Sunday, March 14, 2010

Ideas for Your Bathroom Design

The eco-friendly remodeling ideas allow you to provide your bathroom with a great look while reducing your own carbon footprint too. Here are some eco-friendly ideas you should explore in order to make your bathroom a greener space. First, you will have to consider the furniture you are planning to have in your bathroom. When trying to create a green design, you should give thought to the following bathroom pieces: bath panels, vanity units, shelving and bathroom cabinetry. You should choose furniture made from natural materials such as wheat board, bamboo and sustainable timber. For instance, bamboo is regarded as an excellent choice for bathroom furniture because it can hold quite well against humidity and moisture.

In addition to considering all the materials you are planning to use for the bathroom furniture, you will also have to take a better look at the finishes and sealants used on every piece of furniture. Ideally, every piece of bathroom furniture should be made from water-based and natural ingredients such as natural plant oils that don’t contain any chemical additives. Next, you will have to pick the right lighting because achieving a greener lighting is critical when it comes to providing your bathroom with an eco-friendly design. You will want to provide your bathroom with the best lighting possible and keeping some eco-friendly ideas in your mind can help you get the best lighting while lowering your personal impact on the planet. You will have to find ways to let the natural light in. This way, you will also reduce your current need to use electricity. For instance, you can add solar tubes or skylights to your bathroom space in order to allow the natural light to come in.

You can also use bathroom designer software in order to play around with all your lighting options when it comes to using daylight and come up with the right design that is likely to work best for your bathroom. Where lighting is necessary, you should choose the fluorescent bulbs instead of the traditional bulbs because this will help you with protecting the environment and save on your future energy bills. Decorating your bathroom in an eco-friendly way is another thing you should consider when planning to make this space greener. You must not forget about all the little things that can provide your bathroom with genuine character.

For instance, soft items such as bathrobes and towels may serve a purpose while helping you create a personalized bathroom décor. But even these simple items are already available in a wide range of eco-friendly designs. So, you should look for the bathroom items that are made from certified organic cotton, bamboo and hemp. Also look for the bathroom items that aren’t bleached and have been dyed by using the vegetable colorings instead of the traditional chemical additives. Next, you should look for water-efficient faucets, toilets and showerheads in order to avoid the waste and save on the water you consume on a daily basis.

Smaller Bathrooms

Design tips for smaller bathrooms
If you have a smaller area designated for bathroom use, you will have to make some adjustments in order to make proper use of this space. Start by figuring out what things you need to have in your bathroom. For instance, if you aren’t planning to spend a lot of time in your bathroom, you can install just the main necessary equipments and items in order to feel comfortable. Another important factor is the wise choice of color because a pastel and light color is likely to make your bathroom look larger. The lighter shades are also more welcoming.

Even if your bathroom is small, you can still make it look quite elegant by using the right visual accents. You should use subtle wallpapers that can make your bathroom look larger. Floor coloring is another important issue and you should go for neutral or light colors in order to make the space look roomier. Light shades of blues, tans or grays are the best choices for a small bathroom because they can make it look more airy and sophisticated.

A small bathroom space should be lighted up with additional lights. If you notice that there is no space for such additional lights in your bathroom, you should go for the bulbs that provide a high wattage. These bulbs will make your bathroom very inviting and brighter. Don’t worry about decorating your bathroom either because even a smaller place is likely to be well decorated once you follow the right steps.

Start by using only a few mirrors because overdoing with mirrors is likely to provide your bathroom with unwanted effects. Keep in mind that using too many mirrors in a small bathroom will emphasize only the corners of its space. So, you should be careful when it comes to selecting the places where you want to have mirrors installed. For instance, installing the mirrors opposite to each other is not a wise idea. Limit the mirrors in order not to show the real size of your bathroom.

You should cleat out the bathroom walls in order to create the illusion of a larger space. You should also keep your things floating. For instance, you might install floating cupboards and a wall mounted sink in order to prevent these items from taking too much from the floor space. You can utilize the bathroom floor for other useful things such as putting a plant or a trash can. Using the bathroom door is another useful tip that will help you save some space. The door is more useful and helpful than acting as a simple exit and entrance. For instance, you can use it in order to install some clothes or towel hangers because this will conserve extra precious space. You will also be left with more space to use for the bathroom design you plan to have.

