Bathrooms....and Relax.
They have to be practical and functional of course, but above all a place of quiet retreat.
As we had the advantage of building this home ourselves we had the ability to build each room the size that we wanted. We may have over indulged slightly on the size of our master bathroom and gym, which not everyone has the space to do. But it was an important room for us and it helped our floor plan to flow well too. One of our criteria was to make sure that neither of the vanities had a window behind them, as it can be hard to see in a mirror clearly when you have a light behind you. So we built in the vanities on the outside wall. Making the bath tub the main focal point of the room was easy to do with a standalone tub. I shopped around for the best deal on this and really got a bargain. Everyone who sees it says what a statement it is. I love it!
Our boys bathroom is very practical with a double vanity, so they can both get ready at the same time without any fighting (which is great). We were also able to open up some dead space in the wall and put in a separate shower. Not only did this add extra functionality to bath time, but it adds so much value having a shower rather than dead space. Look for clever ways to use wasted space.
Our daughters bathroom was more of a challenge as it was smaller and in the eaves of the roof so we had limited space. But to stop it from feeling closed in and dark we expanded out through dead wall space again, this time with an over sized window-ledge, so we could place a window on the outside of the house and bring in that natural light. Being on the top floor there is no privacy issue here, but what a difference it made to bring in the light from outside. It gave the bathroom the illusion of being bigger than it really is, without the cost of the extra square footage.
Our guest bathroom is pleasant and I had fun bringing in a pop of color which is perfectly set off by the white wainscoting. Our guest bathroom is an interior room in the home, so no natural light, but I didn't want it to feel dark. Using the lighter colors and the white on the walls really helps this feel like a very fresh airy room.
Wainscoting is a lovely touch to that is easy to add to any room and will instantly make its presence known. It can give you an elegant, farmhouse or coastal feel instantly to any room. Then just finish off with a few choice fixtures and you have a new feel to any room.
Our pool bathroom was simple, calm and practical. A shower for guests and nothing too big or fussy.