Functionality a critical factor
Your bathroom design should reflect your daily routine
Q WE’RE considering a bathroom renovation but we’re stuck on how best to plan it. Is there a logic to bathroom design?
A Sometimes planning a bathroom can be more about fitting in all the essentials rather than how to make it work best for you.
But award- winning bathroom designer Darren Genner ( pictured), from Minosa Design, said function should always be the first consideration.
“A lot of people overcomplicate spatial planning in a bathroom,” Darren said.
“A bathroom generally has four corners so people think it needs to be the toilet on one wall and shower on the other, but we try to think more about functions rather than the room available.”
Giving thought to the way your day unfolded and what activities you did regularly in the bathroom was key to working out an ideal layout, Darren said.
“Bathrooms are where you can wash away a bad day or start fresh with a new day,” he said. “You don’t want the toilet placed at the back of the bathroom because you have to walk through the whole space to get there.
“Generally, it’s bathing at one end, the basin at the other and the toilet in the middle.”
Double showers are proving popular these days and Darren said that made a lot of sense during the busy morning rush.
However, he said, a double basin wasn’t always necessary.
“If the clash is because of two people coming into the bathroom at the same time, the basin is not the problem, it ’s the mirror,” Darren said.
“Electricals ( for hair drying) and water sources are not a great combination.
“You’re better off with a benchtop with a big mirror and a single basin.”
But if there’s one bathroom essential no one wants to see, it ’s the toilet.
Darren said it was worth thinking a little creatively about where to place the most important seat in the house.
“No one wants to see the toilet in an open- plan bedroom suite,” he said.
“If the space is big enough you can put a wall in the middle of the room with the basin on one side and the shower or toilet behind it so that you can have two people in there at once without impinging on their privacy.”
Beyond the basics, most of us are looking for a sense of comfort and even luxury in our bathrooms. This has led to the rising popularity of freestanding baths. But Darren said they were not for everyone.
“Australians have a real affection for freestanding baths but if you can’t clean around it, it ’s not the best idea because the dust that collects turns to mould fairly quickly,” he said.
Large format tiles are popular, with clients looking to minimise grout lines, although mo- saic tiles still feature heavily, especially as a focal point on walls.
On the other hand, he said, underfloor heating had practically become a standard inclusion for many people looking for a little warmth underfoot.
“It’s almost pre- printed into the contract,” he said.
“People also want silent extractor fans – we want everything calm and serene.”
‘‘ BATHROOMS ARE WHERE YOU CAN WASH AWAY A BAD DAY OR START FRESH WITH A NEW DAY.
DARREN GENNER