3 Remodeling Disasters to Avoid while Creating your Luxury Spa Retreat
As a designer, I’ve seen too much.
You’ve been fantasizing of a spa retreat in your own home. You might be tempted to think, “It’s just a little bathroom, it will be fun, easy, and shouldn’t take very long.”
If that were the case, I’d need to find myself a new job. ;) The reality is, a luxury bathroom remodel takes more that some imagination and Pinterest inspiration photos. Remodeling your luxury spa retreat will take weeks of planning, more than a few subs (electrical, framing, plumbing, tile installation, carpentry), dozens of design decisions (tile colors and patterns, ideal lifestyle layout, hardware and fixture finishes, electrical switch and rough in valve placements, etc.), and major project coordination.
Avoiding disastrous designs is my specialty. Here are three things I look out for when managing the design of a bathroom renovation.
Suzanne Rugg Interior Design | Paradise Valley Luxury Spa Retreat
1. Predicting Future Use
Eventually, you may want to sell your home, or you may be keeping it lifelong. Along with investing in a spa-like atmosphere with luxurious finishes, your primary bathroom should be built with an ADA compliant design. Creating an accessible design will immediately increase the value of your home, and the value to those living there for longevity.
I have a favorite line of towel bars, that come in a gorgeous champagne bronze finish, that are actually grab bars in disguise. Strategic placement of these creates your luxury quality, that is also extremely functional for future use. I also like to incorporate enough space for multiple users, curb less entry showers, tile surrounds, lighting atmosphere, and smart technology not only for ADA compliant functional use, but these elements together create your true luxury spa bathroom retreat.
Suzanne Rugg Interior Design | Paradise Valley Luxury Spa Retreat
2. Tile and Shower Design
I often notice a lack of seating and niches, and poor placement of shower valves in a shower design. These details need to be planned into the design from the beginning, to the 1/4 inch, so that the function and aesthetics are both working together. Once designed, the plan is followed by the skilled carpenter who will frame, plumber who will install pipes and valves, and the tile installer who will carry the design to function properly, with no drainage or leak issues, into the beautiful end result for you to enjoy.
Another common theme I see in primary bathroom design, is the odd mix of various tile patterns and colors. It’s as if there were complete overwhelm at the tile shop, or an overzealous salesperson. :) To create the spa like feel you desire, I prefer the notion of less is more. A busy pattern is for the kids’ spaces….this is your space, no kid stuff allowed!
3. Toilet, Bidet and Door Placement
I often see builder bathrooms that didn’t have a design plan, include an added bidet and entry closet door that not only opens inward (toward the toilet) but also just barely clears the toilet.
Walking into your toilet closet, needing to squeeze along side the toilet or bidet, in order to even close the door behind you (can you say awkward?), is not only poor planning on the comfort level, but it also creates a dangerous situation for someone who may have gotten sick and fallen inside the toilet closet. Can you imagine trying to open the door for help? This is a hazard that’s not always easily remedied after the fact, depending on how the rest of the bathroom is laid out. It’s entirely possible the room needs to be completely reconfigured to even alleviate this design disaster.
Invest in the Design
During the design phase, whether remodeling or building a new home, we incorporate function in your spa retreat that will carry out the lifestyle you’re seeking. We dig deep in order to create the quality and longevity in style, mixing in enough of the luxurious elements, to satisfy your need for a retreat of your own.
Let us help you make the wise decisions that are going to add value as well as luxury to your remodel or new build primary bathroom. A design that prioritizes your best interest for longevity from the beginning, will create the luxury you desire in the end result.
Ready to remodel your stagnant primary bathroom into a luxury spa retreat? Contact me for an initial consultation.
Cheers!