You might consider using the collapsible shower screens. Such shower screens come in various types such as sliding or foldable ones. You can also use curtains in order to get the division you want. Allowing natural light inside your bathroom is another wise thing for you to do because having a window installed in this space will make it look more spacious. However, you must make sure that the window is not too big because, if this is the case, you will defeat the initial purpose of trying to conserve wall space. Now that you know all these tips, you are truly ready to start designing your small bathroom .

Ideas For Small Bathroom Design

Every person that has a small bathroom is interested in ways of making their bathroom appear larger. Remodeling the bathroom is not always an option and in many cases, remodeling the bathroom would be very expensive. There are a number of ways that a person can use to make their small bathroom seem larger without having to undertake any heavy construction.

Pedal Sink, Mirror, and Lighting to Enhance Small Bathroom

1. Soft Color for Walls
One of the easiest ways that a person can alter their small bathroom design to make it appear larger is to choose light soft colors for the décor of the bathroom.

2. Accent with Color
Bright, bold colors can be used in small bathrooms, assuming you reserve them for accents only. Going overboard with bold or dark colorstend to make the bathroom appear tighter and more intimate.

3. Visual Accents
If your bathroom has wallpaper, avoid using large prints or busy pattern. Instead, choose very subtle wallpaper patterns. Better yet, keep one wall free from any pattern at all. Consider making the largest wall in the small bathroom into a mural of an open space.

4. Light Tones of Bathroom Flooring
Just like light colors on the walls, light colors on the flooring of the small bathroom will help make the bathroom appear roomier and more open. The most popular colors for a light bathroom floor are tans, light grays, and light blues. By incorporating these colors into the flooring of your small bathroom design, you will have the basis for a light colored decorating scheme that will make your bathroom appear more open.

5. Pedestal Sink
Another small bathroom design that can be used to make a bathroom appear larger is to replace a large vanity or countertop with a slimmer, pedestal sink. A pedestal sink can be found in many different styles, colors, and materials, allowing them to be matched to any décor. By placing a pedestal sink in the small bathroom, you can open up the bathroom space by another ten percent.

6. Classic Fixtures
When selecting fixtures for your bathroom, keep in mind they are going into a small space. Choose simple designs made from smooth surfaces, such as ceramic and marble, and opt for light, neutral tones.

Additional Lighting Opens a Small Space

7. Additional Lighting Fixtures
Additional lighting in a small bathroom can make a world of difference in the way the space in the bathroom is perceived. Consider adding additional light fixtures or using higher wattage bulbs, as appropriate. By making the bathroom brighter and more inviting, it seems that the space has opened up and the walls are farther apart.

8. Increase Natural Light
There are a variety of ways that additional lighting can be added to the small bathroom without taking up more space than is already used, including installing a new window, or even putting in a skylight.

9. Limit Items in Bathroom
Many people choose to open up the amount of space available in their small bathroom by greatly reducing the amount of items that they place into the bathroom. Items such as storage shelves, hampers, and decorative items all take up valuable space in a small bathroom and the bathroom will appear much larger if these items are removed and the things that they hold are stored somewhere else.

Keep Clutter at Bay

10. Consider Storage Outside the Bathroom
Some people choose to place a small storage cabinet in their hallway near the bathroom as a place to put all of the things that they would normally keep in their bathrooms. It's also a good idea to consider putting laundry hampers in the bedrooms instead of in the bathroom. Extra supplies and paper products can even be stored in the pantry.

11. Adding Mirrors
Adding additional mirrors to the bathroom will also help the bathroom appear bigger than it really is. Placing additional mirrors in the bathroom will help to capture all of the available light and reflect it back into the room to make it brighter. Adding extra mirrors to the room will also add depth to the room, as the mirrors reflect each other and make the walls appear farther away.

12. De-Clutter
Other ways you can use to make a small bathroom design appear larger include removing clutter and extra items. Instead of storing all of your beauty items on the counter, place them in a cabinet or in the medicine chest when not in use. The more items are visible in a small bathroom, the more cramped the space will look and feel.