10 ways to plan for the perfect bathroom
Designing the perfect bathroom requires a mix of practicality, style, and careful planning.
I've created a list of 10 steps to guide you through the bathroom design process.
1. Assess Your Needs
Before jumping into the fun aesthetic stuff, its important to assess who will be using the bathroom. Understanding your lifestyle and needs is important to designing a functional bathroom.
Some key factors could include space and storage, and how much of it you need. Also, think about accessibility and safety, especially if children are sharing the bathroom. Make sure to measure your space and take note of any permanent fixtures.
2. Budget and Timeline
Dream big, but remember your budget.
Its totally possible to achieve a luxury look without breaking the bank. Before rushing into material and product choices, set yourself a realistic budget. This includes making a list of costs for labor and materials.
It may help to rank the areas by priority. Decide early on what you'd like to splurge or save on.
3. Define Your Style
Now for the fun part, explore your style! You don't have to follow what's trending, building a bathroom that is a reflection of you is most important.
Explore different design aesthetics with the help of Pinterest or social media accounts.
Making a mood board to collect ideas is also a great way to refine your taste. Collect inspiration from magazines, online sources, and your favorite designs. Identify key colors, textures, and finishes that reflect your style.
4. Plan Plumbing Locations
Before diving into the design and build of your bathroom, it’s essential to plan for plumbing.
Understanding the existing plumbing layout will help you with your choice of fixtures. Jumping into product purchases without plumbing checks can lead to costly adjustments later.
Before buying taps or bathroom products, ensure they are compatible with your existing plumbing connections. In most cases, Elite Bathroomwares sales team can help you determine if your product choices will work with your plumbing.
For complete peace of mind, I recommend consulting a professional bathroom / interior designer or plumber. This will help you navigate the best options for your build.
5. Plan for Ventilation
Effective bathroom ventilation is essential to prevent moisture buildup, mold growth, and lingering odors.
When planning for ventilation, ensure that your design includes a high-quality extractor fan. Position the fan to efficiently remove humidity and stale air, ideally near the shower or bath area. Additionally, consider incorporating windows or vents to improve airflow and enhance natural ventilation. Proper planning and installation of ventilation systems help maintain a fresh, healthy environment in your bathroom.
6. Lighting and Electrical Outlets
To create a practical bathroom layout, note where electrical outlets in your bathroom are.
Its important to understand this before exploring your lighting options with design. This includes the possibility of LED lit mirror, or lighting near vanities. Consider where you'll need to plug in hairdryers, shavers, and other tools when planning your vanity placement.
Smart design tips with electrical planning can make a worlds different for how practical your bathroom functions. Power points inside storage areas, like cabinets, are a neat and practical option for connecting electric toothbrushes, hairdryers and more. When choosing lighting options, try find a balance between aesthetic and energy efficiency. Code LED mirrors, stocked at Elite Bathroomware, are a great energy efficient options with heaps of shape and size options.
7. Plan for Wet and Dry Zones
When designing your bathrooms layout and floorplan, breaking zones into 'wet' and 'dry' areas is important. Your choice materials and level of waterproofing is crucial to protecting wet areas against water exposure. Before making a design choice based purely on looks and aesthetic, keep in mind the importance of avoiding splashes. The more you contain water in your bathroom, the lower the risk of water damage, slips, and mold.
8. Optimise Bathroom
Flow + Spacing
Planning your bathroom layout for good flow is critical and proportions come into play here.
When planning a bathroom renovation you should have your bathroom space measured quite early on. Beyond your floor plan and dimensions, look into how to optimise flow in your bathroom.
No matter how small your bathroom is, there are always ways to make it feel more spacious.
Make sure you measure the spacing between key bathroom elements like the vanity and toilet. Being able to move around in your bathroom comfortably should be priority before selecting products that match your mood. I recommend you look into small bathroom design ideas on my blog page. You'll find lots of tips on colour schemes and layout ideas that make sure your space is at a premium design.
9. Prioritise Privacy
A common want in any bathroom remodel is to welcome in more natural light. Its important not to forget about privacy in the process! Place the toilet and shower out of sight from the entrance to enhance privacy and comfort. Frosted and fluted glass are modern options for welcoming more privacy into your bathroom.
If your toilet isn’t in a separate room, consider ways to create a private area for it. Modern bathroom design options include arched half walls, wooden pillars, or textured glass.
10. Storage Solutions
You'll never regret adding more storage to your bathroom. Storage can be a tricky artform to master in smaller spaces.
My top tip is to look at what space for storage is available both vertically and horizontally. In bathrooms with an already crowded floor space, opt for overhead cabinets such as mirror cabinet options. Make the most of vertical space with tall cabinets or shelving units to keep storage accessible without the bulk.
Consider niche shelving within the shower or above the bathtub for easy access to toiletries. For the bathroom vanity, there are many floor and wall-mounted options come with built-in towel storage underneath. Built-in bins are also a great way to keep trash out of sight, helping to maintain a clean and tidy bathroom.
