Bathroom Design - The Biggest Mistakes

bathroom design
Designing a new bathroom for your home is a challenge, and enormously rewarding if you get it right. The trouble is, bathroom design is no walk in the park and there are many pitfalls to avoid. The most common errors are also the most the basic and if you avoid those, you'll be on the right track.

So what are the basic errors of bathroom design to avoid?

The first is possibly - or at least should be - the most obvious, and that's not giving enough consideration to the space into which your new bathroom must be fitted. Whether big or small, all bathrooms have only a finite amount of space so give proper thought to the best way to use it. If you clutter up that space with lots of nice but unnecessary features, all your planning and money will go to waste and you'll be left with a bathroom that's unsuitable or unsightly. Likewise, if you don't make proper use of the space available, it will be a missed opportunity.

You also have to get your colour scheme right. If you don't pay proper attention to the light and shade then you could end up with an uninviting bathroom. Bear in mind that the mornings and evenings are the times you'll be using the bathroom most.

Another common error of bathroom design is not giving proper consideration to the style of the rest of your home - that is, designing a bathroom that's incongruous with the interior design concept you've employed elsewhere. It's no good having state-of-the-art, space-age features and looks if the rest of your home is rustic and cosy. And it's no good having a country-style bathroom if your other rooms have been decorated in an art deco style. You get the picture. Interior design is like a jigsaw; the pieces - that is, the different rooms - have to fit together without being forced.

Here's another biggie - don't forget who's going to be using the bathroom. Get the design right for your living situation. If you have a family, the design of your bathroom has to reflect that and cater for everyone. Is a bath more important than a shower, or vice versa? It's a personal choice and once again these things might seem obvious, but you'd be amazed at how many people end up with a bathroom that's unsuitable for their needs because they've been blinded by the latest cool looking features.

Which brings us to the next common faux pas - prioritizing the latest fashions and fads over tried and tested, functional designs. This is especially true when it comes to bathroom tile designs and flooring. Just because it looks good today and everyone's got it now, it doesn't mean that a year down the line it will look as fresh. Today's fashions can be tomorrow's embarrassments so choose wisely and don't buy something because some overpaid presenter on TV tells you it's the latest must-have feature for your bathroom.

So there you have it. Bear the basics in mind, have fun and knock yourself out designing the perfect bathroom for your home.