It’s easy to get caught up in the popularity of bathroom remodeling trends, especially when those trendy elements look so gorgeous in magazine photos. However, it’s important to remember that no one uses the bathrooms in those glossy photos in the same ways that you and your family use yours on a daily basis. Before those magazine photos are taken, the rooms are professionally lighted and perfectly accessorized. Those magazine bathrooms don’t need to be practical; they just need to look amazing for a few hours.
Your needs, however, are probably different. You want your remodeled bathroom to look beautiful, but you also need it to be practical for every member of your family who will be using it. There are plenty of remodeling trends that look fabulous in magazine photos but might not be right for you and your family members in real life. If practicality is important to your budget, here are five bathroom trends to avoid.
Floating Vanities
Wall-mounted vanities or “floating” vanities are elevated off the floor and attached directly to the wall. They typically have clean, modern design lines, which can look fantastic in contemporary, streamlined bathrooms.
Floating vanities can be a blessing and a curse, depending on the ages of your family members. If you have small children who tend to routinely splash water out of the tub and all over the bathroom floor, a wall-mounted vanity can stay high and dry. However, if your family members are getting on in years and tend to drop their belongings, those items can roll or get kicked under a wall-mounted vanity.
Plus, floating vanities don’t often provide as much storage space as traditional vanities. If you opt for a floating vanity, see if the manufacturer offers a matching, wall-mounted storage unit. Finally, if you are considering removing a traditional vanity and replacing it with a wall-mounted unit, remember the previous vanity’s footprint. That floor space will become exposed and will need to have flooring added, which could be an added expense to your remodeling budget.
Wall Mounted Faucets
Wall-mounted faucets pair especially well with counter-mounted sink bowls. Just remember that all those plumbing pipes are now behind a wall that’s probably been tiled over. Translation: Hidden plumbing means hidden leaks, and messy, expensive repairs when plumbing issues arise. When faucets are installed on a countertop, your pipes and fittings will be much more easily accessible from underneath your vanity cabinet.
Additionally, splashing can be an issue and this seems to be the most common complaint. If you have a very round bowl, the water may deflect off of the bowl and splash on your counter. Unfortunately, the splashing is mostly discovered post-installation, after the plumbing has been set and altering the faucet’s height could be costly. The splashing has a lot to do with the curvature of the sink and where the water stream hits.
Extreme Colors
There are many ways you can balance your bathroom colors with a neutral color and hints of your favorite bold color here and there without going all-in on the bright colors. Mustard yellow and bold orange may seem dashing and beautiful right now, but a few months or years, it most probably won’t.
If you’re pining for the mustard, instead of painting the whole space, why not incorporate muted pastels such as fixtures, vanity, or other accessories to liven up the space. If you want depth and balance, why not go for black? Black adds depth and boldness that doesn’t come with any other color, and it never gets old.
The trick here is not to overdo it and add it in low contrast. If, for instance, if you pair it with warm wood colors, you’ll get a laid back beautiful style. Even if you don’t like black, choose your preferred neutral color, then incorporate some bold colors of your choice to create the perfect palette.
Cement Tiles and White Grout
Tiles are an incredibly vital part of a bathroom, and the ones you choose will play a significant role in the overall look of your space. You want something sturdy, durable, and striking, but cement tiles may not be the answer. Cement tiles are some of the most trending tiles for bathroom use, and most people are simply yearning for them.
If you fall into that category, you may want to rethink your options. Although they are characterized as having unparalleled texture and depth, they are expensive, hard to maintain, and quite overused. These tiles will stain within the first day of use, and once they patina, you may feel like they were just a waste of money.
Instead, go for tiles that will ensure splashes, scuffs, and spills without giving you a hard time. Long-wearing, hardy, and long-lasting tiles include natural stone, glass, and porcelain. Beyond that, white grout stains too easily and looks awful as soon as it encounters dirt.