Bathroom design should be looked at as whole so that all the elements like products selection, heating, comfort of use, material finishes...
Design and aesthetics are a personal choice, and all depends on the perception of the person. Functional spaces in our home like bathrooms and kitchens are purely not for aesthetic they are highly functional spaces as they are very task-oriented that are used daily by different people for individual purposes. Hence, the design and functionality should be done by experts if one is little unsure about the nitty gritty. The most common mistakes people make is they get caught in one aspect like aesthetics or storage or putting too many aspects all together often cramming it up hence ignoring how it functions altogether.
That is also part of the reason Bath Affair offers experienced and expert team, so one can be relaxed while deciding. Our team understands how fast even a good design can go wrong with the selection of a wrong product and how to keep it on track.
Bathroom design should be looked at as whole so that all the elements like products selection, heating, comfort of use, material finishes, water efficiency, spacing fit together seamlessly resulting in the bathroom of your dreams. That is the reason swaps between elements are needed to be made considering the space and budget constraints.
The common mistakes that can cause the bathroom design to fall apart are.
Adding on a numerous feature often causes a good bathroom design idea getting missed. These features will often sacrifice usefulness for style and fail to work within the space provided.
The solution:
Use the Space Correctly
Visiting someone’s luxury bathroom and trying to replicate it by the book may not be solution for you. Try not to cram your small bathroom with products just because “they are more comfortable”. A small bathtub allowing free flow movement inside the bathroom is more important. You don’t want to bump into something when your wet and naked. Having body jets or an enormous shower only suits a space where it can fit and you have the full functionality out of the product. After all bigger is not necessarily better you can fit a small bathtub, or a wall hung shower and get the most out of your space and feel the luxury at the same time. That is where the right product selection is incredibly important for the space.
The key is to work with space rather than fighting against it. That may mean minimizing counter space and putting in place space saving fixtures while getting the comfort and luxury you desire. The goal is to make the space comfortable while letting go of the things you might have desired in the first place.
Stick to the Budget
Budget should be decided upfront for a project, if not decided you will end up cutting corners near the end of the project. The key being to work with a realistic budget making sure having about 15-20% extra money for the inevitable problems that arise during the process.
Although it is understandable a budget cannot be perfectly laid out during a construction project as buying products and the installation are two different chapters all together. Sometimes a tile or the basin does not match up the mixer and hence the plumbing needs to be redone. Because of these concerns, always add a buffer to your budget for unknowns but overall stick to the main figure.
When going through the concept selection of the bathroom one should not overlook personalisation. A good bathroom for you will be the one which delivers the features you love the most. As bathroom can be the most personal space for a person as can be.
Always think of the end user of the bathroom. Is it going to be used for a couple, kids, elderly, guests, or its going be shared by more people? This will help you decide from the beginning what kind of materials, products with fancy features, water efficiency or space is your top priority. The goal here is to optimise the bathroom for the most functionality.
But do remember it should be place you want to be in, be able to relax in and feel comfortable with the aesthetics. If you have an option, try to have a source of natural light which really gives the space a more inviting feature.
It’s always fun going shopping for fixtures, sinks, bathtubs and tiles and making your dream bathroom a reality. Afterall bathroom construction does not happen often. But making sure these fixtures and equipment are perfectly balanced with the right plumbing, electrical & ventilation is especially important. These things maybe boring and take the fun of out a project but without them the colours and products cannot exist. Always remember Form follows Function.
For example, do you have enough water pressure for the remarkable shower you want to use to feel the indulgence of the water droplets? You would require a pressure pump. If you want a bathtub does your geyser have the capacity to fill your bathtub with the right temperature water for that ‘oh so comfortable’ soak? You would require a bigger geyser or a heat pump to have free flow of hot water. These questions must have an answer before you can go product shopping or let the experts take care.
Preventing Mould Problems
Bathrooms can be the most humid space in the house, especially if you tend to have long hot showers or you install a steam system. A proper ventilation system with fans which are vented appropriately, or a window vent should solve the problem.
One of the first things on the list is having light switches behind the doors or in the wrong places these must be at the most approachable places. The light should be able to be switched on before the bathroom door is closed. Secondly the layout giving the toilet the centre stage, we often see layouts with the toilet in a position where that is the first thing you see when you open the door. The electrical outlets need to near sink or the mirror as one can use the shavers, hair styling and other equipment without tripping over the wires. Lastly, doors should never bang into toilets or storage units that cause a real nuisance.
Some things are unavoidable if it is a renovation project as the budget can go high in case of shifting a toilet. But the goal should be to avoid as many predicaments like these.
Doing your own designing and execution can be empowering and makes one happy and proud. But bathroom designs can a very tricky and mistakes can often be costly, if you don’t know what you are doing and how to fix it. Hiring a professional at that stage is even more frustrating and costly for both the parties. So it is advised to be realistic about your own abilities to handle a project and the time it will take before taking everything on your own.
Leave the Technical Stuff to the Professionals
Bathrooms renovation projects involving demolishing or redoing of plumbing should be taken care of by experienced professionals. Doing a new projects has a whole set of problems of their own like installations of plumbing according to different tubs, steams, showers etc have to be done in a specific manner otherwise things can out of hand pretty quickly and can really disturb what otherwise have been a well-designed bathroom.
Poor handiwork can also really spoil the aesthetic of the bathroom. And redoing something in a bathroom can increase the timeline of a project as the tiling or the finished material needs to uproot altogether to be able to make changes. Whereas when you hire professional’s aesthetics as well smooth functionality can dramatically improve as they notice small details which are very essential making installations seamless.
Maybe you do feel comfortable in handling some parts of the project on your own. But the best bet is doing yourself only what you are completely sure or have done before and leave the rest up to the professionals.
Often while researching for a dream bathroom you end up choosing a lot of textures, designs, and patterns or even products with each having their own design philosophy. In rare cases these all might work together but often incorporating all the design philosophies into one space can lead to disaster. One must avoid these mistakes and stick to one main concept and align all the other aspects along with it. Most often luxury product collections are designed keeping in mind these aspects hence to avoid major uncertainty its best to pick up the concept its intending for.
After showers, the bathroom gets really humid if not totally wet considering the new kinds shower enclosures in the market. Humid and wet conditions can make not only the floors of the bathrooms slippery but other surfaces like walls, glass or counters etc get can tricky to. For this purpose choosing the right materials for you full bathroom is highly important, as these could lead to potential safety hazards or mould problems if the surfaces too absorbent.
Non-slip Floor is a Must Have
Anyone can lose their balance in the shower especially when its wet and soapy adding on it a glossy floor surface is a combination for failure. For these reasons having a matt floor or floor with anti-slip quality or with a mosaic of tiles is must for areas where its tricky; like the shower area for a walk in shower or near the tub when you want to get out.
Water damage
Other advice would be to avoid wood, textiles and some kind of stones in the bathroom where there would be direct everyday contact with water as to ensure long lasting surfaces. Try to use materials that are water resistant, safe and easy to clean.
Vanity design or surfaces with a lot of moulding or carvings, mirrors with to many depths should be avoided in order to keep daily maintenance of surfaces easy and hence not providing mould to grow in hidden places.
Lastly, Do Not Panic
Like every problem has a solution so is in the case of Bathroom design and construction. As long as you are clear with the basics, have the required budget, have prepared yourself for the time for the project and take the required professional help where you can go out of the depth; you should be able to get the bathroom you’ll adore.
Stay up to date with our newest collections, latest deals and special offers! Whether you're are designing a contemporary wet room, a modern, classic or period bathroom our beautiful products will inspire you.
