Architect's TOP 10 Bathroom Design Mistakes

@bellroy_official

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⏱️ Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:36 1. Storage
3:22 2. Faucets
5:22 3. Clutter
8:16 4. Water Management
11:13 5. Lighting
14:40 6. Outlets
17:31 7. Materials
20:43 8. Mirrors
22:06 9. Durability
24:03 10. Opportunity

Disclaimer:
This is not design advice, nor can I give you design advice. Everything in this video is conceptual and is for entertainment purposes only and not for the purpose of providing design advice. Nothing in this video should be construed to form an architect client relationship. You should contact your own architect to obtain advice regarding any particular project. When hacking furniture, you do so at your own risk. This video was sponsored by Bellroy.

[vkmi]

Honestly I like warm dim light in the bathroom as well, especially over the mirror, as in the morning it's less traumatic immediately after waking up, and in the evening it eases me into bedtime instead of waking me up immediately before hitting the pillow.

[merrywalsh]

Now these are great and plentiful tips. You really know your stuff. My tip is allow enough room for cleaning behind a free standing tub, and get quick drying waffle towels, not those overkill thick, plush terry ones. Bonus points for ones with loops, because you can hang them from hooks, and therefore, hang more at once. They dry just fine.

[MM-fcih]

I love your videos. They are based in your studies, clean looking and editing, straight to the point. Always with something to learn. Man, this is the YouTube we deserve, not the one there is now.
Thank you very much for your time doing this!

[dorisschneider-coutandin]

German here. That we take our kitchens with us when moving mostly applies to rental spaces. Also, this "tradition" slowly seems to fade now, you will find much more rental flats/apartments that come with fully equipped kitchens. The reasons you will find places without anything that would even resemble a kitchen are mainly: Our rental contracts often run long-term, meaning over a span of many years. So you would certainly want a kitchen in there that reflects your personal style and taste. Ergo, you go and buy the one you like. Should you move, you have the option to either sell that kitchen (for a reduced, negotiable sum) to the next renter, or to dismount and take it with you to your next place, probably have some of the cabinetry, etc. re-fitted for that new space. In any case, kitchens are not overly expensive to buy in Germany (though good appliances will cost you a little more), as you can find pre-fabricated ones easily in every furniture shop. Might be around 3.000/4.000 Euros (with some appliances already included, but mostly a dishwasher would cost extra). Hope that could clarify the "issue" with "non-existing" German kitchens.

[supersnail]

11:13 - I think its also somewhat important to consider the CRI (colour rendering index) of lights. Particularly low quality LED lights often do not emit a broad enough spectrum of light to accurately reproduce the colours of objects in the room.

This can lead to makeup, or even just the material finishes of items in the room, to not appear as intended.

[paulasimson]

About 10, 000 fantastic tips! I'm starting a bathroom and kitchen reno this winter, so this is super helpful.

[texasnurse]

I put a kitchen faucet in my bathroom. It's higher and reaches further into the sink. It also pulls out making it easier to clean the sink.

[HLRth]

A great bathroom remodel we did on our last house included a cabinet with multiple shelves, which included outlets- perfect for recharging shavers, hearing aids, etc, yet shielding it from view.

[SjorsTimmer]

Great essay on bathrooms!

One pro-tip to add, go for heated mirrors in the bathroom to prevent them from fogging. I planned everything out for my gf to dry her her with a hairdryer after having a shower (power plug, shelf etc), however the mirror is completely fogged up after showering, so now she's moved to the hallway.

[pwblackmore]

Thankyou Daniel = a comprehensive overview. I'm retired and so don't know the current British Columbia Building Codes, but i took the chance of installing a receptacle/outlet inside my cabinet... it is, of course, a Ground Fault Interrupt. My electrician told me the reasons why an outlet shouldn't be installed there - it is below the 'flood level' of the basin; and that something could be left switched on, such as a curling iron, which could cause a fire.
One tip I used to tell people is 'get a squeegee for the shower stall' - you'd be amazed at the amount of water that is left on the walls. Wiping that down after every shower will eliminate cupfuls of water out of the atmosphere... water is wood's worst enemy.

[mapratt]

Loving this. Regarding brightness in the bathroom, though, I was hoping you would touch on layers of lighting for different times of day. I definitely don't want sunlight level for my 2am visit...

