ARROW GLASS & MIRROR TEN ESSENTIALS FOR REMODELING ANY BATHROOM WHERE TO START WHAT TO CONSIDER DESIGN TIPS PICTURES, PICTURES. PICTURES
Table of Contents SECTION 01: THE BLUPRINT SECTION 02: SHOWER ENCLOSURES SECTION 03: AMBIANCE SECTION 04: FLOORING & FINISHES SECTION 05: STORAGE SECTION 06: LOCATION SECTION 07: FIXTURES, SURFACES & TOILETS SECTION 08: PERSONALITY & DISTINCTIVENESS SECTION 09: VANITY MIRRORS SECTION 10: LIGHTING
DEAR READER, Many designers agree that the bathroom, as one of the most used and functional rooms in your house deserves special attention. It s a place where you, your family and guests inevitably spend time each and every day. At Arrow Glass & Mirror we recognize that even a smaller room like a bathroom plays a considerable role in both the functionality and presentation of a home. We created this guide for you, the homeowner in hopes that it will help unleash your creativity and make the process that much easer for you. Should you ever get stuck, or just have a simple question, I want to personally invite you to call me or anyone of my team to walk you through it. Sincerely, Dan Robb President, Arrow Glass & Mirror, Inc.
SECTION O1 THE BLUEPRINT No, not an actual blueprint at this stage, more of your vision, preferences, boundaries, and expectations. Create a checklist and share it with your family. You might be surprised that they have great ideas of their own. Successful design takes two principal factors into consideration: Aspiration and Opportunity. While decisions like color palettes and surface materials may seem obvious, any seasoned designer knows that there s always more than what meets the eye. Factors like durability, maintenance, and economy of space are crucial to longevity. Getting a good handle on your bathroom s electrical and plumbing layout is a great place to start. Small details like the location of wall outlets can play a major role in the overall design of a vanity, shelving unit, and sink.
Maintenance & Location Once you ve gotten a handle on what lies beneath the surface, think about the surface itself. And not just the material or color palette. For instance, consider the size of the tiles you choose. Smaller tiles make for a greater amount of grout, which makes for a more laborious cleaning and maintenance schedule. Framed, un-framed, and partially-framed shower units make for a different amount of surfaces to be cleaned. Glass shelves are often removable and easier to maintain, and can handle a greater amount of moisture than laminated units or surfaces. Another simple, yet often overlooked consideration is location. Is the bathroom you re remodeling private, like that of a bedroom, or is it located in a high or general use area of the house? Is there a hall closet near the bathroom you re remodeling? Simple questions like these give you a blueprint for easy-to-overlook fundamentals like: How much and what kind of storage do I want? What kind of shower or tub makes the most sense for me and/or my guests and children?
SECTION O2 SHOWER ENCLOSURES The shower is your showcase, your jewel. The best way to allow your centerpiece to shine is through simplicity. Start big, and work your way down. First, make sure your choice is functional. Are you working with a limited amount of wall space? If so, adding towel hardware to the glass of your shower enclosure makes for a practical alternative to wallmounted towel racks. After that consider size and multiple surfaces. If you need a tub, consider that next and then move on to exteriors and enclosures.
Framed or Frameless? In terms of a shower s exterior, the golden rule is elegance through simplicity. Frameless shower doors, with their simple and delicate appearance, durable structure, and economical price, are an elegant and sensible choice. They are also lowmaintenance. Larger amounts of glass make for a sleek presence, add an airy floating effect, and perhaps more importantly, are easier to clean. Privacy Please Next, think about light and privacy. Opaque glass is better suited to windows, natural light, and in-unit waterproof light fixtures, while translucent glass can be angled and fashioned to give a chic, modern touch to just about any environment. The limitless amount of modern designs, from frameless units, to framed and semi-frameless choices provide options for just about any taste. So take your time, weigh your options, and find what s right for you.
