Looking for bathroom ideas? You may be researching bathroom design ideas for remodeling an existing bathroom or you may be looking for bathroom ideas for building a new one.
The bathroom design ideas that you use can have a dramatic impact on the appearance and functionality of your bathroom. The bathroom is a room that will be visited often every day and you want this space to be comfortable, usable, appealing and safe to be in while fitting into the overall style and decor of your home.
Here are bathroom ideas to consider as you are planning this important room:
1 – Add a Mirror – mirrors on the bathroom walls will give the appearance of windows being there, will reflect light and extend the room. Mirrors can create a sense of openness, making any bathroom appear larger than it really is. Add a medicine cabinet with mirror to your bathroom to store grooming supplies, medicine or toiletries. Traditionally, the medicine cabinet was located above the vanity or sink, however, you can place it elsewhere in the bathroom if you want.
2 – Create Ample Bathroom Storage – you cannot have too much storage space in a bathroom. Use wall space wisely with shelves or built-in cabinets, vanities or cabinets over the commode. Corner shelves are good bathroom ideas choices if you have limited space. Install corner shelves to display ceramics, shampoos, soaps, bath oils and candles. Display corner shelves can be found that are decorative and allow you to use otherwise wasted space.
3 – Use Wicker Baskets – fill wicker baskets with soaps, candles, sponges, bubble baths, and loofahs. You can roll some of your colorful towels and place them in inexpensive wicker baskets around the bathroom. Keep some of the large wicker storage baskets with towels near the tub and shower within easy reach.
4 – Carefully Select the Floor Material – besides the appearance, the bathroom floor should be safe to walk on and water resistant. Rubber flooring, ceramic tile, vinyl and linoleum floors are good choices since these floor materials can be easy to clean, water resistant and safe to walk on.
If you will use natural stone or terra-cotta ceramic tile on your floor, use the kind that has a non-slip finish. Be careful using rugs that can slide on a tiled floor or natural stone floor. Use rugs that have a rubber backing or add rubber backing strips to the rugs.
5 – Plan the Lighting Carefully – bathroom ideas and general lighting can be ceiling lights, wall fixtures or track lighting. Having adequate general lighting means there is enough light for someone to walk safely through the bathroom. This overall light will distribute itself throughout the entire space, however, general lighting is not sufficient for grooming functions.
Task lighting provides light to a specific area where shaving, putting on makeup or other types of grooming take place. Task lighting should be adjustable by using dimmers or controls, and it is best to aim this type of lighting at an angle to avoid hot spots or shadows.
The use of natural light can be included in your bathroom ideas by having a window, a wall skylight or a roof skylight to bring in natural light. Having a skylight that can be opened is great because it reduces moisture buildup. Remember that using a combination of different types of bathroom light fixtures carefully placed may give your bathroom the best results.
6 – Plan for Moisture Control – bathroom ideas should plan for humidity and odors in the room. Use a power ventilator large enough to do the job. Lingering moisture could become a problem if you do not have a properly-sized ventilating fan to get rid of moisture and odors. Ventilating fans are sized by the cubic feet of air they move in one minute (cfm).
A good ventilation system that can move the air from the bathroom to the outdoors about eight times per hour means that the bathroom will have the moist air removed in 7 or 8 minutes. If you take the length, width and ceiling height of your bathroom and multiply these three numbers, you will have the cubic feet of space for your bathroom.
For example, a bathroom that is 5 feet by 8 feet with an 8 foot high ceiling will have 320 cubic feet of space (5 times 8 times 8 equals 320). A 40 cfm (cubic feet per minute) fan will move the air from inside this bathroom to the outdoors in about 8 minutes (320 divided by 40).
Enjoy gathering bathroom ideas and the planning process, learn as much as you can and use your imagination as you collect and implement your bathroom ideas. Having a comfortable, attractive and functional bathroom that reflects your personal style means you will have a special place to enjoy for many years to come.
Copyright 2007 InfoSearch Publishing
Posts Tagged ‘Bathroom Floor’
Bathroom Ideas – Consider These 6 Bathroom Design Ideas
December 9th, 2009Your Guide to Bathroom Accessories
November 30th, 2009If you’re working with a budget and need to add some life to your bathroom then adding some cheap and cheerful bathroom accessories is a great way to add some extra detail to your decor. This, of course, can also save you a lot of money too! The following are a few of the items you might want to think about when redecorating your bathroom.
