queues are probably shorter.

Plug it in

No, we don’t mean use the ear plugs during the bands, but you might be one of the light sleepers amongst us… If this is the case, it’s always worth throwing a couple of packs of ear plugs in for when the late night (or early morning) noise pumps through the campsite.

Look after the feet!

As said before, you do a lot of walking at festivals. It’s important to look after your tootsies and to ensure they’re treated with the utmost respect. Invest in some high quality wellies, take as many spare socks as your rucksack will carry and make sure you allow your feet to breathe each day. A handy tip from one of our Mira Facebook followers is to take spare plastic bags for inside your wellies, just in case they decide to fall apart half way through the weekend.

Where’s Wally?

Losing your friends as festivals can be a nightmare! With signal non-existent and phone batteries dying, it’s quite hard to get back in touch with your mates or family. Why not take an identifiable object such as a balloon or a flag that you can either tie to your tent or hold whilst in the crowds. There’s no way your friends will lose you now!

If you have a great piece of festival advice that you think we might have missed or have any particular thoughts on Glastonbury, then let us know. You can leave message in the comments section below or on our Facebook page. If you’re more of a tweeter then tweet us with your suggestions. We’d love to hear them. And, because we’re extra nice, we’ve created a Rolling Stones inspired showering playlist. Take a look and let us know what you think:

1) Towel Hang Fire The Rolling Stones – Hang Fire – 2009 Re-Mastered Digital Version
2) Jumpin Jack Splash The Rolling Stones – Jumpin’ Jack Flash
3) She’s A RAIN-bow The Rolling Stones – She’s A Rainbow
4) Hot (water) Stuff The Rolling Stones – Hot Stuff
5) One Hit (To The Body Wash) The Rolling Stones – One Hit (To The Body)
6) Shampoo-pathy for the Devil The Rolling Stones – Sympathy For The Devil
7) Mist You The Rolling Stones – Miss You
8) She’s So Cold Shower The Rolling Stones – She’s So Cold – 2009 Re-Mastered Digital Version
9) Mixer Emotions The Rolling Stones – Mixed Emotions

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People want a luxurious and relaxing space where they can escape the world for a while. However as bathrooms are usually the smallest room in the house they need to combine elegance with functionality as space is at a premium.

This is exactly what Mira has done with the new Mira Calibre; they have combined the thinnest vertical valve on the market with Magni-flo Technology. The mixer shower provides three times the water flow of standard mixer showers but without compromising its stylish, minimalist aesthetic. The Calibre is also great for a family bathroom as it comes with thermostatic temperature stability for added safety.

Heating

Underfloor heating was once seen as the ultimate in extravagance, but times have changed and it is now an affordable luxury, which works particularly well in bathrooms. Not only is it functional as it frees up wall space because there are no need for radiators it can also reduce your monthly heating bills as the warm air rises and heats the room. Heating mats customized to the size of your bathroom are laid beneath a range of flooring options such as ceramic or stone, in a multitude of different colors and styles. There is no greater feeling than stepping out of your shower onto warm tiles and wrapping yourself into a thick soft towel.

Go Bold

This year’s trends for bold tribal fabrics and retro botanical prints can easily be incorporated into your bathroom to give it an elegant finish. If you have bright and bold window moisture resistance roller blinds, they can also be pulled up to maximise available light.

With space saving technology like the Mira Calibre, you might have room for a piece of freestanding furniture. Soft furnishings in a bathroom really create a luxurious feel. Fabrics add warmth and softness to a bathroom space, which can otherwise feel quite cold. You can either stick to a muted palette or experiment with this seasons colorful ethnic patterns and mismatched floral prints. An armchair covered in a rich Indian style print would really add a wow factor to any bathroom, or go for a functional ottoman, which would provide both seating and storage.

Lighting

As anyone will tell you good lighting is key in a bathroom. The last thing you want while applying makeup or shaving are lights that throw shadows on your face, which is what a regular ceiling light does. Sconces on either side of your mirror counter balance this and create the perfect light. There are many stylish options on the market, from sleek and modern to the more romantic 1920’s style light fixtures. You can also try fixing antique or repro distressed mirrors on the walls, this will bounce light around giving a greater sense of space while lending your bathroom a chic vintage look.

Many homes have bathrooms without windows, but this doesn’t mean you have to go without natural light. You can install a solar tube, which takes natural light from a rooftop and beams it through reflective tubing into a ceiling diffuser. This solution creates a surprising amount of light during the day, although you will need artificial lighting for the evening.

