5 Must-Haves for Your Luxury Bathroom Remodel

What is luxury? A condition of abundance or great ease and comfort. When designing a luxury home, one of the key factors to keep in mind is functionality, so everything is easily accessible and your comfort comes first! The great thing is, if you’re doing a complete remodel of your bathroom, with careful planning and a little forethought, you can create a luxury bathroom for yourself. Don’t worry, we’re here to help you get that upscale spa experience in your own home! 

If you follow along on our Instagram you may have already seen these, but here’s a round up of five must-haves that we love to include in our luxury bathroom remodels. Click the link for each to see it in action. And don’t forget to write these down on your list of bathroom must-haves, or better yet, pin them to your “Luxury Bathroom Remodel” pinterest board so you can save the photos and come back for the details later.

1. Toe-Kick Lighting on a Motion Sensor

Toe-kick lighting on a motion sensor is something we always recommend. Our clients absolutely love this feature when their project is done and it comes time to live in their new space. To have that little dim light kick on as you walk in for a late-night bathroom visit is such an awesome little luxury in your bathroom remodel. All you need to do is put it on your lighting and electrical plan, or tell your electrician, and you can add this to any vanity that has that recessed toe-kick space. No more fumbling for the light switch or tripping over your own feet in the dark! 

2. A Pull-Out with Electrical Outlets for Your Hot Tools

This luxury bathroom remodel must-have is one the ladies absolutely love and, no surprise, it became one of our most liked instagram reels as a result. When we layout a custom bathroom vanity design, we love to add a drawer with electrical outlets at the back and canisters built-in for your hair-dryer, flat iron, curling iron, or whatever hot tools you may have. That way your hot tools are ready to go without having to unwind it from a messy drawer and plug it in. With safety in mind, docking drawer outlets even offer a function to turn off the power when the temperature gets too hot. 

Pro tip: make sure to consider which hand you use to blow dry your hair so you can place it on the correct side and avoid getting tangled up in chords. 

3. Good Lighting at Eye-Level

Good lighting is one of the biggest factors in designing a luxury bathroom. While downlighting is great over kitchen counters or workspaces, it’s less-than-ideal lighting for  putting on makeup or getting ready for the day. Good lighting that illuminates your face is crucial for a luxury experience. You can accomplish this by adding sconces flanking a mirror at eye level or above the mirror. Adding statement pendants is another fun option, but make sure the light is diffused and bright enough, or add an additional light source like LED back-lighting around your mirror. For a clean minimalistic look, consider a lighted mirror. 

4. Additional Hidden Electrical outlets 

These days we have so many gadgets to plug in—from electric toothbrushes and razors to skincare products and more. And while all these gadgets may mean a luxurious self-care routine, having everything plugged in and on display on your countertop does not give the feel of a luxury bathroom. Tip number four on our list of must-haves for your luxury bathroom remodel is to take stock of what you need in terms of electrical outlets and find creative ways to hide them! 

Pro tip: Inside your medicine cabinet is the perfect place to hide an outlet for an electric toothbrush. You could also tuck an outlet behind an appliance garage cabinet or add another docking drawer.

5. Hidden Laundry Hampers

To truly achieve that luxury spa experience in your newly remodeled bathroom, make sure to include a cabinet that will hide your laundry hamper full of dirty clothes. That way you can step into your new luxury bathroom, throw in the day's attire (forget about laundry until laundry day) and climb into a soothing bath to relax in your new oasis.

For more tips on how to remodel your home like a pro, download our FREE, comprehensive home remodel planning guide for remodeling success! 

Interior Design: Best Tips to Update Your Bathroom

A quick Google search for the best bathroom interior design tips will return ideas and suggestions to make your bathroom appear bigger (‘opt for larger mirrors’ and ‘let in a lot of natural light’ being a couple of our favorites), to tips for designing a bathroom that is both stylish and functional (we find that the best spaces are both beautiful and practical, would you agree?), and, of course, everything in between.

We’ve put together our best interior design tips to decorate your bathroom, whether you want to spruce it up a bit, or change the look all together. 

SWAP OUT YOUR PLUMBING FIXTURES & CABINET HARDWARE

Changing up your cabinet knobs, faucets, towel racks, and toilet paper holders will make a world of difference for the aesthetics of your bathroom as it’s one of the quickest ways to change the overall look of your bathroom.

