Home bathroom remodeling remains one of the hottest trends in home improvement, and with good reason. What could enhance a home’s appearance more than taking what’s traditionally a generic, utilitarian room and transforming it into an oasis of comfort and beauty?
To give you some inspiration for your remodeling dreams, here’s a look at seven ideas to consider for your own home.
- Hidden toilets – This is a perfect way to add discretion to a bathroom while enhancing its style and sense of space. Concealing the toilet can be accomplished either with a half-wall or by using the “room-inside-a-room” approach. Either way, the final effect is often dramatic.
- Surface changes – Porcelain tiles come in an endless variety of styles these days, including types that look like natural stone. Large tiles in the 18” by 18” size range for floors and 12” by 12” for walls are very popular right now. They help to give the bathroom a spacious feel. Seamless countertops, made of what’s known as “solid surface” material, can be used for virtually every surface in the bathroom, including sinks. They offer a distinct one-piece look, which is beautiful in its eye-catching simplicity.
- Larger shower stalls – While tubs still have their fans, more and more homeowners are passing them up for larger shower areas with cutting-edge features like his-and-her showerheads, steam generators, and body sprays. Stalls have grown to accompany these luxurious touches, with the old-fashioned three-by-three cubicles giving way to ones measuring five-by-seven or even larger. In many cases, it’s even possible to eliminate shower doors, by relying on L-shaped floor designs that keep the spray inside the enclosure.
- High-efficiency water fixtures – Low-flow used to mean weak pressure and an unsatisfying shower experience, but no more. Newer showerheads can deliver an invigorating pulse or a relaxing “rain shower” feel, all while meeting flow rates of 2.5 gallons a minute or less. Faucets with aerators and toilets that use only 1.28 gallons per flush can save the average family more than 15,000 gallons of water a year, making a real dent in utility bills.
- Larger vanities – Dual sinks used to be all the rage for vanity tops, but in today’s home bathroom remodeling, it’s all about having as much counter space as possible for items like soap dispensers, makeup pouches, razors, etc. Plus, the simplified plumbing of a single sink allows for more storage space underneath.
- More ventilation – Moisture is the enemy of every home. Left alone, it can breed mold and ruin painted surfaces. A bathroom fan is the best defense against it, but in the past, these have been woefully inadequate for the job. Today’s models include ducted surfaces that can move 110 cubic feet or more of air per minute. Humidity sensors can even turn the system on automatically, ensuring that the air never gets too moist.
- Letting in more light – Remember how the old bathrooms only had a single light fixture in the ceiling? One of the many problems with this approach is that it casts dark shadows across the face of a person using the vanity. Nowadays, light is layered throughout the bathroom, including vertical lighting strips along medicine cabinets and on sconces around the vanity area. The shower and toilet areas are getting task lights as well, including units that use long-lasting LED bulbs.
We hope these ideas help you to define your personal remodeling goals. When you’re ready to turn your dreams into reality, give us a call here at Criner Remodeling. We’ll be happy to put our 35+ years of experience to work for you as your home remodeling company.