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by Rachel Lyon, Editorial Director for The House Designers®
Bathrooms demand a lot of attention when you build a home. There are so many fixtures and finishes to choose, and you have to decide on the style and sorts of functions you want. Be sure to prioritize this space—you don’t want to leave it to the last minute and end up with plain stock products! Here are some ways to build a beautiful bathroom that you’ll appreciate every single day.
Take Stock of Space
Before making any decisions, you need to know what you have to work with. Get involved with your builder early if you want a particular layout that isn’t already included in the blueprints. For example, you might prefer having an enclosed water closet, a swinging stall shower door, or an extended vanity with knee space. It depends on your circumstances, but you might have to bump out a wall or rearrange the parts of the bathroom to make your goals possible.
If you have a bathroom on the smaller side, do whatever you can to make it seem spacious. Consider a pedestal or console sink instead of a vanity with cabinets, because blocking out the visual field around the sink will make the room feel crowded. Opt for a clear shower curtain or a frameless shower door to maintain the same effect. If you’re lucky enough to have a larger bathroom, it’s important to place all the pieces in a balanced way; you might still like preserving visual square footage with a frameless door, but a tiny pedestal sink would seem pretty skimpy. Take note of the measurements of the space, factor in any clearance for doors and drawers, and roughly decide on the layout you want. Once you get that far, you can start looking for fixtures that fit your parameters.
Choose a Style
Many homeowners think they can’t go wrong with a simple bathroom, but there really is a wide world of style possibilities out there. Why not treat it like any other interior design? We’ve seen gorgeous bathrooms of every color and design inspiration—and they all started with a will to think outside the box. So, take a look at different shapes, finishes, and even materials used for faucets, sinks, toilets, and bathtubs, because you might find that you like an aesthetic you’ve never considered before.
The most important thing is to make sure your bathroom design is cohesive. Mixing different styles can come off as jumbled and awkward, and that’s the last thing you want in a room that’s supposed to be relaxing. Whether you like traditional, modern, or transitional style, you will find all sorts of lovely fixtures to complete the bathroom. Decide which metallic finish should be most prominent, and use any others sparingly—for example, you may like polished chrome for all your faucets, but warm-toned brass knobs and pulls look much better against the dark wood cabinetry you love. Build your background color palette with up to just a few colors, too; most well-executed designs use only two complementary hues and white across the walls, floor, cabinets, countertops, and sanitaryware. Again, it’s all about creating a balanced picture.
Make a Statement
For those looking to create a bold design expression, we say go for it! So long as you keep it in check—that is, you only have one striking feature as a sort of bathroom centerpiece, and it fits the theme you’ve built around it—chances are it’ll work out. The bathtub is a common place to put emphasis, as they come in more shapes and colors than most people know. Seriously, there’s a lot to discover! Other potential statement pieces could be a massive shower stall, dramatic vessel sinks, or uniquely shaped mirrors. You may even come across a product you want to design around during your search! But if this seems too daring for your tastes, don’t worry—you can still build a gorgeous bathroom design without a centerpiece.
No matter the aesthetic you want to achieve, Signature Hardware® has outstanding bathroom products to create everything from a luxurious dream master suite down to a tiny closet powder room. You’ll find almost everything you need in one convenient place. Peruse the site to be inspired, and feel free to contact their experienced team if you have any questions or need design advice!