Our Top Tips for Designing a Bathroom
We are sharing our top bathroom design tips to help you plan your dream bathroom space - be it the master, main, guest bathrooms or powder room. Bathrooms require careful planning because of the nature of plumbing which can be difficult (and expensive) to change. A bathroom is also an expensive room to renovate or build due to the multitude of requirements - plumbing, fixtures, hardware, cabinetry, regulations, waterproofing etc.
Strategic design and careful planning in the early stages will make the process so much smoother and result in a bathroom that functions well and you love!
Layout
Never have a toilet in the first line of sight. If possible, the bath or vanity should be the focal point and the first visual when you enter the space.
Allow ample space around the bath and shower for drying, changing etc. If space is limited, allow more space for the shower & bath than the toilet which can have a relatively small footprint.
You will want to have towel rails or hooks within easy reach of the shower.
Storage
Ensure there is ample storage in the main bathroom especially. Over time you will have different storage requirements i.e. bath toys, toiletries etc so it’s better to accomodate for the possibilities rather than leaving yourself short.
Head height storage at the vanity is great, the best option is a built-in shaving cabinet.
Always use drawers over cupboards for the vanity. It is neat and practical - you can see and access all your products easily. Cupboards can be a hazard, especially with young children.
You want to ensure there is a niche or shelf of some kind in the shower for soap & toiletry products you want to have easy access to.
Add extra towel storage in the main and/or guest bathrooms to make it easy to get any extras.
Lighting
We would never use downlights over the vanity. Downlights cast shadows so aren’t ideal over a vanity. Choose mood lighting, LED strip or wall lights.
If natural light is limited, we strongly suggest adding a skylight. The difference between having beautiful natural light in the space and not, will make a huge difference to the overall outcome of the bathroom.
Materials
A bathroom is a heavy duty space - meaning it’s often a high traffic space exposed to elements like water, soaps and cleaning products. Plus you are wanting to avoid mould, scum and mildew. We recommend choosing low-maintenance materials such as ceramic, porcelain and reconstituted stone. Alternatively, if you are wanting to use natural stone, ensure it’s sealed correctly by a reputable and trusted tradesman with previous experience using it in a wet space.
Always be clear on the cleaning advice for different materials (tiles, hardware, stone) used and get them in writing if possible to avoid any mistakes down the track.
It also goes without saying - make sure to select non-slip flooring for a bathroom.
Design
If there are multiple bathrooms throughout the home, we recommend carrying through elements into each bathroom to create cohesion through the home. For example , this could be tiles, overall theme, cabinetry. A great way to make the bathrooms different but still cohesive is to choose the same tiles, yet in a different colour tone. Different spaces give you an opportunity to bring new elements into each room and make it it’s own, but you want to make sure that overall, the home is synergistic.
Where to Spend & Where to Save
SPEND: We recommend spending money on good quality tapware that will stand the test of time, as they are a high use item and frustrating when they don't function correctly. Our most recommended supplier is Astra Walker.
SPEND: Allocate money to the bathroom feature - this could be a bath, basin or skylight. These are things that will take the bathroom from average to stunning so it's worth the spend.
SAVE: Large format tiles are often much more cost effective option as a stand alone product plus are significantly cheaper to lay by a tiler.
SAVE: For mood lighting there are some great affordable options out there. LED strip lighting can also be a great low-cost option.
SAVE: Use pre-made mirrors and shaving cabinets rather than custom. Design your bathroom space around those pre-made sizes initially to save the much higher cost of custom.
If you are interested in our design services and have a potential project that you need help with, please get in touch.
Christmas Gift Guide | For the Interior Lover
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Christmas Decor Shopping Guide
‘Tis the season. Our Christmas Decor Shopping Guide for 2022 featuring some beautiful handmade pieces in the neutral colours we love. We always love the idea of collecting decorative pieces that become family heirlooms to be adored year after year.
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Meet the Maker: Pepin Bell
One of our favourite people to work with is Pepin Bell - a very talented and knowledgeable plasterer & renderer servicing the Northern Rivers.
Pepin has been rendering and plastering for 17 years. Growing up in the Cotwolds of England and moving to Australia in 2016. He saw a gap in the local market - someone who works closely with their clients in an honest manner to achieve their vision. That’s when he started Royal Finish Plaster. He counts himself lucky enough to work closely with some great people on some incredible projects.
We recently sat down with Pepin to share some insight into what is a niche and often misunderstood area of building and design.
How would you describe your style?
Having grown up and worked mostly in the Cotswolds of England, I’d say my style is a little different from most people in Australia. I learnt my trade using traditional materials to repair heritage and listed buildings. This installed a keen eye for detail, a high standard in my work and an appreciation for natural, raw materials having worked on places like Blenheim palace and Princess Anne’s house that are hundreds of years old.
What products do you love working with?