Plumbing, Showerheads & Steam But don t forget to consider plumbing, water pressure, and showerheads. The best designs are the most simple and functional. Eco-friendly showerheads make for more economical and green habits, though comfort and function effect everyday usage and should be a major consideration in every aspect of remodeling your bathroom. And remember, any alterations to the framework of your plumbing should be done first. Steam enclosures are another option to consider. More and more homeowners are deciding to reinvent the steam room experience by transforming their conventional shower stalls into hot, steamy sanctuaries. The upgrade may be easier than you think. Consider your options regarding plumbing, layout, and potential.
SECTION O3 AMBIANCE Color palette and theme is often the best place to leave your personal signature. Some things to take into consideration are: What kind of home is the bathroom in? Is it a vacation home near the beach, a lodge or cabin, or are you in the process of giving your residential home a chic, modern conversion? Finding a singular voice and purpose will drive and simplify the consideration of important details such as floor transition, shelving surfaces, and vanity mirrors. For instance, glass shelves are not just easier to clean, but also more conducive to an airy, lustrous overall mood. Large, single-unit mirrors, depending on their cut and position, can range from timeless, to distinctively modern, to conservative or niche. But again, maintenance and durability should remain at the forefront. Easy-to-clean surfaces, such as glass and marble, hold up to moisture more so than laminates, and are therefore more conducive to longevity. Whether you choose soft lights with dimming capabilities, or brilliant, exposed and energy-saving units capable of altering a room s overall character, a focused objective can enable you to choose or modify your choice in the necessary capacity. Encasing light fixtures in glass units is another option.
SECTION O4 FLORING & FINISHES Factors such as the size of the tile you choose ultimately influence the amount of grout you ll be cleaning, but are by no means the only factors. The way a floor transitions from one room to another plays a meaningful role in your bathroom s first impression, which for guests, is the most lasting impression. Color palette is another basic consideration that in order to be executed successfully, needs to be approached from the ground up. For instance, what sort of surfaces, sinks, mirror and wall fixtures do you have in mind? And what about rugs and towel preferences? Think of what will mesh, maintain, and provide harmony with your distinctive vision. Hardwoods are the most durable, and in many ways are the most elegant choices for cabinet doors and floors, while large, frameless mirrors are sleek, airy, and always the easiest to clean. And remember, much like glass, hardwoods are preferable to laminates, as they provide both a timeless design and most durable.
SECTION O5 STORAGE From how many towel racks you ll need, to whether you ll have room for decorative shelves or external cabinets. Start with the basics: How many people will be using this bathroom on a regular basis? Is there a hall with a closet nearby? Does your ideal vanity include a lower-level cabinet, or will most of your storage entail glass wall shelves? And do you have the wall space and desire to give preference to either open storage, decorative ambiance, or both? Start outside the bathroom, in the hallway or nearest room, and work your way through the layout of the bathroom, weighing all possibilities equally. A seemingly unrelated decision such as the size or angle of a mirror can easily effect whether or not the necessary mounting hardware for those wall shelves you have in mind will ultimately work.
SECTION O6 LOCATION Where in your home is the bathroom located? How much, if any, natural light is present? Do the windows face east, west, north, or south? Think long and hard about these questions, because the answers can effect just about every other aspect of your design. As with every component of design, some of the easiest things to overlook often end up being the most important. For instance, where this bathroom is located invariably decides who will be using it. If it s going to be used by children or guests, durability becomes a key element. The same goes for privacy and atmosphere. Little things, like the power capacity of a fan influencing sound reduction, or a lack of natural light swaying your choice of light fixture, wall color, or shower encasing, are often sensed rather than directly observed. Making a few quick notes on the location of the bathroom you re remodeling allows you to reference these otherwise forgettable issues throughout the decision-making process, so you can avoid unexpected misfortunes and save valuable time.
