5 Top Tips For Designing Bathrooms In Your New Home
Designing your bathrooms in a new home build is really exciting - there are so many possibilities, perhaps too many! The bathroom is an area of the home that needs a lot of attention when making decisions on how it will look but also how it’ll function. Compared to your other heavily used spaces like your kitchen and living rooms, it is generally a much smaller space that you have to work with, with a lot of functionality.
With so much to consider, we’ve put together our top tips for creating the bathroom of your dreams.
THE LAYOUT AND FOOTPRINT SHOULD COME FIRST
You’ll know that if you’re designing and building a home, you will have a list of must-haves and nice-to-haves. But unlike other rooms, it is incredibly important to sort the layout before you tackle the look of your bathroom, as functionality is key for this space. Things that your architects and builders will take into consideration will be questions like:
- Do you want to have separate toilets?
- How big will the vanities be, and again, do you want his and hers?
- Do you have a bath, spa or shower?
- Will your shower be tiled or glass, and how much space will it take up?
It’s important that you have practical conversations about the functionality of your bathroom so that when it comes to design, things move a lot smoother.
DESIGN FOR THE END USER IN MIND
Consider who will be living in the house and what their needs are; if you have children or grandchildren running around, a more practical main bathroom will make more sense. You could then upgrade the master ensuite to be something a little more luxurious and spend more on the materials and finishes knowing they won’t be knocked about at bath time.
Seeing feature showers in showrooms or on social media can lead you down an impractical route based on your needs for the room. Again, if you have young children, the main bathroom might benefit more from a bath spa than a shower, so its important to consider the practicality of the space; even if you would never design a bathroom like your current one, have a think about how you use it and what you would change from a practical perspective.
LET YOUR BATHROOM BE GUIDED BY YOUR HOME
Homeowners' main priorities when choosing and building a home are generally focused on the kitchen, the heart of the home, so it is absolutely worth considering having creative cohesion between the two spaces when it comes to aesthetics and smaller details. Matching items like tapware and more neutral colours will not only save you some decisions but also create a sense of flow and allow you to focus on the statement features.
HAVE FUN, BUT FOCUS ON PRACTICALITY
It is incredibly easy to get carried away with designing any part of a new home, especially from scratch and completely understandable that you want it to be just right. Comparable to how much you have to fit in your bathroom, the size of the space is small, and it's usually best to focus on a less is more approach to ensure that it feels larger than it is. A key aspect in this has enough storage from cabinets to shelving which are great options that don’t affect the floorplan.
Another practicality to focus on when designing a bathroom is the lighting - this can sometimes be an afterthought, but we would implore you to add to your list of practical items to consider before starting work. For any other room, you might get enough natural light from windows, but if your neighbours are a little close or have a direct line of sight, you might want to consider a skylight or specialist window solutions. Another lighting solution becoming more common these days is installing task or ambient lighting for makeup or general relaxation.
DON’T OVERCOMPLICATE THINGS
Second, only to the kitchen, your bathroom is one of the most product-filled rooms in the home, and it's a good idea to start thinking about what kind of fixtures and fittings are available so that you can build a preference for what you do and don’t like. Take the time to consider your overall dream for your bathroom, and don’t get too swept up in out there design trends that are ultimately impractical and not very you. Plenty of finishes from tiling, wallpaper, lighting, plants and linens will elevate your bathroom and make it your own. Working with an interior designer at this stage is a great way to focus on bringing in your personality and design vision to life and not just end up having a very practical but boring bathroom.
If you’re currently considering a home build and want to learn more about how our Interior Designers at The Furnishing Room can work with you to create the bathroom of your dreams, contact us now.