Your bathroom is your haven, a place to take some time just for you. Everyone will tell you that a beautifully designed bathroom will integrate seamlessly with your home, add value to your investment and reflect your personality. If the idea of accomplishing the lot with your renovation seems a little overwhelming, it’s time to take a step back. Examining how you’d like to feel and what you plan to do with your bathroom, as well as the way you’d like it to look, will offer you a whole new perspective.
Going Up, Or Coming Down?
Do you often need to rejuvenate before rushing onto the next task, or is your bathroom your last stop at the end of a busy day, a place to ease your body towards sleep? This first area of inquiry in designing your new bathroom is an important one, as it will set the tone for your renovation.
If you’re looking towards a soothing bathroom, you’ll enjoy calming, uniform or blended tones, plain or subtly patterned tiling, and smooth or glossy surfaces. Larger tiles are less stimulating than small pieces, so a relaxing bathroom will make good use of these. If your budget is fairly generous, explore the idea of a waterjet mosaic design in softly blended, neutral tones of marble to enhance the aesthetics of the room without overloading the senses.
If you’re after an energizing bathroom space, consider lively colors, smaller surfaces, and a dash of character. Keep your field tiles light to preserve the sense of space, and consider unusually shaped tiles or bright mosaic edging for a burst of energy. A carefully chosen splash of color will add a playful of note to your bathroom, while preserving the elegance of the space.
Fitting In
Of course, your bathroom needs to integrate beautifully with the rest of your home, and the age, style, coloring and spirit of your home and the neighborhood around it will all be primary considerations. But don’t just stop at the end of your block. Think about your environment. Are you in the city, the mountains, beside the sea or out in the country? Taking a broad strokes view of what’s around you and incorporating a little of it in your bathroom will bring out a natural air in your renovation.
Your Style
Next, there’s your design style to consider, and the sky’s the limit with the ways in which you can reflect the broader aesthetics of your home in its smallest room.
If your home is minimalist in design, consider floor to ceiling tiling, a free-standing tub, slimline fixtures and a seamless floating vanity. For a metro-inspired room, contrast light field tiles with notes of darker coffees and greys, or try a black slate floor. The spirit of a rural home can be enhanced through the use of ceramics or antique wooden paneling, and a more eclectic home design will pair well with art deco bathroom mirrors and fixtures. You chose the design of your home for a reason, so don’t be afraid to expand upon its themes in your new bathroom.
Room To Move
No matter how large your bathroom, you could probably do with more space. Luckily, space is as much about perception as it is about measurement.
To make the most of your space, make strategic use of color, lighting and texture by carefully selecting light-catching materials such as marble, high gloss ceramics and mother of pearl. Then, get a little crafty with your positioning. Place glass and mirrored surfaces so that they capitalize on natural sources of light, add your light fixtures creatively, and your bathroom will seem a whole lot bigger.
No matter your style or the mood you want to invoke, your bathroom is a room all of your own. So take a little time to look at the big picture and, when you’re finally soaking in that tub, you’ll be very glad you did.
