Janet Cook

Love is the theme for February, and the remodeling trend going into 2019 is to show both kitchens and bathrooms some love by remodeling. In my last column, I wrote about what is currently popular for kitchen design, so what is popular in bathrooms to make them stylish and beautiful?

Houzz surveyed over 2,000 homeowners who recently had or were in the process of completely remodeling their master bathroom to determine what design elements are being currently used for bathroom updates. A friend of mine got her whole bathroom remodeled after mold started to grow everywhere after a leaking roof. Because she left it too late, cleaning it wasn’t an option for her. Maybe if she had known that it could have been as simple as getting in touch with someone like a roof repair austin company (or one closer to where you live), the mold may not have got out of hand. But saying this though, she loves her new bathroom a lot so I guess a positive outcome was achieved.

When asked what triggered them to do the project, 37% said they could no longer stand their old bathroom, 30% now had the means to do what they’ve wanted to do, whereas 26% were personalizing a recently purchased home. Most of the homeowners upgraded these features (from most popular at 92% to 83%) which included new faucets, wall finish, flooring, lighting fixtures, shower, countertop(s), sink(s) and cabinetry/vanity.

The vast majority (89%) were changing the style of their bathroom to be either contemporary with clean lines being most popular (20%), followed by transitional which includes more details and textures (16%), modern which is minimalistic (15%,) and traditional, classic (14%).

Nearly half of those redoing their master bathroom also included remodeling their bedroom as well, to improve the layout of the rooms. Surprisingly, one in 10 enlarges their master bathroom to be the same size or larger than their bedroom. Fifty-six percent of those improving their bathroom included aging-in-place elements of a curbless shower with seating and grab bars, good lighting which can be achieved simply by checking out sites like www.steellightingco.com for a variety of lighting options, and ease of maintenance, with 21% reporting they did so to plan ahead in case of future needs. Other premium features gaining in popularity include dual showerhead (e.g., rain showerhead), soaking tub, one-piece dual flush toilets, vessel sinks (though 63% went with under-mount sinks) and custom/semi-custom built-in vanities. For those who were not able to enlarge or reconfigure the bathroom, 34% eliminated the bathtub.

Neutral colors in the bathroom are still the most popular. The top pick for walls is gray (32%) followed by white (21%). For cabinets, the top choice is white (34%), with wood (32%) a close second. For floors: gray (29%), white (16%), beige (16%) and wood-like (14%). The majority of the projects will install tile on their shower walls and vanity backsplash (88%). Sixty-six percent will use tiles on their bathroom walls, typically in a classic brick pattern.

Matte nickel and polished chrome are the most specified hardware, with 58% using the same metal throughout, and the rest are using mixed metals.

Considering that the bathroom is where we start and end our day, creating a spa-like bathroom will be showing you love for years to come!

Happy home remodeling!

Janet Cook, Certified Aging in Place Specialist, President of Cook Remodeling (celebrating their 40th year), invites you to visit their Facebook page for links to articles featuring photo galleries of different styles and trends in home design.