- Was Carter president when your tile was new?
- Do you have teeny tiny impossible-to-get-clean tile?
- Is your flooring color less than neutral? (How about that sherbet, folks?)
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you’re probably overdue for a bathroom redo. My first suggestion? Use a professional to get the job done right. The value will be more than just aesthetics. I’m talking about increased resale value for your home.
Let’s get started, shall we? I truly believe your first step should be to consider the floor. It sets the tone for the entire space. But what’s the best tile for your bathroom? Don’t let the options overwhelm you. Here are the top flooring considerations from one of my favorite interior designers, Melinda Hedrick:
Color. Keep it neutral with a porcelain tile or stone. Natural stone is like a little black dress that never goes out of style.
Size. The larger the tile, the larger the area will appear and the less grout you will have to clean.
Simplicity. Lots of fuss—using too many listellos or decos—will only date your bathroom faster.
Now that we’ve got your flooring figured out, we can move on to design elements. Here some fundamentals that make your bathroom up to date in a hurry:
Mirrors. Retro fit your existing plate glass mirrors with a designer frame. It looks super cool and it’s inexpensive.
Fixtures. Bright brass and gold are long gone. Today’s selection is “brush nickel or “pewter.”
Vanities. Furniture-looking vanities are the fashionable choice right now. They warm up the space and still add storage underneath.
So what do you think? Are you ready to give that outdated bathroom a makeover? I’ll leave you with my most important advice: Use a professional to help you achieve the best results—the results that add value to your home.
*This post was written for the 2010 Bathroom Blogfest. A list of all the bloggers participating follows. It’s a well-rounded group of folks who promise to provide you with some great info. Enjoy!
| Blogger | Blog Name | Blog URL |
|---|---|---|
| Susan Abbott | Customer Experience Crossroads | http://www.customercrossroads.com/customercrossroads/ |
| Paul Anater | Kitchen and Residential Design | http://www.KitchenAndResidentialDesign.com |
| Shannon Bilby | Big Bob’s Outlet | http://blog.bigbobsoutlet.com/ |
| Shannon Bilby | Carpets N More Blog | http://blog.carpetsnmore.com/ |
| Shannon Bilby | Dolphin Carpet Blog | http://blog.dolphincarpet.com/ |
| Shannon Bilby | From The Floors Up | http://fromthefloorsup.com/ |
| Shannon Bilby | My Big Bob’s Blog | http://blog.mybigbobs.com/ |
| Toby Bloomberg | Diva Marketing | http://bloombergmarketing.blogs.com/bloomberg_marketing/ |
| Laurence Borel | Blog Till You Drop | http://www.laurenceborel.com/ |
| Bill Buyok | Avente Tile Talk Blog | http://tiletalk.blogspot.com/ |
| Jeanne Byington | The Importance of Earnest Service | http://blog.jmbyington.com/ |
| Becky Carroll | Customers Rock! | http://customersrock.net/ |
| Marianna Chapman | Results Revolution | http://www.resultsrevolution.com |
| Katie Clark | Practial Katie | http://practicalkatie.blogspot.com/ |
| Nora DePalma | American Standard’s Professor Toilet | http://www.professortoilet.com/ |
| Nora DePalma | O’Reilly DePalma: The Blog | http://www.oreilly-depalma.com/blog/ |
| Leigh Durst | LivePath Experience Architect Weblog | http://livepath.blogspot.com/ |
| Valerie Fritz | The AwarepointBlog | http://www.awarepointblog.com/ |
| Iris Garrott | Checking In and Checking Out | http://circulating.wordpress.com/ |
| Tish Grier | The Constant Observer | http://spap-oop.blogspot.com |
| Renee LeCroy | Your Fifth Wall | http://yourfifthwall.com/ |
| Joseph Michelli | Dr. Joseph Michelli’s Blog | www.josephmichelli.com/blog |
| Veronika Miller | Modenus Blog | http://www.modenus.com/blog |
| Arpi Nalbandian | TILE Magazine Editor Blog | http://www.tilemagonline.com/Articles/Blog_Nalbandian |
| Maria Palma | People 2 People Service | http://www.people2peopleservice.com/ |
| Reshma Bachwani Paritosh | The Qualitative Research Blog | http://www.onqualitativeresearch.blogspot.com/ |
| David Polinchock | Polinchock’s Ponderings | http://blog.polinchock.com/ |
| Victoria Redshaw & Shelley Pond | Scarlet Opus Trends Blog | http://trendsblog.co.uk/ |
| David Reich | My 2 Cents | http://reichcomm.typepad.com/my_weblog/ |
| Sandy Renshaw | Around Des Moines | http://www.arounddesmoines.com/ |
| Sandy Renshaw | Purple Wren | http://www.purplewren.com/ |
| Bethany Richmond | Carpet and Rug Institute Blog | http://www.carpet-and-rug-institute-blog.com/ |
| Bruce Sanders | RIMtailing Blog | http://rimtailing.blogspot.com/ |
| Steve Tokar | Please Be Seated | http://stevetokar.wordpress.com/ |
| Carolyn Townes | Becoming a Woman of Purpose | http://spiritwomen.blogspot.com/ |
| Stephanie Weaver | Experienceology | http://experienceology.blogspot.com/ |
| Christine B. Whittemore | Flooring The Consumer | http://flooringtheconsumer.blogspot.com/ |
| Christine B. Whittemore | Simple Marketing Blog | http://www.simplemarketingblog.com/ |
| Christine & Ted Whittemore | Smoke Rise & Kinnelon Blog | http://smokerise-nj.blogspot.com/ |
| Christine B. Whittemore | The Carpetology Blog | http://carpetology.blogspot.com/ |
| Linda Wright | LindaLoo Build Business With Better Bathrooms | http://lindaloo.com/ |
Renee, you ask some pretty intense questions! Love your advice [especially the one about simplicity] and the recommendation to start with the floor!
Thanks for being part of Bathroom Blogfest 2010!
Best,
CB
Sound advise from a Pro! Glad to be in the group of Bathroom Blogfest 2010!
Thank you for any other magnificent article. Where else may just anybody get that type of information in such an ideal manner of writing? I have a presentation next week, and I’m at the search for such information.