"Designing the Perfect Bathroom: Tips for Creating a Luxurious and Functional Space"
Bathrooms are the second best place to invest when putting money into your home. Most homeowners want the feel of Turkish towels and hotel spas, but the price tag can be crazy. Not everyone has the budget for a total gutting of their bathroom, especially when you have other areas of your home crying out for a makeover. (Just teasing) Today, I want to discuss 3 of the larger selections you will have to make when doing your bathroom. These are tile, fixtures, and countertops.
Tile
So, where do you start when doing your bathroom makeover? You need to decide if you are going to budget for retiling. This is such a large budget item for the all-over space. Retiling cost depends on the amount of demolition that needs to be done, prep work, the tile you have chosen, and the amount of area that needs to be tiled. This definitely can vary. The average cost for the tile itself can be anywhere from $15 to $20 per square foot. The cost for tile installation varies from $4 to $100 and this is all dependent on what type of tile you have selected. Professional tile layers charge different prices for different types of tile and design. As you can see, this can be an extremely costly endeavor.
Here is a client's recent renovation who did not want to retile the bathroom or reconfigure the design. This would have been a major undertaking. The overall cost and how long you will be living in your home is always taken into consideration. Upgrading does not always mean a complete demo of your area. We chose to regrout their existing tile and freshen it up. This alone was a painstaking by-hand process. Our tilers were amazing and made sure all tiles were secure. They are happy with the way it turned out.
Fixtures
Next, we focused on fixtures. This can be a little tricky when you are replacing your fixtures with the same fittings that are already plumbed in. Yes, I learned this the hard way. I found some amazing fixtures from Delta that gave the whole design look we were looking for but they would not fit the existing shower and tub plumbing fittings. So, it was off to the drawing board. We had to go with Moen fixtures that turned out amazing. The only downside was the cost was twice as much. Sometimes in a remodel you have to go with what works in the space.
Counter Tops
Countertops are an area where you can be timid or bold. Most homeowners tend to think of resale and select more calm esthetics for their choices. In a main bathroom, as a designer, I tend to go toward more relaxing and soft countertops. The spa feel is always a winner, plus it does not compete with reflections of lighting while you are trying to do your makeup or hair. Bolder selections can bring excitement to a small powder room or guest bath.
These are only three of the main parts of your design choices that begin to help you shape your bathroom. As a designer, I like to choose the fixtures, countertops, and tile before I make my lighting and painting selections. Tile tends to lead to paint choices and fixtures lead to what lighting you would like to choose and of course your mirror.
Having a designer can help you to make each one of these selections with confidence and also help you when issues arise. Having a plan will help you to not make costly mistakes.
My client and I are now approaching the enjoyable part of the bathroom design...accessorizing. Finding the perfect bath mats, art, and finishing up the wash closet. Styling starts when you begin your project (mood boards - the base) and the accessorizing comes after the plan has been set. Will share the finished bathroom here soon.
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