Clean, modern bathroom design is a term you hear frequently in the remodeling world. But what exactly does clean, modern bathroom design mean?
We generally associate modern with minimalist. A more traditional design would indicate more ornate features and décor. Modern is simpler, less cluttered. We tend to lean toward large-format glass tile, less grout and clean lines – generally, a well-organized space in which everything is tucked away out of sight.
While you might think that this means adding more storage, cabinets, and enough drawers to give you a place for everything, that could be true, but not necessarily. The general design principle is minimalist, but this doesn’t mean you are adding storage – it’s more about having better places to put things and not having a lot of extraneous details or impractical features to deal with.
Cost Considerations for Clean, Modern Bathroom Design
A clean, modern design does tend to be a bit more expensive, but largely because the fixtures that lend more to the modern style are more expensive. There’s also a lot of glass involved, so you have less drywall and more glass on the walls. For instance, it could just be one big open room divided with glass panels. Glass panels are typically are a little bit brighter and come in lighter colors to allow as much natural light as possible.
Larger-format tiles are typically more expensive also; plus, they are more difficult to install on the floor and on shower walls.
Modern technology also features into a clean, modern design. Lighted mirrors, shower jets, plus all the plumbing that goes along with it. Choosing toilets with washlet seats, for instance, will cost in the range of $4000.
Clean Lines and Untextured Surfaces
To highlight the modern aesthetic, we often use monochromatic quartz countertops without a great deal of natural texture. This is then accented by simple door styles and slab doors that are completely plain.
Solid colors, smooth lines, and cool hardware complete the look – or, if we want to go for the ultra-modern look, we could even hide the hardware altogether and use edge-pulls or finger-pulls instead.
Another option, although a bit pricier than a finger-pull, is to install a touch mechanism that allows you to open drawers and cabinets with a touch or a push. We have also done auto-open technology where you just pick the drawer and it will open automatically, which is very elegant and modern.
Overview of Our Process
When you work with McDermott Remodeling, we partner with you every step of the way.
You will meet with our interior designers, Megan Gerdes and Brittany Allen, and our estimator, Ron Mifflin. Together, we will look at the project as a whole, talk about your vision and the design you want, and then we’ll start breaking it down in terms of what it’s going to cost.
Layout changes, walls are coming down, plumbing being moved – we work through all these things first before we even get into design and finishing details. Once that is all decided, we move on to the design.
Let’s Go Shopping!
We find that most of the time, clients have a pretty good idea of what they want, so we start from there. We will look at cabinets, configurations, door styles, wood, and colors, eventually moving on to countertops and hardware. We will often visit several showrooms to look at molding, tile, plumbing fixtures, and so on. Essentially, we do all the shopping with the client.
In our showroom, we have a small section for cabinets and countertops. We have cultured marble and onyx that you might think about for the shower, but beyond our own facilities, we have several other showrooms we visit to look at tile, flooring, and plumbing fixtures.
We Make Remodeling Easy and Stress-Free
Once you have chosen the features you want, Brittany and Megan handle all the pricing and ordering. This way, you don’t really have to do anything beyond just telling us what you like and what you don’t like. After the shopping is done, we’ll do up a selection sheet so that you will be able to remember everything you chose.
The design is almost always done before the shopping for several reasons. First, it allows Brittany and Megan to begin to populate your 3-D plans with the actual products which helps everyone visualize the finished project. Secondly, Ron, the estimator, needs to take our trade partners to the home with accurate plans in order to get quotes. Once we have the layout, we can start to figure out the budget and then we can layer on the desired colors and designs and textures. Before you know it, your clean, modern bathroom will be ready to go!
If you are thinking about a clean, modern bathroom design for your St. Louis home, let’s talk! We would love to hear your ideas and show you how we can help.