About Sofie Allsopp:

Sofie Allsopp is the television presenter of the BBC’s Unsellables UK, and has recently finished filming the 3rd series of the Canadian edition for HGTV. Sofie has also appeared as the property expert on ITV’s This Morning, Channel 4’s Best and Worst Places to Live and More4’s Property Guide. Sofie has contributed to Home Angels lifestyle magazine as their property expert. She has also worked for Dulux, Avon Cosmetics and Aviva.

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Take the Mira Vision Shower for example, with its programmable functions and optional wireless controller capability, that enable you to operate the shower from a second location. Yes, that means you can set your Mira Vision Shower to warm up before you’ve even got out of bed, which will truly revolutionise your morning routine.

Two Heads Are Better Than One

You can enjoy these fantastic benefits with the Mira Platinum Dual Shower too, but what’s more, then Mira Platinum Dual Shower features two showerheads that you can use individually, or together for the ultimate Mira Shower experience. These showerheads comprise of a fixed overhead deluge showerhead as well as the Mira 360 showerhead, which offers four different sprays with just one simple flip action. So no matter what type of day you’ve had, you can finish it with the perfect shower.

However it’s not just the technology inside each Mira Shower that makes them unique. The new Mira Agile Shower has been designed to be compatible with a number of plug-in accessories that help to maximise the storage space in your bathroom, a highly useful feature that will make your Mira Agile mixer shower truly ‘yours’.

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Gary scoured the globe to experience as many different showering experiences as possible to give inspiration to us and to discover showering perfection.

From bathing with elephants in India to enjoying the natural hot springs of Colorado, Gary’s journey totaled 12 countries on four continents before returning home.

Now, 80 Showers down the line and our Showering Traveller has finally completed his journey! In order to remember the fantastic adventure that Gary has been on, we thought we’d create an infographic showing the highlights from his trip – think of it as one big postcard sent from Gary to you:

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A deep, decadent décor is perfect for a masculine bathroom, so think rich brown tones and wooden accents, or even muted greys and black marble for a strong, striking effect. Less is always more, so keep accessories to a bare minimum except for super-cool chrome accessories like a shaving set and wall-mounted mirrored cabinets, as well as a glass shower screen or corner enclosure.

Trendy Technology

The next step is to pick out some cool tools for your bathroom, like a technology-packed Braun Oral-B Triumph IQ 5000 Toothbrush, or a Hipe Waterproof Bluetooth Stereo Shower Speaker that allows you to stream the music from your mobile phone safely to the bathroom.

However the ultimate gadget for your bathroom has to be a Mira Vision Shower, one of the most popular models in the Mira digital showers range. As well as an ultra-trendy ice white finish, the Mira Vision Shower can be programmed to suit your individual showering needs, plus it has a wireless controller and even the option to use a second wireless controller to operate the shower from another location. Yes, that means that you can turn on the shower before you even get out of bed – what more could a guy want from his bathroom!

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That could be having an enormous corner Jacuzzi bath, in addition to a shower enclosure, to achieve a spa-worthy bathroom that you’ll look forward to coming home to every night. On the other hand, you might want to make life simpler and turn your bathroom into a wet room, with a large walk-in shower area that will be the ultimate in streamlined showering.

Sleek Showering

Or perhaps you’re just planning to give your bathroom a revamp, with a whole new bathroom suite in a sophisticated, modern design that you’ll adore for years to come. After all, you use your bathroom every single day, so it deserves to be a room that you can be proud of!

Of course, a brand new Mira Shower should be an essential part of any major bathroom makeover, and the Mira Adept mixer shower has been specially designed for these occasions. The sleek, integrated looks of the Mira Adept Shower, for which a number of matched accessories are also available, will provide the perfect finishing touch to your new bathroom, and the compliments from your house guests will soon start rolling in!

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We can all remember the famous Bond scene of Honey Ryder emerging from the sea donning her super sexy white bikini, tunefully singing Underneath the Mango Tree with the glistening sea behind her.

Andress’ mesmerising screen presence alongside Sean Connery in Dr. No immediately earned her the title of one the most desired women in the world, setting the Bond Girl benchmark besides which all future Bond actresses would be judged. Over fifty years later, the scene still remains one of the most iconic pieces of cinematic history although the sequence’s true star is arguably the famed white bikini adorned by the vivacious Honey Ryder character in a manner that has been impossible to imitate despite many attempts (sorry Halle!). With the anniversary of the film fast approaching, it got us all thinking here at Mira Showers about our own bathroom attire and the items we can’t do without in our daily showering routines.

