Design Basics: Key Elements of Bathroom Design

We loved writing about kitchen design and revealing our insider tips in our kitchen series blog posts. So… We decided to continue sharing! Next up: best kept secrets when designing your bathroom. Learn the key elements of bathroom design with our pros!

Bathroom design is closely tied with functionality. Just as we explained for kitchen spaces (see blog post here) ergonomics are critical. This brings us to the first element to keep in mind:

Bathroom Design – Space and Circulation

For master bathrooms, we always try to incorporate: a double sink with drawer vanity, a shower, a toilet room, a storage cabinet, a bathtub and even a makeup vanity. If the space allows for all of this! Check out this example from our Contemporary Oceanfront Retreat:

Secondary bathrooms, which are typically tied to a bedroom, are more compact and often have either a tub or shower, a single vanity and a toilet.

Powder rooms will generally be smaller and include simply a toilet and a vanity. We like pushing the design in this particular room. We often propose interesting vanity design and/or accent materials, like 3D tiles or colored wallpaper.

You will notice, that in all types of bathroom, we leave plenty of space for circulation. The most important number to keep in mind is 36”. You need this in front of your vanity in order to accommodate for passage.

Once you have defined the space and circulation, your next focus should be:

Plumbing Fixtures Locations

The best tip we can give you about bathroom design is to try to place your toilet in an area that is somewhat more concealed. Try to place it after the vanity when entering the room. In general, we try for the vanity area to be the first element users discover see.

Bathtubs can also be a focal point. Freestanding tubs have been popular; they are almost like sculptures in a space. Take a look at this master bathroom we recently completed.

As for the plumbing fixtures themselves, there is a great choice of brands and price points. Ferguson or YLiving are two of our favorite vendors. When selecting a fixture, read the specifications and check the installation sheet. Don’t be afraid to call the company (again!) to triple check that the fixture will work for your space.

You have now examples of plumbing locations and plumbing vendors for your new bathroom. The last elements of bathroom design we want to review with you on this post are:

Materials and Finishes 

Tile is the most common material for bathrooms. Playing with the scale, color and pattern of your tiles is the trend. For example, placing a colorful mosaic on one wall, and for the rest of the bathroom walls to have a larger, maybe rectangular tiles.

The “wood look” has been the most popular tile style lately. It is getting harder nowadays to tell if you are looking at real wood or a tile! We use the wood look quite often. Check out below, the cabana bath of our Miami Modern Home. The second is our Breezy Miami Estate powder room.

New materials have also made their entrance, like plexi wall panels, as you can see below in the powder room. Famous designer Alex Turco created this beautiful blue agate piece for our Modern Miami Home clients. Precious stone slabs have also been popular. See the second picture below, from our Contemporary Waterfront Elegance project. Notice, reflecting in the mirror, the precious stone slab located in the shower.

Plumbing fixtures are a nice way to enrich the materiality of your bathroom as well. There are several finishes that you can find on the market today. You will see that in our Contemporary Oceanfront Retreat we selected super elegant black chrome fixtures from high-end brand Vola.

This concludes our first post on the key elements of bathroom design. We already look forward to sharing with you our next post in this series. We will review key bathroom measurements, which can truly make or break a bathroom! Be sure to come back soon for more interior design tips!