How to Plan Your Dream Bathroom
24 October 2016
Creating the perfect bathroom is an exciting project
Whether planning a luxury ensuite, updating the family bathroom, or looking to give your investment property a makeover, there’s no denying it takes planning, research and time – but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be an enjoyable experience.
Of course, there are a multitude of decisions to deliberate over — from the amount of space at your disposal to preferences for design and features and, of course, the plumbing and electrical requirements. With so much to consider, it’s a good idea to use a professional. They can help save you time and money by guiding you through the design and renovation process. At Lavare, we’ve been specialists in bathroom products and design for nearly ten years, and pride ourselves on delivering dream bathrooms that have the perfect combination of style and function to suit the client and their home.
Our team of in-house experts and skilled designers, based in our Claremont showroom, will simplify the renovation process for you by helping you with product selections and design ideas that are customised and innovative.
But regardless of whether you employ a renovation company or do it yourself, here are some tips to help begin the process and make it smoother.
Do some research
If you’re reading this article, you’ve already started the first step. You may already have a good idea about what you want to achieve, but before you make a call or visit a showroom, do some research so you have a basic understanding of types of products and styles. This will help as you start thinking about what you want, what you don’t want, what you love and what you need.
Making a dream bathroom come to life takes patience, imagination, creative flair, and a little technical knowledge, which is why most homeowners engage a renovation company like Lavare. We handle all of that for you and our highly experienced team can advise on what’s best suited to your space, style, home and budget.
Along with interior design and architecture magazines and websites, take a look at some of our brands, projects and products to help you with ideas and inspiration.
Create a mood board
If you want to be hands-on in the design process, the easiest way to pinpoint your taste is to visualise colours, themes and styles that appeal to you, and collate these in one place. A mood board is a great way to review and envision your design preferences and hone in on the aesthetic you’re aspiring towards.
Use our website images for inspiration on everything from basins to heated towel rails, luxury tapware to toilets, colours to materials.
Once you have your mood board, you need to focus on some of the practical requirements to make sure they can be catered to.
Sketch the layout
This is where the finer details come into play. It’s vital that you know how much space you have to work with and you’ve confirmed this by taking measurements of your bathroom. While you can get these from your house plan, it’s always a good idea to do a measure-up yourself. Whether you are project-managing or engaging a professional, it is absolutely critical that you have a realistic idea of how all the components will fit together in the space. You also need to factor in door openings, window heights and storage options.
Generally, it is more economical to keep fixtures in the same location (i.e. the basin, toilet, shower and bath all stay where they are) as this saves on plumbing work. However, if you do want to move plumbing, you may need two sketches – one for the existing layout and one for your new layout.
Now it’s time to establish how the design and practical features will complement each other, and confirm your renovation is headed in the right direction to suit your preferred style and tastes.
Consult the experts
This is no doubt the most important step of all. Tapping into the knowledge of the experts is vital if you want a stylish and practical bathroom that’s an investment for many years to come.
You can visit bathroom and tile showrooms, find out about different finishes and colours for cabinetry and benchtops, and call renovation businesses. Or, you can do all of these at the Lavare showroom.
We can show you options not only for fixtures, but also tiles, CaesarStone colours, Polytec finishes, handles and light switches. Our model bathroom displays also give a complete picture of the finished renovation product.
Then, you need to decide whether you will project manage yourself or engage a business to do that for you. If you don’t have tradespeople readily available, it can be more cost-effective and quicker to go with a professional renovation business.
