Tag Archives: guest bathroom

Special Guest Bathroom Design

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guest-bath-vanity-webThe guest bathroom generally gets the least amount of attention in a home. It’s the smallest room in your house, and your focus when you’re planning your new home is on your kitchen first, and then on your master bathroom and other areas where your family will be spending a lot of time. It makes sense to place the guest bath at the end of your list of priorities.

But if you think about it, chances are almost every visitor to your home will see your guest bathroom at some point. So it has a direct affect on how they view your home. And this is actually the most cost-effective room to create design drama, because the space is so small. A minimum investment can provide the maximum design impact. Let’s take a look at some of the guest bathroom designs in recent Fulton Home models to get some ideas of approaches you might want to take to give your guest bath some extra style.

First Impressions:basha-legacy-powder-room-3-web

Think about what your guest bathroom will look like from the hallway. Even if your visitors don’t actually use the bathroom, they will probably walk past and glance in. That first impression will have an effect on the entire hallway.

In this photo to the right, the eye is automatically drawn to the copper artwork on the far wall. Other features such as the tile and the mini-chandelier come into focus later. Altogether this is a luxurious and well-integrated guest bathroom.

This first bathroom involves a serious investment in options to create a feeling of luxury. This was appropriate as it was part of the Legacy series of homes, which was a luxury line. But you don’t need to invest as much in options as was spent in this model to create drama.

view-from-hall-web

Take a look at the guest bathroom to the left. The vanity is nice-looking but fairly straightforward with a sink embedded in the countertop. The tub and surround are a solid surface which is less expensive than tile. But the tile chosen for the flooring and the coordinated tile inset added to the solid surface in the tub surround makes this bathroom pop.

In this case creativity and thoughtful style take the place of expensive options to make this bathroom stand out. Add an interesting coordinating shower curtain and some towels to emphasize the contrast and you have a guest bathroom that shows your personality without a big investment.

Lighting:basha-legacy-powder-room-2

Because of its small size, smaller light fixtures can have a big punch in a guest bathroom. And if you want to take a chance with a different look, a guest bath is a great space for experimenting. The simple wall sconce on the right adds a touch of charm in a guest bathroom. After all, this is not a space where you need bright lights, and a gentle glow is flattering when people look in the mirror.

guest-bath4-web

 

 

The photo on the left shows another fun way to use lighting in a guest bathroom. By adding a light under the vanity, the room doesn’t have a blinding glare when a guest hits the switch, and the look is unusual and interesting. In this case the sink is also translucent – notice the photo at the top of this blog – so the light also makes the sink glow. This choice gives you the opportunity to add some drama to your guest bathroom while not taking up any additional space.

Tile Trim:basha-legacy-powder-room-1

Whether you choose a simple row of tile to outline your vanity or expand your tile choices to cover an entire wall, tile has a special place in many bathrooms. In the photo to the right you can get a closer look at the Legacy bathroom we visited above. In this case a full wall of tile is complemented with a rich row of glass tile trimmed with a darker border just above the vanity, serving as a backsplash. It provides the feeling of wainscoting and pulls every element in this room together. The border also adds some welcome contrast.vanity-cropped-web

You don’t need to use this much tile to have a design impact in a guest bathroom. Take a look at the vanity on the left. The countertop uses a simple tile pattern to create a charming rustic feel. Then a six-inch backsplash of narrow rectangular tile picks up the tones of the vanity’s wood finish to create an integrated design element that makes this guest bath memorable. The oil-rubbed bronze hardware with its rustic flavor makes so much sense with this look.

Finishing Touches:bath-2-web

Don’t stop with the design elements. Once you move in, take the time to find the right art and accessories to complete the look in your guest bathroom. In the photo above, the design of the bathroom is enhanced by the choice of shower curtain, towels, art and accessories.

Notice that although the design itself is neutral, it left the homeowner open to introduce color into the room. By bringing in orange-red and the grey-blue, the neutral elements actually connect with the color palette. While you don’t need to be afraid to pull color into your design choices, if you would rather keep your permanent options neutral, think about what colors you will want to bring in with more temporary elements later. You may want to bring some of those colors with you to your design appointment.

Above all with a guest bathroom, have fun! It’s the smallest room in your home so it’s OK to take a few chances. And those extras aren’t going to break the bank with the minimum square footage involved. So as you wander through the Fulton Design Center, if you spot a special sink, faucet, tile design or light fixture you can’t resist, why not consider the guest bath for its home?

 

Wainscoting Warms up Guest Bathroom

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wainscoting-in-guest-bath-webGuest bathrooms are often the smallest rooms in a home, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t pack a powerful decorating punch. You can take advantage of more expensive flooring and tile choices because the smaller square footage keeps the cost down.

This guest bath takes full advantage of the small space to create an inviting look. Wainscoting makes a room feel cozier and just a bit old-fashioned. That mood is extended by the use of oil-rubbed bronze for the faucet and fixtures.

wainscoting-in-guest-bath2-webThe interesting choice of metallic tile for the border, shown in detail in the photo to the right,
carries the bronze finish further while adding an additional element of style and texture to the room.

Kohler’s old-style toilet and pedestal sink fit well with this bathroom with their retro styling and traditional lines.

Here’s what makes this bathroom really interesting. Although much of the mood captures an earlier time, other elements are more current. The art, for example, has a contemporary vibe, with clean-lined frames. Installing the wood flooring on a diagonal, which makes the room feel larger, is also a more modern approach.

Altogether, this transitional bathroom with its eclectic approach provides an appealing space that speaks well for the style and taste of the owner. You can see this bathroom in person when you visit this and other Fulton Home models at Peninsula at Queen Creek.

