Bathroom Design Do’s & Don’ts From The Pros

Here we are at then end of Bathroom Month and I thought we’d finish with design advice from two award winning designers.   As an interior designer and design blogger I am fortunate to come across many talented people, but I gravitate to those who are real and do not mince words.  Get ready for the male and female perspective regarding pitfalls in bathroom design.  Don’t let the pics fool you.  Robin  is a colorful fashionista when not playing Drill Sargent at Renovation Bootcamp.  Billy’s  “badder ass” of kitchen & bath design smirk hides a generous teddy bear persona his b.williams design clients enjoy.  This no-nonsense pair can be found offering up delightful banter on Twitter as well, @Sieguzi and @Billy_Williams.  Robin suggests powder rooms should welcome guests with visual delight and “give them eye candy while they’re otherwise occupied!”  Too often powder rooms become the room we’ll get to.  Meanwhile guests are staring at four walls as uninspiring as a cell-block.  As a tiny room it should be stunning.  Robin offers up a before and after of a powder room she took fromslammer to glamour. Makes one just want to “hold it” until you get home. By a little borrowing of an underutilized closet under a stairway, Robin made the room both spacious and inviting.  Here’s how:

• Recessed the vanity.
• Dead space in the ceiling allowed room for lighting and coffer.
• Added architecture with wainscoting.
• Recessed framed and mirrored niche over the toilet for pretty perfume bottles as visual interest.
• Decorative details make every one ooh and ahh!

Now for some practical but not pretty advice from Billy as he offers some quick & easy tips to avoid going the wrong direction in a bathroom.

1.  If you’re gonna hang a chandelier over a bathtub, don’t.   It’s like wearing stilettos and jeans; even if you do it right it still comes off looking a little sleazy – not to mention potentially dangerous.  It makes a great shot in a photo but in reality, not so practical. 2.  In the industry this is called a “boob” light.  Never use a boob light.

3.  Always use dimmers.  Lighting in a bathroom is probably one of the most critical and often overlooked aspects of design.  It’s better to over light and install dimmers; it’s also best to have multiple sources of light, zoned for different functions.   Check out our earlier post on bathroom lighting.Two quick rules for zoning:

• The vent (stink) fan should always come on with the shower light — remember, it’s important to remove moisture from the bathroom.  Shown is a great recessed light fixture which is also a fan!
• General lighting should never be switched with vanity or sconce lighting – they should be switched separately.

Finally, r a couple of before and after shots of Billy’s work.One final piece of advice when it comes to bathroom design which we all agree on is – master bathroom’s do not have to have a tub.   At both the KBIS and ICFF shows vendors with tub offerings were notably light and if doing one, freestanding is the way to go.

In Billy’s words, “despite what every realtor on earth says (when did they become the experts?), it is not necessary to have a tub in a master bath.  Opt for a well-proportioned spa-type shower instead. In reality, no one has time for a long romantic bath in a garden tub full of warm water and rose petals.”

This brings us to an end of Bathroom Month.  We covered a lot of territory, be sure to check out all our other posts in the bathroom category.  I’ll also be adding one shortly on the bathroom finds from ICFF.