[Didem]

I had the faucet not long enough issue in my rental, obv didnt want to get a new faucet. I just got a 720-degree rotatable faucet extension. Cheaper and easier to install, 100% recommended

[terriblejustawful]

Just wanted to mention an option for those who like the look of white grout or need to utilize it in a design but don't want it to look disgusting shortly after install (or require tons of maintenance). There are epoxy grout options on the market. They are more expensive due to both the material cost and the labor and difficulty of application, however, it is waterproof, doesn't require sealing, doesn't stain or discolor, doesn't mold or mildew, and doesn't crack. It comes in tons of color options, but it really opens white back up as a feasible option for grout color as a set it and forget it option.

You'll likely want to hire someone for this but if you plan to diy it, research how to use it properly, because of you don't get the haze off before it cures, it's not coming off. Definitely not as forgiving when it comes to installation.

[greenwichtree]

All the tips here are gold, thank you

[mndlessdrwer]

The absolute ideal for bathroom storage, if your bathroom has an extra 12-30 inches of space that you can steal from next to the vanity, is a full-height pull-out cabinet organizer. It's the same premise as the narrow pull-out cabinet organizers that you often see used to store spices in fancy kitchens, just repurposed for bathroom use. Full height cabinets, even narrow ones, offer so much useful storage space. If you don't have this space because your house has the absolute minimum code regulation required space for a 3-piece bath, then your next best option is a combination of a vanity cabinet that fits the space and a wall-mounted cabinet above the toilet. The space above the toilet is generally wasted space otherwise, so you might as well put a cabinet there. It's what I've done where I live and it works very well for storing miscellaneous toiletries and sundry items.

I still think that my personal #1 bathroom design mistake is simply not having enough bathrooms. My ideal house has each bedroom with its own en-suite bathroom and a half bath on each floor with a living space. This is actually a relatively inexpensive luxury if you go with minimally sized bathrooms for each of the auxiliary bedrooms. a 5x9 bathroom is about as small as you can go with a 3-piece bath that uses an all-in-one fiberglass tub and shower unit and is one of the most efficient in my opinion, since it transitions well for children and adults. Unfortunately, there are relatively few house plans that incorporate such mundane luxuries, which is a shame. Like, if the entire family comes down with food poisoning at the same time, you would be incredibly grateful for the foresight of having a bathroom for every person living there. It also reduces the number of individual skincare and hair care items since each person has their own bath, so there's less overlap. I just find it utterly baffling to see these house plans with massive square footage and loads of bedrooms but it's only a 2.5 bath. Like, you spent so much money to get five bedrooms and 3000 square feet but you couldn't afford to fit in a few more bathrooms to improve privacy and convenience?

[jaaustin]

The best thing we did while renovating our bathrooms was putting in those in wall niches for soaps and shampoos - makes everything look much better in the showers/ tubs areas. Though I have to disagree with the silver finishes making water marks look less noticeable. I have stainless steel and it bugs me every day I have to wipe the faucets if I want them to look nice because of the water spots that show up on them. I never had that problem with chrome.

[jgdelong]

-- Daniel, as a life-long Registered Interior Designer, I rate your presentation as EXCELLENT, hitting important points for success with the bath! Kudos!

[LaughingInTiny]

I wasn't aware you COULD have an outlet inside the medicine cabinet! But i stopped the video and went to find one and the only thing i can find is a $4k one on Wayfair. Any other suggestions?

Also, funny story for you (because mentioning not having to go back and redo things...) My brother, an electrician, has built and or gutted / reno'd multiple homes. The first one he did with his wife though (an avid Pinterester) after getting married was one fun story after another. She insisted on penny tile for their large bathroom including the walls... while he wanted large tiles. Partly for aesthetics but mostly because of time and energy and cost. He finally caved and she felt bad that she was essentially asking him to put in all the hours, so she did it herself. The whole thing. As a surprise.

Without grout.

She had placed them butted up against each other 😂 Not only did they have to rip out a gazillion tiles she had spent days doing, but had to purchase tiles twice. But she did agree that he was right to do big tiles the second time 😁 And they STAYED married!!

[SN-szkw]

Excellent - thank you! Saved for that future remodel. As for German kitchens (😂), most people rent here. For long periods & kitchens are relatively inexpensive. So it’s often preferable to choose & design a kitchen you like & take it with you when you move. They are pretty easy to adapt to new spaces. We do the same with light fixtures & get to live with our own design choices. 😊

[Quickeeeee]

For anyone in an apartment/complex, do check with your association etc before putting in air vents and fans. Many buildings with connected ventilation will have issues if you do things to the system, and they might charge you for messing it up.