Renovating a bathroom can be overwhelming. In addition to selecting tiles, paint colours and fixtures and fittings, it’s important to optimise the layout, make the most of your budget and ensure that the bathroom is practical and functional, as well as aesthetically pleasing.
To avoid getting to the end of your bathroom reno with regrets, here are seven common design mistakes that you need to be aware of.
Picking the right type of tiles
Not all tiles are the same; they can be constructed from porcelain, ceramic, cement, or natural stone (amongst others). Before choosing tiles based on how they look, it’s important to consider the tile material and take into account your lifestyle and your enthusiasm for maintaining your new bathroom. Encaustic tiles (cement) are notoriously hard to clean and can look patchy and dirty after a short time, demanding continuous maintenance. Natural stone tiles - including marble or travertine - look luxurious, but they are highly porous, making them prone to staining and chipping. They also require regular sealing to keep them looking their best.
If you live in a busy household, you might be inclined to navigate towards porcelain or ceramic tiles, which are strong, low-maintenance, easy to clean and require no sealing.
Not allocating space in the shower for gel and shampoo bottles
You may have installed a beautiful shower featuring the most exquisite tiles, but if there is no space to store body wash gels and shampoo/conditioner bottles, you can expect them to be littered around the shower tray (or you will have to resort to one of those ugly shower hanging baskets). Think about where you will store your dispensing bottles and incorporate a niche into the shower wall at the start of the design. Alternatively, have an area built out in the shower for placement. If it’s too late, [wall-mounted bottle holders are your saviour. Simply secure the small folded hook into the tiles with a single drill hole.
Opting for harsh spotlights and not considering wall lighting
As a bathroom is considered a functional room, many people ignore lighting and simply install harsh overhead spotlights within the ceiling. While this works to light up the room, you are really missing something if you don’t consider bathroom wall lights. Wall lights add an extra element of detail that feels bespoke and high-end, along with the opportunity to add a touch of atmospheric illumination for more peaceful times (such as taking a relaxing soak in the bath). One thing to consider is that you can’t add any old wall lights into a bathroom. Due to exposure to water and condensation, all bathroom lighting has to meet a certain IP (ingress protection) rating to make it suitable for bathroom installation. IP44 is generally recommended for areas without consistent direct water contact, with IP65 being more suitable for shower cubicles.
A lack of storage
Every room in the home requires some form of storage, and the bathroom is no exception. Towels, creams, replacement toilet rolls and cleaning equipment will all need accommodating, so factor that in at the start. Think about where you could create hidden storage, such as secret cupboards in boxed-out areas built to disguise pipe work. Make the most of the wall space by including slimline rails or shelving to host everyday items in woven baskets and decorative storage boxes.
Avoid hard-to-clean fixtures
You might love the look of a modern, monochrome bathroom with a matt black shower head and taps, but if you live in a hard water area, the limescale will be prominent quickly and you’ll have to de-scale consistently to remove the ugly white lines.
Copper sinks and baths are other fixtures which look beautiful in installation, but unless you are a huge fan of a natural patina, you’ll have to be cleaning and polishing them constantly to remove water marks.
Spend the budget wisely to avoid replacing items in a few months Time
If you are on a budget, spend your money wisely on the important fixtures and save in other areas where you can keep the costs down. Cheap taps and shower heads won’t last long - the surface area will peel and they may become hard to turn on and off. Invest in good fixtures and save in other areas, such as paint and tiles. Paint brands such a Rust-Oleum do great bathroom paints for a lot less than premium paint brands, while natural stone or wood effect porcelain tiles are stronger and a cheaper alternative to the real deal. For great value wall and floor tiles,
Spend time considering your spacing
If your bathroom is on the smaller side, spend a decent amount of time considering the layout and if you have enough space between each fixture so that you don’t knock into the sink every time you sit down on the loo. Masking tape and a ruler are your best friends here: mark out on the floor where you plan to install the toilet, bath, shower, and any other fixtures to get a real idea of whether you can pack everything in. If it all seems a bit tight, consider swapping out a floor-mounted sink for a wall-hung one, or, even better, scaling down and installing a cloakroom sink that has smaller dimensions. You may even want to decrease the size of your shower tray, or opt for a wall-hung toilet to free up floor space.