The bathroom is largely a room of function over fashion, of practicality over creativity. Most people want to go into their bathroom, do whatever it is they want to do [I’m not asking, don’t worry] and get out again as soon as possible.

In recent years, however, this has changed. While the bathroom has long been a location in which to delve into a good book, more and more people are starting to see ‘bathroom time’ not just as a time of necessity but one of fun, laughter and enjoyment.

This revolution in bathroom thinking has brought forth a wave of weird and wonderful accessories that appear ridiculous at first glance, but actually represent major leaps forward in the fields of bathroom entertainment, hygiene and general grooming.

These are but five of those accessories: 

Tablet and loo roll holder

Once upon a time, there was a thing called books. Books were made of paper and ink, and often started with the words ‘once upon a time’. Needless to say, as soon as they could be replaced with a screen and an easily navigated interface, books went out of the window.

Tablets such as Apple’s iPad are the bathroom entertainment choice for many now, bringing forth a new set of challenges; how does one operate a tablet when one only has one hand spare? How can you protect your tablet from the ever-present threat of water.

Fortunately, some innovative soul has come up with the solution to all of these problems and more – a toilet paper holder that doubles up as a tablet stand. This nifty device allows you to browse Facebook and Twitter while freeing up both of your hands for other activities. It might not be the most hygienic of ideas, but it’s a product that encapsulates our pop-culture-addicted generation perfectly.

Bathroom hanging line

As we’ve already ascertained, the bathroom is now as much a room of entertainment as it is of practicality. However, this shift in thinking isn’t represented by the current raft of bathroom storage products on the market. You can’t hang a magazine on a towel rail, for example. And where, exactly, can one leave their reading glasses before they indulge in a bit of bathroom browsing?

Worry no more, friends: the answer is here. The bathroom hanging line is beautiful in its simplicity yet effective in its execution; a strong red line of material from which many things can be dangled, including newspapers, magazines and, yes, glasses.

Oh, and towels too, if you’re that way inclined.

Seat lifting mechanisms

Of course, all this emphasis on fun overlooks the fact that the fundamentals of bathroom design could do with a bit of updating too, frankly. It’s one of the great failings of humanity that no-one has yet found a less gross way of cleaning the toilet than a loo brush.

We can tick one gross task off the list, though: lifting the toilet seat. This seat lifting mechanism consists of a foot pedal linked to both parts of the toilet seat. When pressed, the seat lifts up without the need for any contact with your hands. Welcome to the future.

The shower heat light

‘Stepping into the shower when it’s still freezing cold’ ranks somewhere alongside ‘stubbing your toe really hard’ and ‘tripping over a rogue cable’ on the list of human annoyances. It’s not quite ‘stepping on a piece of Lego’, but its close.

The Shower Heat Light is the solution we’ve all been crying out for, using LED lights to inform you when the shower is cold [an unwelcoming blue] and, more importantly, when it’s heated up [a reassuring red]. You do have to replace your old shower head, so if you’ve invested in a nice expensive one then this might not be the best product for you but if you’re frequently outfoxed by your shower’s temperature, this might just change your life for the better.

Goatee shaper

At some point in every man’s life, they feel the need to answer the call of the goatee. Brad Pitt, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Walter White; it could be said that you’ve never truly experienced manhood until you’ve experienced the feel of having a beard that only covers a small portion of your face.

As any goatee wearer will tell you, however, shaving the perfect-shaped goatee is a perilous trial. Not only does getting the shape right take precision, but the fear of accidentally cutting into the goatee and compromising your entire facial hair plans looms largely.

Enter the Goatee Shaper, a ridiculous tool that a man inserts into his mouth to protect himself against rogue razor strokes. Shave freely like a madman, safe in the knowledge that no matter what you do, your goatee will remain.

So those are just five of the weird and wacky bathroom accessories that could change your life. What else would you add to this list?