SECTION O7 FIXTURES, SURFACES & TOILETS Outside of the shower and floors, the amount of surfaces and what types of surfaces you choose should be influenced by the amount of space you have to work with. For sinks and countertops, marble, porcelain, stone, and tile are in many cases stylish, but when set next to certain kinds and colors of floors, walls, and fixtures, can easily offset a room s mood or ambiance. Remember to keep your overall theme or motif at the front of your mind, and then move on to function, durability, and maintenance. Something like an exposed brass thermostatic shower system, if it s a tub you re working with, can throw the mood of the entire bathroom you re remodeling back a century. Be careful with fixtures, you want to start small. For instance, consider whether your sink s faucet and fixtures are visible from the shower, or vice versa. This can influence a need for uniformity, which can ultimately affect your options in terms of function and eco-friendly planning.
A toilet s performance and cleaning capability should be equal to its appearance. Double flush eco-friendly ceramic toilets are a tasteful and practical baseline to work from. They combine economy and utility to provide the bathroom you re remodeling with a solid and efficient base. Limited amount of wall space? Something simple like adding towel racks to the outside of your shower enclosure can free up space. This is an easy, practical, and surprisingly inexpensive solution that constitutes a great starting point for tackling common issues such as limited wall space. After taking the amount of space consideration, (including both cabinet and wall space) decide how many of your wall shelves if any, will be used for decoration or ambiance. Mounting options for shelving units are subjective to wall types. Tile, drywall, or other factors should be considered. Next, consider if the mounting units will be visible, such as in the case of glass shelves used for small decorations, and whether the color or material of these mounting units is conducive to your overall palette or motif. As with everything related to design, elegance is best achieved through simplicity and function, which includes maintenance. Glass is a good first option to consider here.
SECTION O8 PERSONALITY & DISTINCTIVENESS What is your inspiration and what can you modify or add to it to make it your own? What are your original reasons for remodeling your bathroom? Focusing on a single theme or purpose and sticking to it can be both the most effective and most difficult aspect of design. Color and/or surface material is directly influenced by light, and light can depend on a number of factors. Whether that light is natural (windows), often present (east or west facing), or artificial (soft, bright, dimmable) is a good place to begin. Knowing the organic or baseline dynamics of the bathroom you re remodeling allows you to make informed and effective decisions when considering color palettes, themes, fixtures, and decorations.
SECTION O9 VANITY MIRRORS Large, rectangular, oval or beveled? What are your lighting options in the direct vicinity of this mirror? Know your bathroom s capabilities, know what you want in terms of theme, function, and durability, and you can t go wrong. Take cabinet and shelf space into consideration, and from there work toward the color and material of your sink s fixtures, the cut and lighting options of the mirror you have in mind, and how that meshes with your overall theme. Whether this mirror is large, oval, or cut at a certain angle can influence the options you have for the rest of the room rather drastically. For instance, large, frameless mirrors are an easy and affordable solution to adding a modern, airy floating effect to the rest of your room s design. Size and location with regard to fan, electrical source, and shower location is also important. As with most aspects of design, function and maintenance is crucial, as it effects everyday usage. For this reason, large, frameless units of glass are one of the easiest and most elegant options. For this reason, large sheet mirrors are the favorite of many and can be modified with beveled edging or beveled mirror strip overlays as an elegant option.
SECTION 10 LIGHTING Finding a workable balance between function, mood, and harmony takes thought and effort, but it doesn t have to be difficult. Start with the lights themselves. Dimmers are a safe choice, as they serve multiple functions, have the capability to shift a room s mood instantaneously, and are in most cases easy to accommodate. Overhead lights are efficient, but must be utilized according to the position of mirrors, showers, and other amenities. Wall or external shower enclosure fixtures, especially in the region of mirrors and toilets, are advantageous and often stylish, but only when their material and casing are taken into consideration according to theme and color palette. The presence or lack of natural light should influence color and material choice, as well as the position and size of the vanity and other mirrors. Lighting should be considered from the beginning. Think of what you have to work with, how you can add to or manipulate what you have, and proceed from there.
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