One of the first questions you should ask yourself when planning your Chicago bathroom remodel is, "What style are we going for here?" Typically, you will lean towards traditional, transitional or contemporary. Having a general idea of what you want will simplify the design process for you and your design team.
What Are the Elements of a Contemporary Chicago Bathroom Remodel?
Here are some of the elements that differentiate a contemporary bathroom remodel from one that is more traditional.
Bold Color Accents. If you think about it, most traditional bathrooms have a more muted and/or neutral color palette. A bold one might be black and white, for example, but most will lean more towards whites, browns and grays, and even the color accents that make an appearance will be softer in nature. Contemporary bathroom designs, on the other hand, may use a neutral base but they will usually have more bold color accents - vibrant reds, flashy yellows or soothing greens and blues. This photo of a recent Deerfield bathroom remodel is a prime example of how color is used in a contemporary bathroom design.
Take a look at your style book and see which colors tend to dominate your favorite bathroom design pictures. If you notice bold and flashy colors, you may have contemporary tastes.
Man-made Materials and Finishes. Contemporary bathroom designers are more apt to look for sustainable manufactured products rather than natural ones. Sure, you may add some reclaimed lumber, sustainable bamboo or stone, but you are also more apt to appreciate the benefits of Quartz or recycled glass countertops and tiles than you are to stick with the traditional granite and marble stone options.
Wall-Mounted Vanities. In addition to the visual benefits, bathroom vanities are designed for storage and to hide visible plumbing. Now, plumbing options have changed and - in some cases - very minimal plumbing needs to be visible outside of the interior wall spaces. Your vanity may be like soffits - able to be eliminated or reduced in order to add more floor square footage. Thus, wall-mounted vanities offer a stylish bathroom option that yields a contemporary look and will still provide plenty of storage space.
Minimal Embellishments. Embellishments are pretty to look at but more labor-intensive to maintain. For example, dusting and cleaning raised-panel cathedral style cabinet doors will be more involved than maintaining flat-panel, modern cabinetry counterparts. You'll notice modern bathrooms achieve very clean lines by using flat-panel doors, square or smooth countertop edges and sleek plumbing fixtures, leaving more distracting embellishments to a minimum.
Larger Tiles and Less Grout. To tie into the idea of minimal embellishments, contemporary bathroom designs will tend to have larger tiles on the floors, walls and in the shower/bath areas. This creates a more clean and uniform look and minimizes exposed grout, which also reduces your lifetime maintenance requirements.
Not sure whether you're interested in a traditional or contemporary Chicago bathroom remodel? Schedule a consultation with the design team at Kitchens & Baths Unlimited to iron out the details.
