Bathroom Ideas - Consider These 6 Bathroom Design Ideas

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.

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