I’ve always loved natural materials, they serve more of a purpose than just aesthetics. Products that can help your house breathe, can regulate humidity are anti bacterial and can improve air quality.
This is why I work closely with Mineral Fox. They are advocates of quality natural materials. They have beautiful lime and gypsum plasters that are made locally in Australia and also import one of my favourite products which is a clay plaster from Clayworks, made in Devon, England.
What is something most people don’t know about plastering?
I’d probably say for me the use of the word plasterer! In the UK, if you’re a plasterer you work with all materials and renders. We apply a plaster over the whole wall and trowel it to a paint finish without the need for sanding. In Australia the term ‘plasterer’ usually just refers to setting the gyprock joins and sanding them back ready for paint.
Or maybe just the vast amount of ‘plasters’ that are available. The market is flooded with products, it’s very hard for a client to understand what they want and what they are getting. That’s why I find it so important to be transparent with your client and guide them as best you can to achieve what they want with the most suitable product. It’s down to us to educate them and not take advantage.
In your words, what is the difference between plaster and microcement?
Plaster is an umbrella term used to describe a wall/ceiling coating, this could be gypsum, lime, clay etc. and could refer to setting walls ready for paint or could be a decorative plaster that doesn’t get painted.
Microcement is a product made from cement and polymer resin. It’s designed to be applied in thin layers and because of its strength and durability it can be used it high traffic areas such as floors, countertops and showers.
What is your preferred product for wet areas?
After using many different products available that suggest they are suitable for wet areas, I will only use Mercadier Béton Ciré. This is a French product supplied by Mineral fox. It has been tried and tested for many years, unlike lots of other products being introduced to the market to keep up with the demand and trend of seamless bathroom designs.
Can you do plastered kitchen benchtops?
Yes you can, but like many other kitchen bench options there is a level of care that needs to be taken. I only use solvent based sealers when doing benches which some clients might be opposed to. These sealers are very hard wearing and when cleaned appropriately will last.
What to look for when selecting a plasterer to work with?
I think communication is the key. Find someone willing to go over different options with you. Show them what you want and hopefully they will be able to go through the best options for you. Make sure you find out what products they will use and do some research on those products. Get them to show you a sample of what they will use and if you can go check out some of their work or ask for references. Anything can look good online, it’s the little details that count.
What surfaces can you plaster over and what are no-gos?
With the right preparation most surfaces can have some sort of finish applied over them. It will just depend on the surface. It’s a bit trickier with natural products as they don’t have as much flexibility and adhesive properties as some synthetic plasters and renders.
How do you care for/clean plastered surfaces or walls?
Again this depends on what the product is. If using natural products for the breathability then these won’t be sealed with a surface sealer. In which case you’d need to take more care when cleaning. A damp cloth with warm water should do the trick. Scuffs can sometimes be very lightly sanded out.
If you are looking to clean microcement then most brands offer their own cleaning products. These are usually ph neutral cleaners. Anything with high acidic or alkaline content could wear down sealers. So look for natural, ph neutral cleaning products.
What would be the price range someone should expect to pay for microcement or Venetian plaster?
Microcement can vary from around $180 to $400 a square meter. You certainly get what you pay for though. Venetian plaster can mean so many different things now, but overall for a decorative plaster finish this can range from anywhere between $80 to $300 a square metre. If you’re looking for custom one-off finishes you can potentially pay a lot more.
Contact Pepin
royalfinishplaster.com.au
Email: pepin@royalfinishplaster.com.au
Phone: 0472 980 956
Our Tips for Designing a Kitchen to Love
The kitchen is the centre point of the home and, in our opinion, the most important room in the house to nail. We are sharing our top 10 tips for designing a kitchen you will love, for many years to come.
Budgeting
The number one starting point to designing a kitchen - how much do you have to spend on this room? Be very mindful of your budget when making selections and get quotes whenever possible. Try to factor in an allowance for unforeseen circumstances - this will mean you are able to finish the kitchen to the level you want without making compromises or blowing the bank.
The budget needs to cover appliances, cabinets, hardware, tapware, benchtops and splash back, just to name a few. You will usually also require additional trades to your builders such as chippie, plumber, tiler, electrician and painter. It takes a large group of professionals to bring this room together. After all, it is the most detailed, thought out and important room in any home. Take your time in the initial planning phase.
Theme & Research
The look and feel of this space sets a tone for the entire home, both internally and externally. You want the home to feel cohesive, not confusing. The kitchen always sets the mood for your bathrooms and laundry, and while you don’t need to have the same cabinetry, it just must be complimentary.
When using Pinterest as a way of collating your favourite looks, here is our tips for getting the best result without overwhelming yourself. It’s great to have boards that are broad to begin with, but when it gets down to a chosen theme/style, you need to be more specific with the finishes. Make a new board just based on the kitchen you are actually designing, funnel your ideas down to more specific boards. For example, you will need:
Cabinetry: you need to decide on timber/no timber, two-pack painted finish in white or in a lovely soft colour
Hardware: integrated handles or hardware
Appliances: integrated appliances or not (more on this below)
Benches: how thick you like the benches to be
Shelving: do you want some open shelving for styling
Furniture: bench stools at the centre bench and how would this look.
