You may feel that the kitchen is the most important room in a home, but special attention should be made for the main bathroom as well. When you think about it, we spend some important time taking care of important things in there. Having a poorly designed bathroom can interrupt your morning and night routines . Listed below are a few tips we have when designing your dream bathroom.
Don’t be afraid to create your dream bathroom.
1. Plan for enough lighting
A bathroom should have plenty of lighting to allow for the daily routines required of it. Pay extra attention above the vanity which will require adequate light in front of the mirror. A natural hue is recommended for above the mirror as this color light will most closely match the light outside. This is helpful to find details you might miss that may become apparent in the sunlight.
2. Select low upkeep material
When picking the type of flooring and wall covering in a bathroom, one should be mindful of how easy a type of material is to clean and keep care of. Having natural stone may give your bathroom the look you’re going for, but porous stone must be kept sealed to prevent moisture from entering them. After a while the sealant used will break down and allow dirt and grim to stain the stone. This should by no means fully discourage you from using this beautiful material in your design, but it is something you should be aware of.
The beauty of natural stone can often out weigh the addition time needed to keep them clean.
3. Add an inset shelf
When designing your shower or bathtub, don’t settle for a small corner shelf to hold all your hair products and body washes. Instead, have an inset shelf added to the design. This relatively easy addition when building a custom shower or bathtub will be a welcome improvement to the functionality of the space.
An inset shelf can add additional space for you to put your toiletries.
4. Provide plenty of storage
If there’s one thing you can almost never have enough of, its storage. Allow for more storage then you may think you will need as this will be a desired commodity in the future when space starts to run out. Don’t rely on your vanity’s storage space as the sole means you have as this will often not be enough. 30 inches of counter space is recommended for most families, however, keep in mind this might not be true for your family. Extra wall-hung shelves and cabinets can be used when room becomes limited.
You can never have to much storage!
5. Be mindful of window coverings
Bathrooms that will receive a lot of moisture and humidity from showers and bathtubs should not have cloth window coverings like drapes and curtains. These window treatments will tend to absorb the moisture from the air and can grow mildew. Natural wood blinds should also be avoided as they can begin to warp and discolor. Faux wood, vinyl blinds, or moisture repellent material should be used as alternatives.
6. Adequate ventilation
Speaking of damp bathrooms, one of the biggest mistakes a homeowner can make when designing a bathroom is not allowing for appropriate ventilation. An exhaust fan should always be used when taking a shower or bath as the increased dampness can allow the growth of mold and mildew which can be harmful to one’s health as well as be an eye sore. Choose a bathroom exhaust fan that is large enough for the size of the room. Pick one that can move at least 1 cfm per square feet of the room. For example, a 50 sqft bathroom should have an exhaust fan rated around 50 cfm.