Do you hate the sensation of walking on a wet bathroom floor – especially first thing in the morning? A wet bathroom floor floor is not only annoying but also downright dangerous. Any wet bathroom floor is a definite health hazard. One way to solve this problem is to invest in a good bath mat. They’re not the same drab old items that they used to be either. You can get discount bath mats in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors – just make sure whatever mat you choose is highly absorbent and easy to wash.
There’s nothing more annoying that having that well prepared bath overflow onto your floor and cause a mess is there? Why not invest in a water level bath alarm to make sure this never happens to you? That way you won’t have to keep a constant eye on the tub as it fills because an alarm sounds when the water reaches a certain level and you can stop the disaster before it starts.
Even the tidiest of bathrooms can be a messy place. All those cotton balls, soap wrappers and other toiletries need to be disposed of at some point. A pedestal bin is ideal in this situation because it’s opened easily with a foot pedal and then closes to keep the trash tidily out of sight. This type of bin is perfect for bathroom waste because it keeps it out of sight.
The shower curtain is another area to be addressed. The days of drab and droll shower curtains are long over. These come in styles ranging from plastic to fabric with patterns in numerous colors and designs. You can also purchase coordinating hooks and liners to further enhance your bathroom design scheme.
Before you start shopping online for the above accessories bear in mind that you’ll need to purchase them to suit a consistent theme so that the finished bathroom has a balanced look and feel to it. Nothing worse than a bathroom full of random accessories that just make no sense at all.
By: Niall Roche
Bathroom Accessories of All Kinds – Explore the Possibilities!
November 8th, 2009There is a huge variety of bathroom accessories available for your every need or desire. You can obtain anything from towel warmers to radios that play in the shower. There is seemingly no end to the handy little accessories and big ones too.
Just a partial list would include shower curtains of many kinds towel holders and towel warmers, wastebaskets, soap dispensers of all kinds, shower heads, toilet brush holders, toilet tissue dispensers, toothbrush holders, bathroom fans, hampers, fast hot water pumps and heated floor mats. There are more, I’m just out of breath.
Bathroom storage comes in a multitude of sizes and shapes to accommodate the smallest and the largest bathrooms. If you’re looking for extra storage, then there are cabinets, shelves, vanities and hampers. Vanities can combine contemporary design and provide storage space to create style and function for your bathroom. Floor mats can add comfort and be decorative at the same time. Keep your towels in your bathroom cabinets. Maximize space in the bathroom with space savers and tank toppers. Add freestanding or wall-mounted shelving. Wall-mounted jewelry cabinets can keep necklaces, bracelets and rings in order and out of site.
A Heated Floor System uses electric radiant heat mats or wires to generate heat under tile, hardwood and carpeted floors in bathrooms or any room. You can lower the air temperature in the room and by keeping the floor warm under your feet, you stay comfortable. Perfect for wood or concrete sub-floors, these heated floor systems are great when you are replacing your existing floor covering or working on a new construction. Thermostat accessories allow you to time the temperature of your floors to your liking.
Heated floor mats are available in many different widths and lengths to fit rooms of any size. The mats bond easily to underlying floor materials and are easy to install. First, tape the mats in place with special tape. Then connect the mats to the thermostat. Once the thermostat is installed, put tile adhesive over the heating mat and then lay your floor.
The heating wire system is ideal for irregular shaped rooms and comes in a variety of lengths. The wires use a single-point connection and are grounded from end to end. A metal jacket protects the wires. Installation is easy. First, the wires are laid out and fastened to the sub-floor. The thermostat is connected, the tile adhesive is put over the floor and wires, and then the floor can be installed. Be sure to use a certified electrician for the wiring.
Add the benefit of warming and drying your towels without having to run the dryer. With a wide range of products to choose from, there’s a towel warmer for every bathroom.
Add the convenience of quick push-button hot water and save thousands of gallons of water, reduce the waiting time for your hot water, and add convenience to your life. A hot water demand pump speeds hot water from your water heater to your fixtures without running water down the drain. You get your hot water faster and you don’t waste any water.
In many one of these pumps can provide quick hot water to several or even all of the hot water fixtures in your home. If your home has one main hot water run from the water heater that loops from location to location, then a single pump will provide quick hot water for your entire home. Just place it at the location furthest from the water heater.
If you want some really big accessories, check out the new environmental chambers where you can experience anything from a light rain to the equivalent of an automated car wash. Multiple shower heads, steam generators, and even chroma-therapy are available for your bathroom.
There are a lot more goodies out there, go check them out before you accessorize your bathroom.
By: William Lund