Collect your inspiration pictures, take your time, and right notes on each photo reminding you of what exactly it is that you like in the picture so when its time to share, your tradies can see your desired outcome.
Grab all your samples and put them together. Whenever possible take your samples to the space that will become your kitchen - seeing them all together in the true light is essential!
Appliances
Choose the type of cooking appliances you want first. A visit to Winnings Appliances or similar is a great start. You will need to decide on things such as wall oven or freestanding oven, gas cook top or inducted, microwave or no microwave, single sink or double sink, type of fridge/freezer set up you like best i.e. integrated or not integrated.
These need to be chosen initially because the kitchen is designed around them and their measurements.
Accessories
Consider - is this a kitchen designed for an at-home chef, a simple style of home cook, a house you are flipping or a forever home? This would mean a differing selection of kitchen cooking accessories and inclusions that would suit the end use better. If it’s a house to flip, you keep it fairly simple. If it’s your forever home, you could go all out. Inclusion options include. ie pull out cooking oil draw, hidden spice rack storage, pull out bin and recycling area, butlers pantry, integrated breakfast zone, filtered water tap such as Zip (requires more cabinet space under the sink), filtered water and ice making components to your fridge.
Lighting
There are multiple types of light to factor in - natural light, task lighting, mood lighting and sensor lighting (consider for a butlers or pantry light).
Do you like the look of wall lights, pendants lights, LED strip lighting, or all of the above? When choosing the more ornamental type of lighting such as pendant or wall lights, consider how much you like them when both on and off. You may like a light fitting by day, yet when it is lit, the effect it has is underwhelming, so make sure you can see how they look by day and by night.
Consider the type of light - blue, day or warm lighting . We always use warm lighting. We are always conscious to not over-light a room and this applies to the LED strip and down lights, do not overlook this.
A hot tip from us - make sure your LED strip light runs all the way behind the extractor. Often electricians may note that the extractor has its own light and will run them either side. This creates a disconnect in the lighting when the LED is both for function and mood. Think about the result when the extractor light is off.
Layout
It’s always good to play with at least 3 layouts first. Think about how you like to use a kitchen, what makes sense functionality-wise. Consider these options matched with your choice of cooking appliances. Some appliances will cancel out certain layouts. Sinks on the centre bench or on the back run always decides on the length of the runs you are dealing with which equals useable prep space.
When dealing with small spaces we usually always have to pull the sink onto the centre bench, where as bigger kitchens you do not. And if you can afford the room of having a butlers pantry, it can be beneficial to have a sink in there as well, which clears counter space in the main kitchen for all coffee and tea making requirements meaning less clutter which we love.
Bench & Kicker Height
In recent times we have seen a trend of the bench height increasing up to 950mm. I would suggest this when you have tall clients, but for average rule of thumb we use 920mm, as this suits short and tall people. You will find project homes are still working around the 900mm mark.
When you allow yourself a little more height you also gain draw depth, or bench thickness, so if you are having a 100mm thick bench top I would be inclined to consider a 950H if it suits the clients.
You can also shrink the height of the kicker. The average is 100-150mm which allows for unlevelled floors. But when building new homes that tend to be more level you can actually gain back some draw depth again by going down to a 50mm kicker. If you like to make cabinetry appear to look like it’s floating you can request that the kickers be set back as far as possible 150mm.
Put a measuring tape in your car and when you’re at your friends house see what they have and what it feels like.
Benchtop Material
When it comes to to stone tops, do you prefer the durability of a manmade look-a-like stone, or are you more of a natural kinda person and can except that it will require more maintenance. If you want a product that is bomb proof then you would be inclined to consider porcelain, other options are concrete, timber and micro cement (which we would avoid if possible). We have also seen a resurgence for a tiled bench top, which we would avoid due to the grout getting grubby with time.
Mixing Metals
You may think that you should not mix your metals colours i.e. if you have a black tap, you must also have black handles, yet we totally disagree and like to mix my metals, creating layers. You will find that certain metals act as families - spend some time on Pinterest and see this in action. We believe two metals are better than one.
Trades & Professionals - Your Team
The most important part of the process is choosing your dream team. Recommendations are essential, and when a person comes highly recommended you will usually have to wait a little longer. Tradies also work mostly as extended teams so ask them who they would suggest, as they would never suggest someone that would make them look bad. When it comes to pricing, we would suggest as a general rule of thumb that you do not go for the cheapest, as you know that will usually result in poor quality. Quality comes at a price and considering how long a kitchen usually stands in a home it’s important not to cut corners.
If you are interested in our design services and have a potential project that you need help with, please get in touch.