Design Ideas for Bathrooms

Innovative design ideas for bathrooms don't have to cost a fortune. Once you've identified the design issues that you want to address, remodeling bathrooms can be very affordable. Whether you're using your design ideas to increase the impression of space, to brighten and enliven a dull room or to make the area more private, focusing your ideas on one or two major concerns will help you keep the cost of your project within your price range.

Before you begin planning your bathroom idea designs, consider your goals for this important home improvement project. If you're thinking of ideas for a high traffic bathroom, your goals may be very different than your plans for a personal bath or powder room. Once you've narrowed down your ideas to a few major design improvements, you can identify ways to implement your ideas using attractive, durable, cost effective materials and fixtures.

Designing Bathrooms for Convenience

If you and the other members of your household are always competing for space in the morning before you leave for school or work, the spatial design of your bathroom may be at fault. You may be dealing with a dark, drab, cluttered room that puts family members in a grumpy mood before they've even left the house. Because bathrooms are the place where we get ready to face the day, design ideas for bathrooms should focus on making these rooms as inviting, spacious and convenient as possible.

Clearing vanity areas and cabinets of cosmetics, cleaning supplies and personal care items should be a top priority in your design ideas for bathrooms. Consider installing floor to ceiling cabinets where towels and supplies can be stored on orderly shelves, rather than piled on countertops or toilet tanks. Once you've removed the clutter from the area by transferring these items to new cabinetry or attractive, recessed shelves and niches, you may have more space to work with than you realized in your family's bathrooms.

In your design ideas for bathrooms that focus on convenience, think about your family's routines and how you get ready for work in the morning or for bed at night. Convenient bathrooms place all of the necessary supplies within reach, while keeping less important objects out of sight. Medicine cabinets, towel racks or pegs, and full length mirrors should be arranged to accommodate the way you perform your personal tasks. Lighting fixtures should be placed to offer illumination that's both functional and flattering.

Although rearranging toilets, tubs and sinks is a plumbing project that may exceed your budget, replacing inefficient sinks and vanities can be a cost effective solution. Pedestal sinks are elegant, but they don't provide much storage capacity. Long expanses of counter space may appear to be efficient at first glance, but in reality, these areas often turn into magnets for clutter. Analyze the way you're currently using the space in your bathrooms to determine how you maximize the use of your shelves, cabinets and vanity area.

Bathroom Design Ideas for Privacy

In busy households, privacy is often an issue when you're considering design ideas for bathrooms. Many parents with young children give up on the dream of having a private, personal space to prepare for work or take a long, hot bath. Even if you don't have a room that you can transform into your own personal sanctuary, making a few adjustments in your design ideas for bathrooms can enhance the privacy of the area.

A clear door across your shower or bathtub stall can increase the impression of spaciousness in a small, cramped room. However, clear glass doors don't offer a lot of privacy. Consider design ideas for bathrooms that conceal the shower from view when other family members are using the space. Frosted glass or an attractive shower curtain are easy, affordable additions that will give you a sense of clearly defined personal space when you're showering.

In a smaller bath, providing a barrier between the toilet and the vanity area can be challenging. Explore photos of small baths in home improvement magazines to find inspiring design ideas for bathrooms that create more privacy for this fixture. Consider installing a floor to ceiling cabinet or counter that partially conceals the toilet from view if it isn't possible to fully enclose this part of the room.

Design ideas for bathrooms can address every aspect of your decor, from tile and paint to lighting and flooring, or they can focus on one or two specific concerns. When you concentrate your creative energies and your budget on the most pressing spatial or decorative issues, you may increase your chances of achieving the results you're looking for without overspending. Interior designers and home improvement contractors are excellent sources of information if you need professional feedback about enhancing the beauty or efficiency of your bath.

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