Obviously we all know that unleashing our inner Ursula by sporting a sexy white two-piece each morning isn’t the most practical way of showering but we can still add a bit of glamour to our lives with some functional yet stylish additions to our wet-room wardrobes:

Shower caps (a.k.a. the water-beret) – Love them or loathe them? Some people adore the plastic chic look and couldn’t possibly consider showering without one of these on their bonce. Others amongst us however would rather forgo the experience of wearing an elasticated follicle protector and spend extra time drying our locks post wash. However you feel about shower caps, they are genuinely great at protecting your hair from getting wet whilst you enjoy your morning shower. Here’s a particular favourite of ours.  What do you think?

Bath robes  (a.k.a the portable cuddle)– Admit it, there’s no better feeling than stepping out of your shower enclosure and slipping into a fluffy bath robe. We’re big fans of anything remotely robe-like: not only are they a comforting wrap-around during the long winter month, they also have a more practical purpose serving both as a towel and an informal post/pre shower garment. What’s your bath robe of choice? Do you prefer the subtle white hotel style robe  or the more outrageous and daring?

Waterproof watches (a.k.a. the wrist-wash) – Whether you’re a diving fanatic, an avid swimmer or just someone who loves to take a nice long shower (surely that’s all of us?), keeping an eye on the time isn’t a bad idea, especially when you’re running late for work in the morning! These fabulous waterproof watches will not only look great but will also help you to keep to a timely schedule.   OK, so it’s another face and two other hands to wash but it’s worth it!

Shower shoes (a.k.a. the sole scrubber) – Ever worn high heels in the shower? Well don’t. It’s dangerous (and a little bit weird). Ever tap danced in the shower? Again, weird but if you do, you should go for these cleansing shoes to protect your feet. The shoes use over a thousand soft bristles to give your feet an exfoliating massage from top to bottom and are the perfect tootsie accompaniment whilst in the shower. The bristles are great at getting in-between your toes and there’s a pumice stone in the heel, so you can smooth away dry and damaged skin. Go on, give your toes a treat…

If you have a great piece of showering attire that you think we might have missed or have any particular thoughts on the famous Dr No scene, then let us know. You can leave message in the comments section below or on our Facebook page. If you’re more of a tweeter then tweet us with your suggestions. We’d love to hear them. And don’t whatever you do, forget to settle down and watch Dr No this month….. It’s one of Mira’s favourites! Keep an eye out for the white bikini…

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Jo Hamilton is a highly respected interior designer, best known for her appearances on interior design shows for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4. Her reputation for excellence has won her contracts with some of the world’s leading brands. Jo Hamilton Interiors prides itself on creating stunning and inspirational designs for both residential and commercial interiors.

UTILISING SMALL SPACES

One of the most common questions I’m asked is how to make the best use of space in a small bathroom. Undoubtedly, smaller rooms present extra challenges but they can look just as dramatic and exciting as larger rooms if they are dressed cleverly.

The golden rule is to keep things simple and elegant and then to add interest with sculptural shapes and interesting textures.

COLOUR & TEXTURE

Light colours visually recede, so calming, neutral colours are an obvious starting point. Choose reflective surfaces to bounce light back into the room. There are some jaw-droppingly gorgeous, metallic finish tiles on the market – they can be used either on a feature wall or on all the walls to maximise impact. Large format tiles will make the room feel bigger – grout lines have a busying effect, so the more you have the smaller the room will seem.

LAYOUT

Remove anything that is not vital to the way you live. If you are a shower person, consider taking out the bath to create a wet room – you’ll give yourself much more space to play with and with the right fixtures, fittings and lighting you can make it really special.

KEY FEATURES & FITTINGS

Mira Showers has extended its range of fantastic mixer showers. The Mira Adept and Mira Agile have been cleverly designed to conceal the plumbing fixings, allowing the shower valve to fit flush to the wall. The sleek, minimal design sits very comfortably in any contemporary scheme and yet, excitingly, the functionality is not compromised. Both Mira Agile and Mira Adept feature the new Magni-flo technology to enable three times the flow of many other shower mixers.

FOCAL POINT

Rain showers are a fantastic focal point for any bathroom. Whether you opt for a small or large deluge head, this is a stunning choice for any style conscious bathroom. Both showers offer a variety of add-on options. For example the Mira Agile can incorporate the ‘Sense Module’, enabling precise temperature control. To add a touch of drama, set LED spot lights into the wall, a foot and a half from the bottom – colour change LED lights are even more dramatic and will catch the shower water as it falls.

TRICKING THE EYE

In any small room, the trick is to design around showing as much of the floor space as possible – the more floor area you can see, the larger the room will feel. Sanitary ware should be wall mounted, allowing the eye to travel underneath and sculpturally shaped pieces will add interest.

STORAGE

Adequate storage is vital to keeping the room feeling spacious and free of clutter. Again, keep furniture off the floor by opting for a wall-hung style, to increase the sense of space. Stick to one wall only, to prevent closing the room down visually and consider using a sheet of mirror glass on the free wall to give a doubling effect.