We suggest taking photos of the space and each fixture before taking everything off.  This way you can reference your photos to know if you need a single hole, widespread, or center-set faucet.  To switch out your shower head or on/off valve you’ll need to note the brand and type (or better yet, bring the old one with you) to make sure your new faucet fits the rough plumbing in the wall.  If you're replacing the tile and rough plumbing, you don’t need to worry about this and can select a whole new brand and type throughout.  We also highly suggest bringing old cabinet hardware (one of each) with you when shopping so you know what size pulls you need.  But feel free to select a completely different finish and style to really change things up!  You can choose a brand new set in brass, gold, copper, bronze, nickel, chrome, or stainless steel.

Pro tip

Use a good mix of metal finishes in the bathroom.  Just keep all plumbing fixtures the same while selecting a different finish for cabinet hardware or light fixtures.  Here we used glossy chrome plumbing fixtures and hardware, coupled with a matte black metal shower frame and matte black metal fixtures on the towel rack.

Upgrading your tub, shower and sink can also change the entire look of your bathroom, if you’re up for a little more work. You may need to replace countertops or tile, but this update can give you a really relaxing, peaceful place for you to unwind when you need it most.

Choose a freestanding tub

with wall-mounted fixtures to create a luxurious spa feeling while providing a modern and classy look like we did in this bathroom remodel.

TILES, TILES AND MORE TILES

Our next interior design tip to renovate your bathroom is to upgrade your tile.  Select coordinating tiles for the floor, your shower walls, shower pan, and an accent wall or detail.  Pro Tip: one way to add simple, yet effective detail that will tie your design together is to use your accent tile or shower-pan tile on the back of your shower niche. 

Cut costs

by using an Ikea vanity with a sink/countertop combo like we did here, we were able to splurge on this beautiful blue tile floor. Choosing a patterned tile floor is one way to add some fun pizzazz in a small space.

Make a bold statement

by tiling one of your bathroom walls. Here we chose a neutral-colored, matte tile to go with glossy fixtures to add interest and draw you into this spa-feeling dream space.

Create a unique pattern

using untraditional tiles or mix up the direction of a simple subway tile like we did in this shower. Instead of laying tile in straight rows, mixing up the orientation will give you a fresh take.

GO MINIMALIST

If you’re eager to change the look of your bathroom but not quite ready to commit to a full upgrade, go for a white, clean, minimalist style. Clean white lines and a few organic touches to your bathroom can change the entire look. First step: declutter your space. Decluttering is especially helpful if you have a small bathroom—minimal decor can make any space look larger, sleeker, and cleaner.

Next: Create a place for everything. 

Hide any toiletries and items that you want unseen in cabinets and decorative baskets, or on shelves. In this modern bathroom we designed, custom cabinets create a storage space for everything you need.  You can also shop for baskets at places like Target and HomeGoods to corral your products and keep things feeling tidy. 

ADD A POP OF COLOR

The ways in which you can add a pop of color to your bathroom are endless. You can easily, and cost effectively, add some color to your bathroom by changing out your towels and bath mat (try draping a modern, colorful bath mat over a white standalone tub), or incorporating a few succulents or houseplants.

If you love a white or neutral bathroom

try adding a little color with sheer drapes like this design by Kate Walker. We appreciate what a difference the drapes make while still feeling subtle and cohesive with the warmth of the wood tone.

To change the look of your bathroom décor,

consider a bold ceiling paint, creating an accent wall, or changing the color of your current vanity.  In fact, a simple coat in a fresh shade can make the bathroom feel new. We selected this cabinetry in a soft blue-grey to accentuate the cool relaxing vibe.

Play with color

by painting your bathroom door like this Oakland bath by Katie Martinez. With plenty of white to go around, the door adds welcome contrast.

Another way to add a pop of color

to your bathroom is to opt for a stained glass window. While this is not usually our go-to interior design style, we love the way it ties this bathroom all together.

DETAILS, PATTERS & TEXTURES

Sometimes a fresh bathroom design can come from paying close attention to the small details. For example, incorporating a variety of textures into your bathroom can be all you need to see a drastic change. 

We used fluted white cabinetry

and a distinctly-shaped mirror to create that ‘wow factor’ in this clean space.

Add texture to an all-white bathroom

by covering the walls in classic shiplap. 

Here we tied together various details

when we designed a powder room with a simple black and white color palate. We used intricate detail, patterns and different textures like the arched backsplash with unique curves, wallpaper for an accent wall, and gold wall-mounted fixtures and lighting. 

Interested in giving your bathroom a full makeover, minor facelift, or just a little extra pizzazz? We’d love to help. Set up a free consultation with Viève Interiors today. 

Save this blog post for later on your Pinterest Bathroom Ideas Board!