I’m so excited for this Blog. Who doesn’t love a great bathroom! There is so much to talk about with a bathroom, such as style, size and all the different elements that go into a bathroom. Whether this is a main bathroom, guest bathroom, ensuite or powder room there is so much to think about.
Choosing your style is the first thing to think about as this will set the tone for the room. You can then chose the colours, tiles, fixtures & fittings, lighting, feature points, and storage type that will go into the room. It doesn’t matter how big or small your space is you can make it look stunning, moody, calming, bright, fun or as plain as you like.
Bathrooms require a lot of thought to them, the layout needs to be practical and functional, it needs to be able to work for everyone; families, guests or older people. Family bathrooms are generally bigger than the ensuite but they also have more fixtures in them such as the bath and occasionally the toilet. I have been seeing more plans that have the toilet in the bathroom rather than separate. Ensuites are mainly for the owners of the house and can be a little more luxurious than the main bathroom. Powder rooms can be a place you can add wallpaper feature walls to bring in colour and personality into the home.
When thinking about your bathroom the following ideas will help you.
Style – What style do you like; light & airy, dark & moody, calming & neutral, bold & colourful, there are so many options. But choosing a style that you like allows you to make decisions for the rest of the bathroom easier, you know the direction you are heading and this can then flow on to the rest of the house as well.
Colour – I am torn between light & airy and dark & moody, they both create such a stunning bathroom when they are done right. Light & Airy bathrooms can give a fresh clean feeling all the time and give you the feeling of more space. Dark & Moody bathrooms give that feeling of luxury and romance, and can also be relaxing. Calming & neutral can be similar to light & bright but giving you a warmer pallet of colours and tones to work with. Bold & Colourful can bring out the creativity in your personality, it’s a bathroom with lots of fun. You can have so much fun with tile colours or paint colours.
Tiles – Are really practical for bathrooms, they are durable, hard wearing, an excellent water proofing product, they can be used as wall coverings or just around showers and baths. They come in so many colours, textures, patterns and sizes. You can be as creative or plain as you like. Tiles can be a great way to bring personality into the space. I love to take my clients to Tiles On Devon and Tile Depot in Hamilton, but there is also Tile Space and Tile Warehouse which all offer a lovely range of tiles for bathrooms, ensuites and powder room.
Fixtures & Fittings – There are so many options with tapware and vanities now, it is sometimes hard to decide what style or colour to go for. Tapware can come in chrome, matt black, brushed nickel, gun metal, brushed brass, brushed copper, white, mix of chrome & black or chrome & white. Each coloured tap gives you a different look for your bathroom and depending on what colour tile you go for could depend on what colour tapware you want. But you do need to think about if you want your tapware to standout or just blend in, such as using black tapware on black tiles they won’t be seen that well and will blend in. Whereas the black tile on a vanity with a white top or black towel rails and toilet rolls holders on light paint coloured walls will stand out.
Getting the right coloured tapware and accessories is a big decision so you can get the right look you want for the bathroom. Vanity colour is also something to really consider when planning colours and tiles in the room. If you have a lots going on in the space through tiles and tapware, you need to think about whether you want to then put more features or details in on the vanity finish, it may be too much. But if you used simple tiles and a light woodgrain coloured vanity that can be your feature and it can be a nice way to bring a soft and warm colour into the room.
A dark woodgrain vanity can look good if you have a dark tile on the shower walls and the floor but everything else is nice and simple. When looking for places to shop I love ABI interiors, Bath & co and Zip Plumbing.
Lighting – This can be a very nice way of softening the space or creating a different atmosphere. Pendant lights above the vanity and next to the mirrors are a lovely way to create a moody relaxing bathroom. But you also need to think about lighting for your face whether this is for applying make up or shaving, its so nice to be able to see with a good task light. This can be done with a vanity wall light, spot light in the ceiling or with the LED mirrors, they are all as good as each other.
Feature Points – This could be anything ranging from the tiles you use, the tapware, the bath, the view with a large window, the towels, paint colour or even the accessories you use. There are so many ways to make a feature point, but making sure you are not over doing it with lots of different features is the key.
Storage – This is something that is so handy to have, if you can stretch the budget get that extra drawer on the vanity. You will always be able to fill it up. Yes mirror cabinets are nice for small products to be stored on, but this can still be done with cosmetic inner drawers in vanities.
Bathrooms – Are one of my favourite rooms of the house to design, because you can be creative and have fun with the space. You can make it masculine or feminine and everyone will be able to enjoy it. So take your time when planning the bathroom layout and design and enjoy the process.
Next Blog…Bedrooms
