This is part II of the article titled ‘Stylish & Practical Bathroom Ideas for India’s Upper Middle-Class Home Buyers- Part I’.
Click here for Part I.
In this article, we shall continue building on our preferences, ideas, options and inspiration on how to design our bathroom as an Upper-Middle-Class home buyer who wants a great bathroom!
Sole dependency on an interior designer doesn’t work! We need to be in control of what we want, and be aware/conscious of the possible choices that many facets of design, aesthetics and functionality offer!
By building upon and exploring different options/ideas we end up refining our tastes, preferences and choices on just about anything. With that in mind, our goal is to make our bathroom truly an extension of our persona and lifestyle.
What you need to do is to wonder and think a bit harder about the kind of design or material or a certain ‘look & feel’ is the one for you. You can give wings to your imagination and preferences by knowing and choosing the one that makes you feel good!
The point is, that you can never go wrong by thinking differently and ‘outside the box’. You don’t need to follow or fall for something that’s the latest trend. You don’t need to follow the latest trends. This open-mindedness makes your choices and the outcome of your bathroom design custom-made for your happiness and comfort.
Plus, you don’t need validation from anyone except yourself about how a certain design element looks or feels to you.
Bathroom Ideas to Get Inspired: An Exhaustive & Suggestive List… Continued
7. Tiles for Bathroom Wall
Covering a small bathroom with tiles is a terrific idea to give it that uber-chic look.
It gives the much-needed durability to the wall and makes it timeless. With the right colour, hues, shades and texture of a tile, you can create a visually appealing feel to your bathroom. It can range from being dark and attractive to having equally appealing and very bright shades.
While there are no rules, the combination of tiles must look coherent to you, and not put your senses to discomfort.
Ceramic tiles come in many configurations. Ceramic tiles can also range from small to big ones. For instance, a 2-foot x 2-foot floor tile on the ground floor looks good and gives a very upscale feel to a washroom.
Of course, the floor tiles must be skid-proof, and must not be slippery. That’s dangerous for kids as much as elders regardless of their age.
The bathroom wall tiles can be slightly bigger 4-foot x 2-foot.
Even smaller tiles fitted will give a very good look. There are no hard and fast rules, except that the colours and execution of fitting the tiles matter!
Even a small section of pattered tiles on the wall gives a chic look to the bathroom walls.
8. Clear Floor with Slick Wash Basins
This is where you have lots of options. Some prefer the pedestal look, and many like to leave a clean look and space on the floor with wall-mounted wash basins.
Semi-pedestal ones strike a good balance and do well in hiding the plumbing pipes that run under the wash basin.
You could choose either one depending on which looks better. For more clear space on the floor and good aesthetics, a clearer floor could be a more functionally good option.
You could also go for the cabinet-based wash basins which give a clear floor. Surface wall-hung mounted cabinets are good, and look chic too.
Being suspended above the floor, and with no contact with the floor makes the bathroom look more spacious. Cleaning also gets easier and unobstructed with these.
If you want to use the area under the wash basins for storage, you could use shelves or tabletop wash basins. These also give you adequate space to keep your toiletries on the tabletop.
However, when you have more storage below the wash basin level, it can look a bit cramped. This can also result in a lack of free movement around an already less space. A pedestal wash basin, a wall-mounted wash basin, and even a tabletop floating (wall-mounted/fitted) give a more spacious and functionally easier look and feel.
Floating storage makes it easier for you to pick your toiletries etc with much greater ease. Floating storage can be created above the water closet, around the mirrors of even under the wash basin.
10. Paint for Better Lighting and Sense of Spaciousness
Can you go for just a painted look on the wall? Absolutely. It’s like a breath of fresh air when you don’t go for conventional ceramic tiles or wallpapers. You could accentuate the feel of your bathroom with roller blinds, coupled with painted walls.
Painted walls are excellent reflective surfaces and give a much better ventilated feel to your small bathroom. The pain can be glossy or even dull finish.
You could paint just a section of the wall in combination with ceramic tiles.
The colours can be bright to give a shiny and uplifting mood too. This is achieved better with paint.
11. A Patterned Floor, Wall Tiles, Mirrored Cabinets and Built-In Cabinets
Patterned floor tiles or even walls can give a nice funky and retro look to your bathroom. Depending on the pattern, it could even look very modern.
A windowless bathroom with patterned tiles also looks good and makes it roomy and shiny.
Mirrored cabinets and glass shower enclosures make the light brighter. Built=in cabinets too are fabulous when it comes to space saving.
12. Shower Niche for the Toiletries
Shower niches are great for small bathrooms. They help make it look well-organised and do not add to the pain of taking away too much space. Plus, a shower niche is so handy right under the shower. It’s very convenient and a delight.
13. Use of Ledges for More Space
A Ledge or shelf does a great job of keeping things in the open. They save space without cluttering.
Shower ledges also give an excellent alternative to niche. A ledge gives you more storage space. It does not have any height constraint/restriction. It’s most functional when you have the full width of the wall available to you. It is good on design, and visual depth besides being easy to clean.
A narrow ledge on the front mirror is perfect for keeping a variety of toiletries, a decorative plant, toothbrushes and more.
You could also have a bathroom mirror with a ledge.
14. A Moving Towel Stand
A towel bar next to a wall
15. Expect More from Washbasins
Washbasins come in a range of varieties and the one you pick must fit well with your bathroom. It can be a big one if space is not a constraint, or even a corner one tucked away in the tiny corner of your bathroom giving you space.
Big vanities can be claustrophobic in bathrooms. So, if space is a constraint, take a wash basin that looks chic, functional and beautiful.
However, if space is not an issue, go big in style!
Smaller tubs are also an option like the Japanese Soaking tub that are easy on space.
Hence, the more you explore, your creativity and sense of ‘what to expect’ keeps getting better!
To be continued…in Part III of the article.
