In many other bathroom design sites, all they want to do is sell you a service or appliance; whether its a brand or specific fixture; in this site we have compiled the most modern ideas in bathroom design, without any bias, to show what can be done to help you bring this important and expensive project to a result that will please you for many years, and increase substantially the value of your house.

Introduction to modern bathroom design:

Designing a bathroom for a new home or renovating an already existing one?   This is one of the few places where spending money not only will improve quality of life but will translate itself into higher value for the home as well.
In this very important undertaking, both in renovating bathroom design simply with a few new touches here and there as much as if doing a complete makeover the process is pretty much the same.   We should keep in mind four basic aspects in designing any bathroom:

* Category or purpose of the bathroom
* Color theme desired
* Style of bathroom
* Technical or budget restrictions

Now lets begin by examining each aspect in more detail...

Category or purpose of bathroom

There are Three basic configurations of bathrooms. The guest bathroom (or powder room), the family bathroom, and the masters bedroom bathroom.

As suggested by its name, the powder room or guest bathroom  is the one your guests will use. Some of these can be only 20 sq. ft. in area and may very well have only a toilet and a vanity. The objective here is to keep it practical and tidy.  Some larger homes will have a shower here, too; when this is the case, real estate agents will refer to this room as a three-quarters bath on their listings.

The family bathroom is bigger, as it has usually a shower, and is conveniently placed close to the bedrooms of the house. It is used by anyone in the family, guests sometimes, and usually has more shelf capacity for toiletries, linens, supplies, etc. This one may have more rugged, durable features, as it is the bathroom that gets used the most.

Usually, a family bathroom would include one toilet and vanity sink, (sometimes more than one sink) and maybe a bathtub and shower. If small children use the Family bathroom, then it should be designed with safety in mind and be prepared for easy evolution as children get older, as well. As an example non-slip ceramic tiles would be a must here. This is probably the bathroom that gets used the most, with the least care sometimes; so heavy-duty fixtures and appliances are the order of the day here.

The masters bedroom bathroom is typically large, with fancier things such as a shower, Jacuzzi tub, partitioned toilet, sauna in some cases, two sinks, and sometimes a dressing corner. Usually, the only way to access the masters bedroom bathroom is going through the master bedroom, thus making this bathroom a private haven for the parents. Master bathrooms sometimes have custom-made cabinets, granite stone tile or expensive ceramic, and classier fixtures like expensive and fancy faucets and nice inlaid counters. In determining what type of bathroom it is or will be, ask yourself who will be using this bathroom and how often.

Make it all work with the right color combination

The second aspect is the one bringing all style elements together: color. Of course it is determined by the mood you are trying to create with the style you chose, as certain styles call for specific colors. Obviously, the style and theme of the home should also fit with the bathroom design.

What is in style for bathrooms now can quickly change, therefore try to anticipate how the bathroom will look like in the future. To alleviate this problem, a conservative approach may be to pick neutral colors for fixtures and tiles, for ease of updating color accents with paint, wallpaper, towels, and draperies in the future when trends might have changed.  Using neutral colored fixtures allows you to change the color of your walls without having to change fixtures each time.

Style is a matter of taste

The third aspect to keep in mind for bathroom decoration is style. The bathroom is certainly one of the most visited areas of the house, therefore should follow the central design theme of the house. Here are is a short list of styles: Retro, English, Modern, Art-Deco, American, Southwestern, Victorian, and Country, just to name a dew. Open houses, magazines, bathroom fixture stores, home shows, or asking a professional designer are great ways to pick a style that fits your expectations and needs for bathroom redesign.
The important thing to keep in mind here is that all style elements have to blend in together. Please do not try to mix different opposite styles together as the end result may not blend in well. Of course the internet is also an excellent source of ideas when considering the style aspect.

Technical restrictions

This aspect is the one that will decide if the modern bathroom design ideas put forward will be feasible or not.  First and foremost of all technical restrictions are budget and space, of course.   While budget is entirely dependent on your financial situation,  with the money assigned to the bathroom there are so many things one can do.  Space, of course is limited to a certain amount and is a major restriction although sometimes you can steal space from nearby rooms or closets to allow more space to the bathroom design.   

Another major physical restriction will be placement of water appliances.  Depending where the main house drain pipe is passing, you may not be able to place the toilet anywhere you want; this is due to the fact a sufficient slope has to be kept on the pipe linking the toilet to the house main drain.  If this slope cannot be provided the toilet will not drain properly and will always be a source of problems.  The vanity sinks need vent pipes in order to drain well; so wherever the vanity is placed there has to be vent pipes going in the wall behind.  This may not be possible on all walls of the bathroom.

At very early stages of planning a proportional floor plan will be mandatory; so when a draft plan is ready, each idea for applicance placement must be confronted with these physical restrictions.  Naturally the best way to check this is consulting with your profesionnal plumber.

Figuring out the final Plan

A modern bathroom design project is almost always an expensive proposition; but it usually will translate in better value for the home, if well executed. Accordingly this will require a lot of work, planning and visualisation before selecting a specific final plan. Always a bathroom renovation plan is not only determined by taste,  but also by financial constraints and technical restrictions.

While you are going through planning stages, keep a notebook handy for ideas; so that everytime a new idea emerges you can take it down, then in the final planning stages you can balance everything out with the previous ones..

Once you have decided on a design, you will need a final detailed proportional floor plan on paper; including fixtures,  electrical wiring, plumbing, and ventilation connections, with all dimensions indicated, proportional to the full size project. Consulting with a plumber before going ahead with the plan is a good idea at this point; he might have other ideas that will make this project go better. Build the materials list, establish a timetable, and determine what you will be able to complete yourself, and what work you will contract out.

Applicable Laws and Standards in Bathroom Design

Your plumber should take care to arrange that your building inspector sees and approves your final plans, and registers any building permits required, and final project approval. Once you get project approval and applicable permits, work can begin. The building inspector will inspect the work once the walls are down, allowing him to see the new pipes and new electrical wires in place to insure everything is up to applicable code requirements.

Bathroom renovating can be a demanding effort; but with careful planning and following all regulations this will allow you to enjoy your new updated bathroom for many, many years.

Many stages of a complete bathroom revamp or renovation project will require the services of a certified construction professional, or specialty contruction such as a plumber.  To avoid costly mistakes I strongly encourage you to hire professionals as much as your budget permits...

Of course the internet is a very powerful and exciting way to find the proper resources needed to bring such a project to life. This is where this website was designed to help.