Does this sound familiar at all? The bathroom is usually one of the first rooms we want to renovate. We want this room to be highly functional and clean feeling! Some of the bathrooms we inherit when we buy older homes are tiny. Some newer ones are huge but poorly planned. We want luxury. We want a sense of calm. We want rain heads and multi-point shower heads and the latest tiles from HGTV shows...all on a tight budget and done next week!! All it takes is one trip to a tile store to make your head spin and feel totally overwhelmed!
My clients always ask for three basic things when redesigning their bathrooms, no matter how small or how spacious.
First they want a lay out that uses their space most efficiently.
Secondly, they want a good shower head and a tub.
Lastly, they want storage and counter space. It seems that people are willing to forgo the second sink in the bathroom if they get more storage and more counter top space. If there is room...a separate shower!
Good space planning is key to bathrooms – you don’t want to end up walking into the toilet or not being able to open your bathroom door because the toilet is in the way – trust me, I’ve seen it all! Here are some quick tips to good bathroom design: keep your sink and your toilet on the same wall if you can – it is visually appealing because toilets and counters are similar in height and opens up your bathroom. Always get a deep sink – they hold more water for shaving, splash less than the fun shaped but shallow bowls and it leaves more water in the sink during teeth brushing with little ones! As far as the shower head goes, remember, you need to have a pressure check done before you fall in love with that 10” rain head – you may not have enough water pressure to service the volume a rain head requires.
When it comes to materials; tiles, marble, glass...there are a few pointers to remember. In choosing a floor tile, try to go with a larger size as too many grout lines with a smaller tile makes your floor look busier and therefore smaller. Choose a tiny tile for the floor in a shower though as you need more grout lines to prevent it from being slippery. On a wall of a shower or tub, try to use a tile that is oriented horizontally to widen the space. Also, always use a tile that won’t have a lot of staining due to soap scum build up – we all have it! Remember too, if you are lucky enough to be installing a steam shower, you need to mention that to your tile supplier and check that the tiles you choose can withstand the head of a steam shower and glass tiles are out!
For your counter top, splurge and go with a natural material – the vanity counter tops aren’t usually too large and it adds such a luxurious feeling. Be careful with your colour selection as make up will stain marble, and never do your nails on the counter top – nail polish remover and spilled nail polish will stain your counter. The new manufactured stones are fabulous if your budget allows.
Lastly, choose colours that are calming, relaxing and reflect well on your skin colour! There is nothing worse than painting your bathroom cheery green which is bright and refreshing but reflects terribly on your skin! Choose warm colours so you look radiant on even the coldest Canadian winter mornings! If you can, put your bathroom lights on a dimmer too so you can turn them down for those early mornings or romantic late nights!
Here's a series of before and after pictures from one of my clients' bathrooms:
Insider’s Tip: if you have a number of things that need updating in a bathroom, do the entire room – don’t try to save here and there by keeping the old – you will end up wanting to replace it as you see the new materials go in and the project will be held up while you make decisions. The simplest way to freshen a tired bathroom is to change the counter top, sink and faucet, along with new cabinet knobs, a fresh shower curtain and a splash of paint!
Send us pictures of your bathroom and we will choose one to feature in the next blog along with design advice! Your project could be chosen and you’ll be off to a new bathroom in no time with a little direction and helpful advice!
Cynthia is urbanmoms.ca's Interior Design Expert. 16 years ago she decided to refinish a piece of furniture in the garage. That led to opening a store on Avenue Road in Toronto, where she designed, manufactured and hand-finished custom children's furniture. Her career in design was born on Avenue Road and when Cynthia moved to Vancouver, she decided to go back to school to study interior design. She worked for a firm from Hong Kong which was an incredible learning curve as she was the only person in the office who spoke English as a first language and couldn't communicate with the clients at all! From there Cynthia went to work for a small firm who specialized in retail branding and design which was incredibly different than her previous residential work. Upon returning to Toronto, Cynthia decided to return to her passion - residential design - and began working for herself again as she was raising two young boys. She considers herself very fortunate to have worked on some incredible homes in and around Toronto over the past 8 years. Recreating her clients' homes is especially satisfying as she recognize the impact it will have on their everyday life. Cynthia feels very privileged to do design for a living as it is an incredibly personal working relationship, one she finds intensely rewarding.
