Kitchen & Bathroom Design Blog

Here is a new blog post from a guest author contributing to
Lang’s Kitchen & Bath’s website.  We hope you find this topic helpful!

Redesigning a room can be a wonderful opportunity to upgrade your living space and potentially increase the property value of your home. Many homebuyers look for updated kitchens, open layouts and modern bathrooms. If your bathroom could use some TLC, the following guide will give you some insider information about the must-have items currently trending in bathroom remodels.

Let’s get started!

Pro Tip: Start an Idea File

If you haven’t been shopping for bathroom fixtures in a while, you might be surprised or overwhelmed by all the options available. Before you visit the design center, do a little fun homework. Purchase some home décor magazines and flip through the pages or go online to search for inspiration. Keep all the images that resonate with you, no matter what they illustrate. Perhaps you’ll find a photo that incorporates paint colors that you’d like for your new bathroom. Great! Jot “colors” in the margin and stash the image in your idea file.

Once you’ve collected images for each feature in the bathroom, review them and look for commonalities. Which pieces coordinate and which stand apart? Does your taste lean toward farmhouse chic? Modern industrial? What will be the anchor in the bathroom — the wall color, the vanity or maybe the flooring? Make decisions based on these ideas and get ready to shop!

Flooring

One popular trend in bathroom renovations is heated floors. To get heated floors, a professional installs water-heated tubing or electric coils under your flooring to create radiant heat. These heating elements can be installed under several types of flooring, including ceramic tile, stone slabs, wood laminate, luxury vinyl and more. Most radiant floors can be turned on with a flip of a switch. They tend to be more eco-friendly because you heat only the room you’re occupying, instead of heating the entire house.

Another popular trend making its way into bathroom renovations? Luxury vinyl planks. Surprising, perhaps, but vinyl planks are not the same as the sheet vinyl that was popular in the 70s and 80s. Many vinyl planks install like laminate flooring, with the added benefit of being completely waterproof. They also come in tons of designs, from stone to marble to wood finishes. If you’re looking for an affordable option that can still give you a modern look, consider this flooring option.

Tub Surround

Recently, people are replacing the 3”x 3” ceramic wall tile that once lined every shower and tub with gorgeous, large-slab surrounds. Aside from getting an updated look, replacing the smaller tiles means you no longer need to deal with scrubbing miles of hard-to-clean grout that can turn black with mold or pink with mildew. Tub surrounds are available in several materials, such as granite, marble and composites. They can even match your vanity counter.

Vanity

Floating vanities that mount to the wall rather than rest on the floor are very popular right now. They give a sleek, modern appearance to a bathroom and allow for unique storage opportunities. However, because floating vanities are wall-mounted, the entire bathroom floor is usually visible. Since there’s no hiding unfinished flooring under a wall-mounted vanity, be certain to budget for that additional flooring expense.

Sinks

A pedestal sink can be a great statement piece, especially in small powder rooms. However, pedestal sinks lack storage. Therefore, if you install a pedestal sink, you also will likely need a separate cabinet to hold extra rolls of toilet paper and other bathroom necessities, especially for times when friends and family visit your home.

Today’s must-have sinks are vessels. Unlike undermount sinks — which are recessed into vanity tops — vessel sinks are glamorous glass and ceramic bowls that rest atop vanity counters. They look amazing, but they might not be practical for everyone. For instance, by design, vessel sinks sit higher on the vanity than recessed sinks. Families with small children who cannot reach into a vessel sink might need to keep a stepstool handy for the little ones. Still, vessel sinks are gorgeous statement pieces. If they’re right for you and your household, be sure to include them in your must-have idea file.

Finishing Touches

Round out your bathroom remodel with your favorite must-have fixtures. Coordinate the finishes of your lighting, faucets, mirror and other hardware, such as towel bars and drawer pulls. One trendy option is matte black and because of its recent popularity, there are plenty of options available in this finish.

Whatever design you choose for your bathroom, have fun and make it your own!

AUTHOR BIO: Erica Garland is Content Marketing Manager at Modern Bathroom and has 15-plus years of experience in the bathroom renovation industry. Modern Bathroom sells a variety of products you would need for any bathroom renovation project. With such a large selection of vanities, faucets, sinks, toilets and showers, Modern Bathroom is sure to have the perfect piece to give your bathroom an updated look.