As an Interior Designer I’ve been designing homes and picking out finishes and materials for bathrooms for over fourteen years. When I recently designed a master bath, kid’s bath, and powder room for a coastal home in Montara, California, I realized how heavily I rely on my basic tools of the trade to establish the design and make my selections. Here are five useful tips for designing your bathroom like a pro:

1) Establish a look for your bathroom by collecting images. 

A picture speaks 1000 words and websites like Pinterest and Houzz have made this step incredibly easy. For every project, I start an online concept board that I use to review images with my clients and establish a look for the home or space. I also find that an image can be added to the concept for numerous reasons so don’t just stick to bathroom shots. Pictures of art can provide color schemes and a shot of a bedroom can provide a softness of tone.

When our firm provides interior design services for bathroom remodels we take this a step further and develop a mood board. Like every room in the house, bathrooms can quiet and serene, or moody, colorful, funky, etc. 

2) Pick countertop stone before choosing other finishes.

There are quite a few tile choices available these days and an infinite number of paint options. I start the material selections at the stone yard and look for slabs that inspire me. Quartzite is often a perfect choice to consider. Quartzite is more durable than marble but has a subtle beauty usually missing from granite. Let your concept images be your guide and give you focus. Stone with dramatic veining with hip patterned tile will be too much, so don’t overdue it. It is best to have just one star in the show.

3) When picking plumbing fixtures start with the sink faucet.

To get a cohesive look for your bathroom, you want your sink, tub and shower fixtures to be from the same product line. Especially since many of us start our research on the internet, looking for all plumbing choices at once will be overwhelming. I suggest first finding a faucet ­that both looks and feels right. Certain fixtures may only be available in specific finishes, or the shape of the matching hand-shower might not have the fullness of spray my clients want. I call these ‘deal breakers’ and it’s essential to confirm the rest of the product line meets your needs as well.

4) Always choose storage when you have the choice.

Wall mounted sinks are great for a powder room, but even for secondary guest bathrooms you need a place to put towels and extra bathroom supplies. As a rule of thumb, I strive for all base cabinets to have drawers (not a door and shelf) and to include a built-in medicine cabinet as part of the vanity mirror. Having enough storage is essential to getting the countertop clutter out of the way.

5) Being good to the environment can also be good to you.

Adding a skylight in the bathroom brings in natural light and reduces the use of electricity. Another way to reduce electricity usage is to install occupancy sensors and timed fan switches so these necessities turn off on their own. There are good looking switches available now that have theses functions, so your aesthetics won’t need to take the back seat. Personally, I have found the automatic shut off quite convenient when my boys leave the lights on.

Getting Professional Help

Hopefully these tips are useful if you are thinking about, or in the middle of, a bathroom remodel. Bathrooms may be small, but they are not easy! There are a lot of important decisions to make that need to work together to produce a great end result that’s functional and visually pleasing. If you are interested in our help with a bathroom remodel we’d love to hear from you.