Bathroom Design & Style Features

The Master Bathroom - probably the second most important place in the house after the kitchen!

Design of this room is a science with many, many new products and features available.

Is there enough room for all the people that will be using it? Is there one person? Just you? Or two? Will there be children with you at various times?

What about your dogs? We have two dogs and our old bathroom was just not big enough for two people to move around and get ready for work while two large size Labradors lay spread out on the floor.

Our second house improved on the problem, but because the layout was long and narrow we ended up with the 90 pound dog stretched out across the entire width so that you still have to step over him. Oh, and rugs are not there for you to keep your feet warm - they are for the dog to lay on!

Do your rugs show hair easily? This makes cleaning more difficult if you have decorated with Navy Blue or Black and have anything with blonde hair. (Like a Yellow Lab) And what about towel fuzz? Navy blue towels create a terrible mess on light colored tile.

Light colored Tile & Laminate floors will show both hair, towel fuzz, lint, etc. If you have the opportunity to choose your colors keep in mind the color of rugs and towels that you will want to use. How much cleaning and maintenance do you have time for? Daily or once a week? Ask yourself how picky you are and how much time you will have.

A fully carpeted or partially carpeted bathroom can have many pro's and con's to consider -

If you live in a cold weather climate a carpeted floor has a lot of advantages to throw rugs on top of tile or wood flooring. You don't have to put on your slippers!

Of course, if your family tends to get a lot of water on the floor during bath or shower time, then carpeting is definitely out.

Many builders will carpet part or all of a bathroom depending on the building codes. Usually only the toilet area must be surrounded by laminate or tile. In one house we opted for the carpet from the Master Bedroom to run continuously into the Bathroom including in front of the Shower and Tub area. After several years it appeared that the carpet was showing too much wear and we took out a small strip of carpet and replaced it with complemetary tile as a stepping out spot with a throw rug for both the bathtub & shower.

Consider replacing your bathroom light fixtures. If you have the bulb strip - the ones with the large, clear bulbs that put out a lot of heat - check out the wide selection at a home improvement store that are less than $100. If your house is pretty recent you don't need to be an electrician to make the swap!

If you cannot replace the fixture - replace the bulbs with compact flourscents! They will save energy & not add so much heat to your already steamy bathroom.
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