After seeing this article:
http://realestate.aol.com/home-improvement/ugliest-bathrooms
I realized that many design rules are forgotten in all the excitement of designing a bathroom. Paint colors are being chosen; maybe a fancy new faucet fixture or tub spout is being purchased for the remodel. Whatever may be happening, details can escape one’s notice until it’s too late. Forgetting something like the highlights on a piece of furniture or the correct dimensions for your available space can cause a lot of headaches, wasting time and dollars.
So for your peace of mind, I decided to consult our knowledgeable designers on staff here for their best tips to keep your bathroom out of trouble and on task. Having a space you’re content with is key in enjoying your home, and we’re dedicated to helping you achieve that.
1. Too many cooks spoil the soup
Have as few people as possible design your remodel with you. The more voices that pitch in on your remodel, the higher the possibility of having a muddled, unfocused design. Plan out your space with the minimum amount of inputs as possible. Focus on the desires of the people who will be using that space the most. Since those people will have to live with it, their needs have to be met above everyone else’s. After that, consult with your designer, as their input will turn your rough ideas into a finished product. The only other person who you should be in contact with directly is your contractor/builder. They should know about how much the project will cost based on the design. If they quote something above your budget, you’ll have to cut back, as most projects tend to go over budget.
The key point here is not to have separate people designing separate elements, such as one designer doing the colors and paints, another to figure out the cabinet layout, as well as a tile specialist and a lighting coordinator. Someone handling the tile may prep the room for a certain hue using iridescent Hastings Tile, while a carpenter may be readying light colored Sonia Cabinets in their plans. While it’s good to have all of these different types of designers work at some point with your lead designer, it is not ideal to work with them individually, without them communicating with each other.
2. All that glitters is not gold
Don’t get too busy. It’s tempting to go crazy with accents, crown molding, ornate fixtures, new lights and a tile backsplash or floor. While some designs will call for a complete renovation, a little in each area can go a long way. Try to stay with the minimum amount of ornamentation possible in each area. If you fancy a rather floral tile backsplash, perhaps minimize the amount of visual attention gathered there, and have it complement a simple pattern with wallpaper on an opposing wall.
3. Use the Force
Find the focal point of the room. This is related to the last tip, in that you can have something be more attention getting than everything else. It’s like in a painting or photograph where the peak of the action is near the center, while the rest is background. That’s what you’re going to try to achieve in your bathroom, and hopefully, every room in your home.
The focal point can be variable for the same room. You may go with a large copper Native Trails bathtub as the focus, with tile patterns that lead the eye towards it or you may instead have a floating glass door shower enclosure in the center.
4. A place for everything…
DO NOT forget planning for storage. A bathroom can become a real pain to use if the essentials aren’t within easy reach. Utilizing vertical space is one of the more efficient ways to maximize storage in your bathroom, so planning for cabinets, recessed shelves or under-counter storage is a must. Imagine having to go outside the bathroom to grab a new towel, or down to a utility closet to refill the soap. A combination countertop and sink vanity like this one from La Cava can be a slick way to handle this issue.
5…And everything in its place
Getting back to coordinating your space, it’s key to keep your colors, shapes, fixtures and trimmings make sense in context of one another. If you fall in love with a traditionally styled cast-iron tub from Herbeau, it would look awkward in conjunction with a Greco-roman mosaic from Oceanside GlassTile.
6. Measure twice, buy once
There are few things worse in home decorating than returning something that doesn’t fit. Nothing dampens the spirits more than receiving something amazing like Jado’s Jean Nouvel faucets, but then being unable to install it because the holes drilled for it are too close to the backsplash.
7. If the going gets tough, then hire some professional help
If you can’t do it yourself, hire someone to do it. There’s no shame in not being able to keep a DIY ethic. A lot of renovation projects are harder than they seem, and it’s worth paying the extra money to have a perfect bathroom. There’s a chance that you can create a larger problem for yourself down the road if you haven’t done any remodeling work in the past.
If you can afford the time, pay attention to what the workers are doing in your home, to have a sense of how certain things are done in the future. Learning from professionals can start you on your way to having more of an active hand in maintaining your home.