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  • 3 min read

    Your bathroom is perhaps the most intimate and most public room in your home.

    It’s a space that guests may use and also a personal and private area.

    Creating a functional bathroom requires little effort but with care and perhaps some extra cost this room could become very special. Making you feel good, impressing your guests and increasing the value of your home.

    We think that nothing makes a home like a great bathroom.

    So what will make a living space like your bathroom a place that makes you feel good?

    Some knowledge of the principles of interior design will help you create a space that flows and that makes each visitor feel relaxed and welcome.

    Apply these principles as you select your basins, cabinets and accessories, choose colours and plan your bathroom’s layout. 

    1. BALANCE:

    When a room is well balanced then it just feels right.

    Design Balance can be Symmetrical (one side mirrors the other), Asymmetrical (high visual value objects or areas balance each other) or Radial (similar objects around a common centre point).

    We favour using Asymmetrical Balance because it’s more visually interesting, more dynamic and can be used to highlight a certain part of your bathroom design for example an expensive designer basin you may have purchased or a window view.

     

    An example incorporating both symmetrical and assymetrical elements. Note how the design elements can be permanent accessories (soap pump, shower holder) but also towels and bathrobes.

     

    2. RHYTHM or REPETITION:

    Repetition in your bathroom is important because it can be used to create order and help lead your eyes through the room.

    Your eye being drawn to consistency rather than confused by mismatched shapes and colours.

    Useful when deciding on

    • colours - white china basins, chromed accessories, stainless steel
    • surface textures  - tiles, wood, ceramics
    • shapes - tile shapes, grouting lines, windows, mirrors, shower fittings, accessories.

    So consider repeating design elements (colour, texture, scale, patterns, lights, lines) in a regular and organised fashion.

    Repetition can also be Rhythmic such as a progression of sizes or colour shades or a repeated pattern of design elements eg xyz xyz xyz.

    In this example of Repetition note how the tile and grouting lines work with the cabinet design and lead the eye to the window in the background. The round magnifying mirror works with the vessel basin and adds variety.

     

    3. SCALE and PROPORTION:

    Proportion is “the balance between design elements such as shape, color and texture”

    Scale is “the size of one object (eg the human body) in relation to the other objects (eg bathroom fixtures)” and along with Proportion has a major impact on a bathroom’s spacial functionality.

    The way we layout our bathroom should be based on human scale and the bathroom fixtures we will interact with.

    We know bathrooms contain basins, mirrors, a bath, a shower, a toilet, accessories (towel rails, toilet roll holders, toilet brush holders) plus storage cabinets and vanities.

    This is quite a lot to fit into what could be a small room. So how to do this without being cramped?

    Start by learning the standardised heights and depths of washbasins, baths and toilets. These objects have been scaled to fit our bodies.

    Consider the gaps needed between fixtures - space in front of the toilet pan, space to get into a bath or shower, space in front of the washbasin, space for the door to open.

    Take into account who will use the bathroom (adults, children, seniors).

    A floor plan with scale cutouts of the major fixtures can be very useful.

    In this example there is a rhythmic progression of colour shades and the dominant colour and accent colour follow the 80/20 rule

    .

    4. UNITY and HARMONY:

    When a space feels right and each part of it’s design belongs to the other then we have Harmony.

    Harmony is not the same as boring. So don't be afraid to add your own design elements to create interest and variety.

    Variety - In this example placing bathroom hooks next to the window has allowed the designer to add a a bright towel that adds variety and draws the eye to the window.

     

    Remembering the principles of  Balance, Rhythm, Scale, Harmony and Proportion is a great start to your thinking on a new bathroom or improving an existing one.

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