I’ve been in teaching mode lately, and it occurred to me that it might be time to do more of that on my design blog!
The blog exists as an outlet ( i.e. brain dump) for me. I don’t do as many as I used to because I’m busy, but also because I really don’t want to add anything to the noise unless it’s helpful.
I’m currently in the thick of a remodel, and my clients want wall-mounted faucets with vessel sinks in their owner’s suite bathroom.
I wrote this blog post about the process.
Here are the five basic steps I go through when designing a bathroom with these features.
- Find your inspiration. Hone in on a style you love. Create a file on Pinterest or go old-school and rip out pages of magazines. Wall-mount faucets and vessel sinks can range from ultra-traditional to contemporary. Make sure you know what direction you are headed.
- Pick your faucet and sink. The rough plumbing will be going in first in a new build or remodel. Finding where it goes takes a lot of planning and working out technical details! You’re going to be adjusting the height of your vanity to account for the height of your sink and then you’ll know where your faucets go. You’ll also be thinking about if the length of the spout hits the right part of the sink and how your sink drains. Many vessel sinks have flat bottoms. That annoys some people because the water sits at the bottom, which makes it look dirty and harder to clean. Measure the room and then start digging into the specifications of your sink. How tall is it? I usually try to find one around 4-5 inches tall. I think if it’s more shallow than that, you’ll have splashing issues and it might look funny with the faucet (caveat…not in ALL situations…so take that advice with a grain of salt).
- Plan your vanity height. Once I have a faucet/sink combo I like (remember…it fits my style and the proportions are good for the room and each other) I plan the vanity height. The standard height for a vanity is 36″. I need to plan out the best scenario that hits in that range. I don’t want my sinks to be too high. Say that my sinks are 4″ tall. That means I’d probably make the vanity 32″ tall unless that feels to short. If 32″ feels to short, I’d shoot for middle ground somewhere…maybe 34″ and that would put the top of the sinks at 38″. That might be more comfortable for you.
- Pick out your mirror and lighting. This one is often left to the end of the building phase when people are trying to build themselves. It’s a mistake. Lighting is a whole other blog post for bathrooms, but I always try to use wall sconces by the mirrors because they light your face better. Stay away from fixtures that cast shadows (dark metal) or that have low watts with weird light bulbs. You want warm light and enough of it. Make sure you have a mirror and light that you want, and order them first thing. COVID has caused severe shortages in every department of building supplies. Know you can get what you want before you put in rough plumbing and electrical.
- Meet with your contractor and plumber on site. The next item is critical. Make sure you meet with the plumber and contractor on site to make sure you haven’t overlooked anything. Take your spec sheets and watch them mark the spots for the plumbing. Three sets of eyes is better than one. Lean on each other to work out your dream space.
I hope that helps someone!
Have any more questions about design or remodeling? Ask away, and it might get featured on the blog!
Leave a Reply