The Home Front: Luxe living, high-end bathrooms are trending

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Rising costs drive demand for flawless bathroom renovations

It costs more to renovate your bathroom than it did prior to the COVID pandemic, says Martinez. Before 2020, you could renovate your bathroom for around $20,000 to $25,000, and it’s now $30,000 to $35,000, she says. If you encounter water damage or asbestos, that price will be higher.

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Martinez adds higher costs mean clients, particularly wealthier ones, are keen to get everything just right and are willing to splurge on high-end elements.

High-end elements and luxury extras

Some of the high-end features people are choosing for their bathrooms include bidet toilet seats and designer lighting from brands, such as Bocci, says Martinez. She and her team use multiple levels of lighting, including pot lights, LED lighting, and sensor-activated “occupancy lighting” for master suites.

“So, if you go to the bathroom at night, just a little light underneath your vanity will turn on, not the entire bathroom,” she says of the increasingly sensor-activated lights.

Other luxury extras include underfloor heating, heated towel racks, steam showers, rain showers and soaker tubs, says Martinez. “There’s some beautiful stuff. Kohler has this beautiful overflow bathtub. It’s insane, like $38,000 dollars or something, but it’s gorgeous,” she says.

Functionality and style combined

The designer notes that bathroom design has changed drastically over the past decade or so, with clients now expecting these spaces to be polished and highly functional. Docking drawers are a great idea, she continues, as they give you somewhere to plug in all your accessories such as hairdryers and straighteners, and good storage is a must, especially in smaller bathrooms, like condos or townhouses.

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Expanding your bathroom

Don’t be scared to increase the size of your bathroom by stealing some square footage from adjoining rooms or closets, especially if it’s your main bathroom, says Martinez. She tries to create as much division as possible between the toilet and rest of the bathroom, using a screen or wall, to give people that extra bit of privacy. “Ideally, we put the toilet in a separate room.”

Modern farmhouse a big trend

People are making much more personal choices when it comes to colours, textures and style choices in their bathrooms, and homes in general, says Martinez.

“Since the pandemic, I think people are moving away from trend and more towards personal taste,” she says, adding that this probably has to do with the fact that at the moment people are renovating their homes to live in them rather than flipping them. She attributes that to the current state of interest rates and our economy. “You have to live with it and you have to like it,” she says.

Those who love mid-century modern are going for that Sixties’ or Seventies’ vibe — greens, dark woods and such. Others are really drawn to the modern farmhouse look, says Martinez. “That’s an enormous trend. Modern farmhouse.”

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Shifting colour palettes

Neutrals like cream, beige and grey blends are popular paint choices for luxury bathrooms, says Martinez., adding that after nearly a decade of “everything grey”, grey is almost gone altogether. “Thank goodness!” she says.

Apart from neutrals, “(s)ome people are drawn to that Japanese style — white and black — though you still have the neutral brought in with natural wood and stone,” she says.

Nature lovers

Powder rooms are a great place to have some fun and get really creative, says Martinez. They’re not generally rooms where people spend a lot of time, so you can experiment with strong colours, fun patterns and wild wallpaper.

High-maintenance materials

Natural stone, marble, quartzite, granite, and other natural stones are beautiful, expensive and high maintenance, requiring yearly sealing to keep them looking their best, says Martinez, however, “I absolutely think they are worth it. I have marble in my own home.”

Source locally

If you’re after sustainable, eco-friendly materials for a greener bathroom, look for locally sourced stone, such as Vancouver Island marble, low or zero VOC paints such as Farrow & Ball, and solid wood trims and mouldings, says Martinez.

Top tip for a bathroom renovation?

“A skylight in the shower is always the best luxury,” says Martinez.

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