Make Your Bathroom Part of Your Remodeling Design

by Lance Filbert
lance.filbert@interiordesignprogramreview.com
Interior Design Columnist

If you want a career in interior design, there's no better place to start than in your own home. What better place to start practicing than by remodeling your small bathroom? Too many people have great home interior design ideas, but forget to include bathroom remodeling as part of the design.

Remodeling a small bathroom

If you can't figure out where to get started, try starting in a notebook. Gather home interior design ideas that appeal to you. Cut pictures out of magazines and write down all the design ideas that come to you.

A good place for great bathroom pictures and ideas is the advertisements and catalogues put out by companies that manufacture or sell bathroom fixtures. You can make separate lists of things you need and things you like. Ideally, the two lists will merge and you'll end up liking all the things you need instead of needing all the things you like. In any case, prioritize the lists so they are not overwhelming.

Design the ideal bathroom

One of the first things to decide is whether you want to work with the space you have or change it. Here are some of your choices:

• Work with the floor plan you have, but change the décor
• Rearrange the floor plan. That means bringing the plumber into the picture and changing the configuration of the pipes.
• Expand the space. You can add to the exterior of your home, or simply steal space from an adjoining closet.

Get help

One last bit of advice from your friend Lance: If your bathroom remodeling design is radical, check in with a professional. The cost of a consultation or two will be much less than the cost of dealing with disastrous mistakes.

About the Author

Lance Filbert is known for his witty and innovative design ideas. He has an extensive arts background and has an arts degree from the City University of New York. He lives in San Francisco with his partner, Bertram, and their cairn terriers, Toto and Toklas.