Interior Design with Julia Luttrell
Transform your bathroom into a treasure
So Martha, they say you can judge the quality of a fine restaurant or hotel according to the attention they�ve paid to the decorating details in their public washroom.
Likewise, the main bathroom in your home should have all of the thoughtful comforts of an efficient environment and an understated elegance that speaks well of your taste.
With the approaching holiday season, many guests will be staying over, so here are a few tips that will give this all-important room a fresh new facelift for the holidays, without involving major renovation.
Although it is one of the smallest rooms in the house, the broad variety of pricey products and the skills of the various trades and craftspeople that went into in the installation of your bathroom, was expensive enough to begin with. Any changes you make now therefore, should be made with this in mind and are as cost effective as possible.
For instance, unless you absolutely hate the physical layout of the room, try to avoid replacing, or relocating the main fixtures such as the toilet, tub or shower.
Remember, even if you have fixtures that are in a colour you think is entirely unworkable, a good designer can make that pink or turquoise tub and toilet integrate into an exciting new environment with relative ease.
The major things that you can change, which will have the most impact, with the least disruption or cost, are the decorating details, such as flooring, lighting, paint, window treatments and the use of mirrors.
Because it is such a small room, paint is particularly effective. There are no restrictions as to colour in a bathroom, so be as dramatic as you like. Here�s where you can really go for the gusto! Navy will take care of that turquoise tub. Dark grey will make that pink sink pop out like a purposeful design detail.
Your flooring is the next element that will produce the most effective change. Again, because this is such a small room, you�ll want the floor to really make a statement and at the same time, provide function and ease of maintenance.
I�m all for ceramic tile. But go big, really big! Get the largest floor tile you can find, have it installed on the diagonal and make the grout the same colour as the tile.
Many people make the mistake of thinking that, the smaller the room, the smaller the tile should be, when in fact, the opposite is true.
Consider this: smaller tiles, more grout lines. More grout lines create a busier, grid-like pattern, which will tend to visually shrink the size of the floor and consequently squeeze down the size of the room.
Instead, imagine the effect of larger tiles with fewer grout lines. Having the grout match the tile exactly, gives you uniformity of colour and putting the tile on the diagonal visually stretches the floor and therefore the room, even further.
Installing this larger tile on the diagonal will cost you about 15 to 20 per cent more than many standard installations. You must have an excellent tile installer, who will first make sure you have a solid, level sub-floor, but again, it�s a small room so you�ll need less tile anyway and the results are well worth the added expense.
As for mirrors, I�m all for filling up the entire wall above the vanity, from the counter to about one foot from the ceiling, to enlarge and enliven the space. You can have the mirror pre-drilled to accept light fixtures that can then be mounted right on to the mirror, which �multiplies� the dazzling effect of the light. Leave the mirror unframed and simply top it of with a wide band of interesting molding.
To further create the illusion of enhanced space, place a single, large piece of art on the wall opposite the mirror, to be reflected in it. Underneath this art is a handy place for a towel bar and perhaps an upholstered bench.
If you are lucky enough to have space for a linen cabinet in your bathroom, great, however it�s often not entirely necessary.
A lack of clutter however, is very important to reinforcing the feeling of spaciousness in any small room; I like to sit a �document� box on the vanity, to contain all those incidentals that may normally be found in a medicine cabinet. I usually have mine custom made, however, a serviceable one may be found in various gift or d�cor shops and with a flip-top lid, they are easy to use and encourage tidiness.
As for a window treatment, here is where I believe in splurging a little. You�ll want some sunlight to be able to filter into the room, yet privacy and maintenance in a steamy bathroom are major factors to be considered as well.
As a solution that addresses all of these issues, why not put in a stained glass window! I�d do it all in varying types of clear glass, with plenty of bevels that catch the light, to make a magnificent, sparkling statement in the room.
You can have this art glass made as an entirely separate piece from the window and hang it just an inch in front of the existing window pane. That way, it can be taken with you, should you ever move.
So there you have it! Four fundamentals and one fabulous frivolity, which can transform your bathroom into a beautiful room you will forever treasure.