ACCESSORIES

Accessories are the finishing touch for any room – they are a great opportunity to bring in splashes of colour and to add texture and interest. Remember to stick to the “keep it simple” rule though – a few fluffy towels and some luxury soaps might be all you need.

ENDS

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Beyoncé

Yes, that’s right, it’s a pink diamante-encrusted bathtub, belonging to none other than Mrs. Carter herself! Beyoncé’s bathroom really is fit for a queen with this glitzy tub at the centre of it, though we doubt it’s practical for bathing little Blue Ivy.

Kanye West

It’s no surprise that Kanye West has an over-the-top bathroom, and not only does this bathroom have stunning views over Hollywood from the tub, it also has an enormous fishtank with tropical fish to admire when the Los Angeles landscape gets a little boring.

Mariah Carey

Wacky warbler Mariah Carey has chosen an unusual place to display her Hello Kitty collection – her bathroom, and while we don’t think that’s a practical place to keep a guitar, it certainly matches her wild personality.

However while these celebrities have chosen to splurge their cash on bizarre bathrooms, you don’t have to have a Hollywood-worthy bank balance to get a bathroom that even the most outlandish celebrities would adore. Fabulous digital showers like the Mira Platinum Dual Shower which features wireless technology as well as dual showerheads, including the Mira 360 showerhead, would look right at home in any celebrity’s bathroom, and is sure to be the star of your shower room too!

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Weather myths have been around for as long we can remember, so here at Mira we decided to find out if a red sky at night really does spell good news for shepherds up and down the country. We surveyed 2,000 people and asked them which weather myths they knew and which ones they believed. We discovered that 64% people do believe that ‘April Showers bring May Flowers’ and 84% of people consider ‘Red sky at night shepherds’ delight’ to be true. What’s more, a staggering seven out of ten people actually change their plans based on these myths.

In order to get to the bottom of people’s weather beliefs, we enlisted the help of meteorologist Dr Liz Bentley to get an expert verdict, here are the results:

When a pinecone closes, bad weather is coming – TRUE

(56% of those surveyed believe this myth to be true)

Explanation
In dry weather or low humidity, pinecones open out as the scales shrivel up and stand out stiffly. When it is damp or humidity is high, the cones absorb moisture and the scales become flexible so the cone returns to its original shape. The pinecone responds to the humidity and typically the humidity increases when wet weather is approaching.

When a pig carries sticks around in its mouth to build a shelter, precipitation will come – TRUE

(12.4% of those surveyed believe this to be true) 

Explanation

Not a very well-known piece of folklore and so probably not used by many. It appears that pigs are one of the most receptive of farm animals when it comes to the weather – this saying relates to the pig constructing more shelter for the onset of bad weather. It usually means there has been a drop in temperature rather than because of any rain in the forecast.

Red sky at night, shepherds’ delight. Red sky in the morning, shepherds’ warning – TRUE

(84.3% of the UK believes this myth to be true)

Explanation
Red skies occur when the sun is low in the sky and sunlight is scattered by suspended particles in the atmosphere. Most weather systems that impact on the UK travel from west to east, blown by the prevailing winds. As the sun rises in the east, if a weather system is heading towards us in the morning, the low sun will illuminate the approaching clouds, creating a red sky. If the sun is setting in the west after a weather system has passed through, then the departing clouds will be illuminated and the system has passed leaving fair weather. This doesn’t always work. For a start, not all weather systems travel west to east. And more importantly, just because one weather system has just passed, that doesn’t mean that another one isn’t hot on its heels.

When a cow lies down, bad weather is coming – FALSE

(60% of the UK believes this myth to be true)

Explanation
There are many occasions when cows lie down just before it rains but just as many occasions when cows remain standing. There have been studies that look at whether the cows respond to change in wind (which increases before rainfall) and air pressure (which can fall before it rains) but most studies are inconclusive. Maybe if half the cows lie down and half remain standing it will just be showery!

April Showers bring May Flowers – TRUE

(64% of the UK believes this myth to be true)

Explanation

April showers on its own is a commonly used phrase. As meteorologists, we use the word showers to refer to short bursts of rainfall which are usually interjected with sunny intervals. This combination of rainfall to water the ground and warm spring sunshine is the perfect combination to spur on the growth of spring flowers. So, as long as it’s not too wet or too cold – like the cold blast we have seen at the beginning of this April, then April showers can provide the ideal conditions for May flowers to flourish.

Have we missed any out? What weather myths do you believe in? Let us know in the comments section below. You can tweet us here or head over to our Facebook page and leave your favourite weather belief on our wall.

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