Inviting Guest Bathrooms

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DSC_0111Your guest bathroom may be the smallest room in your home, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t pack a design punch. Here are some approaches to create excitement in your guest bath.

Add splash to one wall. In this bathroom, small square tiles in a mosaic pattern help the space to pop. This look would be hard to pull off in a larger room without looking busy, but a guest bath has the perfect proportions to allow you to take a chance. In addition to tile, consider a strong paint color or a large wall mural to add interest.

Bring in a stunning sink. Long ignored from a design perspective, sinks today can add style to your baths. This vessel option is deep enough to avoid splashing while making it stand out with its sleek shape and above-counter design. Choosing white for the porcelain fixtures is smart given the strong colors of the other design elements.

278Frame the mirror. Framing a bathroom mirror adds warmth. The frame allows you to carry the wood tone of the vanity up toward the ceiling and makes the space feel more like a dressing room rather than a standard utilitarian bathroom.

Use contrast. In the bath shown here to the right, the dark wood tone fits with the dark flooring and the lighter grout ties in with the white sink. Dark and light merge to create a drama that neither would be able to carry off on their own. White towels and accessories help finish the look.

Have fun with your guest bathrooms; they can contribute a lot of style in a small space. Both of these bathrooms are from the Fulton model in the Fulton Homes Legacy community.

A Fresh Start on Organizing your Home: Keeping the Guest Bath Company Ready

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From the Fulton Homes La Quinta Model

From the Fulton Homes La Quinta Model

Every homeowner with children has a dream of a guest bath that is always ready for company. Instead this bathroom, often the most convenient for children playing outside or in the main living area, ends up a disaster.

Sinks don’t stay pristine when dirty hands get a quick wash before dinner, and it’s almost impossible to find any child under the age of 21 who replaces the toilet paper when they run out.Towels also get grimy and often end up on the floor and mirrors may have multiple handprints. And if you have boys, at best there’s a 20 percent chance that the toilet seat is down at any given moment.

What can you do to discourage a messy guest bath and keep it nice and organized, ready for actual guests? Here are a few quick tips.

Close the door: The simple act of hiding the room will encourage family members to head to another location. They may assume it’s occupied. You can also use this as a code for your family – if the guest bath door is shut, that means that you want it to stay nice for expected company.

Invest in home disposable towels. In packages designed to rest on top of a towel rack, these will keep scruffy hands away from the nicer guest towels or the dressier rectangular disposable towels that sit on your sink.

If your bath is designed with a pedestal sink which provides no storage, add a small storage bin or chest to hold extra toilet paper and a box of kitchen counter wipes. In a pinch, you can do a fast sweep of the sink with one of those wipes.

Have a lined wastebasket in your guest bath. This encourages the family to place trash in the right spot, and a liner is easy to remove when guests are coming over.

You’ll never really solve the problem as long as your kids live t home, but you’ve made your life easier. You can’t expect your guest bath to stay the way you want it constantly, but with these simple steps you may be able to create a space that is ready for company – at least most of the time.

Tile Wainscoting Creates Charming Guest Bath

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Guest bathrooms are often the throw-away rooms in a home. Smaller and more utilitarian, many people see this space as a place to save money. But because of its small size, a half-bath invites a few more luxurious choices. The additional cost is minimized by the limited square footage.

Take a look at this half-bath in the La Quinta model of Fulton Homes’ Oasis at Freeman Farms community. The flooring runs from the living space, connecting the bath with the rest of the home. But the color and finish choices make this space unique.

Smaller rooms can be compared to jewel boxes, because luxurious touches create an inviting and refreshing feeling. Choosing Kohler’s “Memoir” pedestal sink with matching toilet makes good use of the small space while adding an old-fashioned element to the style. The wainscoting is also an old-fashioned touch, but by using modified subway tile instead of wood it provides a nod to the bathroom function while adding a bit of a modern mood.

The space is beautifully finished with sophisticated green and gold wallpaper that integrates wainscoting and walls into a style-unified whole. The addition of one of Fulton’s framed bathroom mirrors and complementary accessories and art, and the final result is an interesting and appealing moment of style in your home.

Your guest bath sets a tone and sends a message to visitors about your design standards and aesthetic. Take the time and a little of your budget and make it something special rather than a throw-away space.

Splash Up your Guest Bath

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With a smaller bathroom that serves as your guest bath, it’s fun to add elements of interest to make it stand out.

This bath to the left, from the Malibu model in the Shoreline community, takes advantage of wallpaper with a strong color and design. While this paper would overwhelm a large room, it makes this small bath pop with color and personality.

A pedestal sink such as this one by Kohler makes the space feel larger because you can see the walls and floor underneath it. A traditional vanity absorbs more visual space. Unlike many pedestal options, this sink provides plenty of room to hold soap.

Choosing a ring to hold the towel also adds interest and has a look more appropriate to the smaller space than a bar towel-holder. The ring keeps the towel away from the switches and mirror but convenient for drying hands.

Finishing touches such as the framed mirror and coordinated light fixture pull everything together. Kohler also includes a toilet with a design that matches this sink, helping to further integrate the space.

The guest bath on the right, from the Tehama model in the Victoria community, shows another more traditional way to add interest. Tile wainscoting adds charm and the wallpaper helps create a coordinated look. The same mirror, faucet and light fixture look completely different in this bath, demonstrating how these versatile options can work well with your personal taste. The pedestal sink is a different style, but still easily provides space for soap.

When working with a guest bathroom, don’t dismiss the design possibilities. These small spaces can give you a chance to experiment with color and other features to create a small jewel box of charm that show off your personality and style.