Designer Tips For Your Next Bathroom Reno
When it comes to renovations, it’s easy to get caught up in the pretty finishes. But just like any room in your home, a bathroom needs more than just good looks to perform the way it needs to.
Form and function go hand in hand, and when either one is overlooked, it shows! From the flooring under your feet, to the lighting that supports a quick face wash or a full 10-step skincare routine, every detail matters. Here are a few tips from the design team at Griffin Houghton for getting your new bathroom just right.
THINK CREATIVELY AND PRACTICALLY ABOUT YOUR LAYOUT
Bathrooms are one of the hardest working rooms in the house. Before diving into colour palette or the finish of your plumbing fixtures, map out how you want the space to be used. What size vanity will comfortably fit without making the room feel cramped? How will the shower door impact the space and will it block anything? Is there enough storage?
Speaking of storage, don't assume because there are two of you that a double vanity is the only way to go. In the above two images we designed unconventional solutions to the vanity that gave our clients exactly what they required.
In our Hamby bathroom (top image), we carved out an area in the room for a custom make-up/hair station to free up space on the vanity. And in our West End bathroom (above image), we went with only one sink, but flanked it with two tall storage towers to meet the family's major storage needs.
If you’re a bather, always try to carve out space for a tub or consider a tub/shower combo, but don’t try and squeeze in both if it compromises the overall floor plan. Opting for one is always better than squeezing in both if you don’t have the room.
LIGHT UP YOUR BATHROOm
If you have the opportunity to bring in natural light, do it. There’s nothing better than daylight to make a space feel more open and well-lit. The principal ensuite at our Logan Loft (image below) didn’t have any natural light in the existing bathroom, so we removed one of the walls and installed a large fixed window. We also created a wet room by stacking the tub and shower back-to-back. Now, the light pours in and there’s a hidden motorized blind for when privacy is needed.
No shadows, please! When considering lighting around the vanity, don’t light yourself from behind or directly above. Instead, make sure any fixtures illuminate your face from the front. This can be a combination of wall sconces either mounted on the vanity wall or on the flanking walls, paired with some pot lights in the ceiling shining down on the vanity in front of you.
For the rest of the room, we love a great overhead pendant or chandelier to add some personality to the space, and then enough light in the shower to allow you to get your business done without having to squint. Most importantly though, is to make sure every light in the space is on a dimmer so you can set the mood.
CREATE A BATHROOM THAT HAS LASTING POWER
Quality matters - especially in a bathroom. Just like your kitchen, bathrooms are high-use spaces with the added issue of water and thus require long-lasting materials that can stand daily wear and tear. At Griffin Houghton, we choose our materials very carefully to make sure our clients aren't calling us a year later with complaints!
In our Crowe Lake bathroom (image below), we installed hard wearing cement tiles on the floor, a granite countertop on top of a rustic wood vanity and painted wood shiplap on the walls to handle sandy feet and humid summer temperatures.
And while we LOVE the look of white bathroom floor tiles with crisp white grout, we avoid recommending these finishes in homes with only one main bathroom or kids' bathrooms that get a ton of use. They simply aren't practical, so save them for a pretty guest bathroom or in a vacation home which doesn't get as much use.
PERSONALITY PACKED POWDER ROOMS
Now that we've covered off the practical stuff, it's time to talk about the things that give your bathroom some personality. We are suckers for wallpaper in bathrooms and especially in powder rooms, which don't demand as much from its users. They also give you license to push the envelope a bit as you don't use them as much as your primary bathrooms.
DON'T FORGET TO DECORATE
Even though your bathroom is a utilitarian space, don't forget to decorate it and add layers that you would do in any other room in your house. It is the first place you enter in the morning and the last stop before bed, so make it personal. Bring in a vintage rug or piece of furniture, place art on the walls and any chance you get, add florals as they always make a bathroom sing.
So, when you're ready to tackle that bathroom reno, remember to balance the practical with the pretty and think carefully about longevity and quality of materials. And of course if you need some help, reach out to us. We love a good bathroom project!
Image Credits
All Designs by Griffin Houghton
Image 1 - Photo: Donna Griffith; Image 2 - Photo: Patrick Biller; Image 3 - Photo: Andrea Kellaway; Image 4 - Photo: Donna Griffith; Image 5 - Photo: Ashley Capp; Image 6 - Photo: Virginia Macdonald; Image 7 - Photo: Sian Richards; Image 8 - Photo: Virginia Macdonald; Image 9 - Photo: Virginia Macdonald; Image 10 - Photo: Virginia Macdonald; Image 11 - Photo: Virginia Macdonald; Image 12 - Photo: Patrick Biller; Image 13 - Photo: Candace Thompson
Contact us for all your design needs at studio@griffinhoughton.com
We would love to help.
