What could be more relaxing than taking a long bath after a rough day? But creating the perfect bathroom can be challenging.

Designing a bathroom could mean starting from scratch, which includes laying out the space and determining locations for plumbing fixtures, or it could mean renovating existing facilities.

Whatever the case, it’s important to plan for comfortable traffic flow and color coordination.

Here are some tips to help you design a modern, stylish and comfortable bathroom.

1. Plan it on Paper

You may have heard the expression, “If you can see it, and believe it, you can achieve it.” When it comes to planning your bathroom, ‘seeing it’ means putting a plan on paper before you put it into action.

This ensures you’ve covered all the bases — and there are no surprises!

First, come the basics: All bathrooms must have plumbing, vent stacks, a toilet, a tub or shower, a sink and faucets (which could be the space’s crown jewels!)
Next, determine the room’s wet walls. Think of wet walls as walls that feature water-producing fixtures.

For one wall layout, the toilet, sink and shower line up along a single wall. In another option, the toilet, sink and shower line up along two walls. As a third option, you could place the toilet, sink and shower along three walls.

2. Select a Sink

This faucet from Danze by Gerber’s Vaughn Collection is sleek and stylish.

Bathrooms generally have two types of sinks: undermount, which is placed beneath the countertop, and self-rimming, which you drop into an undersized hole in the countertop.
Undermount sinks offer a sleek, seamless design; they have no lip that could catch dirt and they offer increased countertop space. But that countertop also will be exposed to water. And undermount sinks tend to be more expensive than drop-in sinks.

Drop-in sinks are easier to install and more affordable than undermount sinks, but they also take up more countertop space.

Both undermount and self-rimming sinks have their pros and cons, so weigh those factors and choose the option that works best for your home.

Also, consider the sink’s design. For instance, vessel sinks are a throwback to primitive wash basins and offer visual interest and dimension not seen in builder-grade sinks.

And finally, pick a faucet.

Stylish options include chrome, stainless steel, brushed nickel and oil-rubbed bronze.

Editorial Contributors
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Danny Lipford

Founder

Danny Lipford is a home improvement expert and television personality who started his remodeling business, Lipford Construction, at the age of 21 in Mobile, Alabama. He gained national recognition as the host of the nationally syndicated television show, Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford, which started as a small cable show in Mobile. Danny's expertise in home improvement has also led him to be a contributor to popular magazines and websites and the go-to source for advice on everything related to the home. He has made over 200 national television appearances and served as the home improvement expert for CBS's The Early Show and The Weather Channel for over a decade. Danny is also the founder of 3 Echoes Content Studio, TodaysHomeowner.com, and Checking In With Chelsea, a décor and lifestyle blog.

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