Help me design my new bathroom

[HRJ]

We're adding a room and a bathroom to our house. I've never dealt with any kind of new construction or remodeling before -- always just had to redecorate around what was already there.

I am almost paralyzed with indecision, because there are so many choices! Our contractor has told us we need to start making decisions about the vanity/cabinets/faucets, ceramic tile and paint color. And I just don't know where to start -- I don't want to be too trendy, so that in a decade or so, the room will be screaming "2007!" but I don't want to be so neutral as to be bland and boring. We can't afford anything really high-end, but I'm sure there must be a lot of nice choices for mid-range stuff?

The bathroom will be fairly small -- this is definitely not a "spa retreat" room. (That's another that has me going nuts -- all the pictures I'm seeing in magazines and websites are of these gigantic bathrooms. What I'm talking about is more powder-room size, although it will have a shower stall).

I also don't want it to be too dramatically different from the rest of the house. The house is circa 1950, a typical New England Colonial. (I'm also going to have to start making decisions about the rest of the addition, too - but right now, I have to focus on the bathroom).

So, decorating experts -- any ideas? Good magazines/websites to look at? (I'm really annoyed at these "kitchen and bath" magazines -- I bought a bunch of them, and they're all about kitchens, with maybe one article about high-end bathrooms. Useless.) I'm planning to stop by Home Depot tomorrow and look around. There's also a Lowe's nearby.

Helene

[testkitchen45]

Home Depot and Lowe's have premade cabinetry in nice medium or dark woods, even with the "spa" look available in a suitably small size, or non-"spa" styles that are pretty & not too trendy. I'd start at a home store like that. You could get a lovely cabinet with storage underneath and a pretty built-around storage area that includes some wall cabinetry; the whole thing would be a standard-order item (not custom cabinets) that shouldn't break the bank. Fixtures (toilet, sink, etc.) from a home store will also save you lots of special-order $$$. For later, Target has nice towels for low $$; you can do a lot with colors but keep your permanent items neutral. Kohl's has good towels also. You could pick warm, earthy, wooden tones for your permanent items (this is even coming from someone who adores bright colors); these basic tones are a good backdrop for, say, two colors of towels with accents (tassels, shower curtains) etc. either just in one of those two colors, or little doses of a third.

To avoid trendiness, I'd go with chrome (not polished brass) faucets in a pretty shape; chrome holds up longer than brass & is always in style in a bathroom. I prefer separate hot/cold controls for the sink, and a single lever for the shower, but that's just me. Stay with pleasant neutrals (not boring monochrome, but a neutral palette) for your countertop (light-colored) and cabinets (medium to dark), and you (and your eventual resale buyer) can add color & trendiness with the linens & accessories.

Be sure the bathroom gets enough light, from excellent fixtures and possibly a window. Dim bathrooms are a pain! :) Hope you have fun with the process, even though it's a lot of work!

[charley]

It can be overwhelming. Our project has been ongoing for over a year now and I'm way past being sick of making decisions. Can you believe there are people who actually enjoy this process? ;)

I got a lot of inspiration from the Bathroom forum at GardenWeb (http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/bath/?17281). We added about 550 sq. ft. to our 1950 cottage and that included a 3/4 bath. I would've liked tile in the shower, but the maintenance issue was a turnoff, so I went with white cultured marble and chose a frameless glass door with a reed pattern. I didn't want clear. I used bead board 50" up the wall. That's being painted white and the walls are BM Yarmouth Blue. The floor is porcelain tile in a pinwheel pattern. We'll have a pedastal sink and inset wood-framed medicine cabinet with sconces on either side. Since there's no linen closet (it's actually nearby in the hall) I bought a free standing small cabinet to hold essentials. I chose chrome for all faucets and fixtures, because like Testkitchen, I think the look is timeless. The only pics I have to share are of the floor, and the 2 Restoration Hardware pieces I bought.




http://peekaboo.smugmug.com/photos/154783616-M.jpg

medicine cabinet and floor cabinet (http://peekaboo.smugmug.com/gallery/1958014#99486419)

Take a deep breath and try to have fun.

[CindyWeightWatcher]

Hi Helene,
Have you considered having preliminary plans drawn up by an architect?
The cost is fairly minimal and helps out the contractor immensely.
PM me if you want some suggestions.
Cindy

[Gumbeaux]

I prefer furniture style, freestanding vanity and cabinets rather than built-ins. I think they are more aesthetic than boxy looking built-ins.


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/bayoutitan/Second%20Album/Vanity2.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/bayoutitan/Second%20Album/vanity.jpg

[HRJ]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Charley, I love your tile! We had something sort of similar in our previous house, which was circa 1925.

I'm feeling a lot calmer now about my choices. The contractor suggested checking out Merillat and Schrock for the vanity and tops, and gave us the name of some local places that have good selections for tile and the other stuff. So what I really need to do now is carve out the time to make these trips.

Cindy, thanks for the offer -- we actually had an architect do plans for both the bathroom and the room addition -- we basically know *where* the various pieces are going, and what size they need to be -- it's just a question of what color, style, model, etc. we're talking about. I guess I used the wrong word in my thread title -- I need help decorating the bathroom, mainly.

When this is all done, I'll post pix!

Thanks again!

Helene