We’re focusing on ways to incorporate more funkiness into remodeling projects, while protecting your resale value and return on investment. This the fifth post in our series on the subject–if you want to read more tips like this, catch up on our earlier posts.
In the world of remodeling projects, the kitchen is your top priority, the master bathroom second, and all other bathrooms fall into line behind those two spaces. If you already have an updated kitchen and master bath, you might be contemplating redoing your hall bath or powder room. If so, you’re in luck–by the very nature of being lower priority rooms, you have the leeway to go in more fun directions where your tile, paint, lighting, counter and cabinetry selections are concerned. As long as you keep it tasteful, buyers are willing to accept a more playful hall bathroom–which the majority of the time is a kid’s bathroom anyway. A powder room? Go crazy! Drama really works in such a small space–feel free to make yours an experience. Worst-case scenario, if a potential homebuyer doesn’t like your powder room, it doesn’t feel like an overwhelming remodeling job to most people. They recognize that a room this small is not going to take a lot of time or money if they want to put their own style stamp on it after closing. If a homebuyer doesn’t like your hall bathroom or powder room design, it’s generally not a deal-breaker, as long as they’re updated spaces.
Here’s a charming little bathroom we created for a client with loads of fun that will appeal to most any future homebuyer:
Photo by Suzi Q. Varin / Q Weddings
Photo by Suzi Q. Varin / Q Weddings
Although this wallpaper definitely has a mid-century vibe, the rest of the bathroom selections–the tile wainscoting, the Carerra marble hex tiles on the floor, the pedestal tub and vintage-inspired trough sink–will appeal to a wide variety of potential homebuyers who appreciate vintage flair or traditional elegance. Because it’s a secondary bathroom, our clients had the freedom to go for a more kid-friendly color palette and incorporate fun, graphic patterns in the wallpaper and window treatment.
Here’s a sneak peek at a bathroom we haven’t posted in our online portfolio yet, which features fun tile and painted cabinetry:
Photo by Suzi Q. Varin / Q Weddings
Photo by Suzi Q. Varin / Q Weddings
Photo by Suzi Q. Varin / Q. Weddings
We went for some playful accent tile in my daughter’s bottom-of-the-line, builder-grade bathroom. While we live here, she has a princess-y and punchy bathroom…when we eventually put this house on the market, all I have to do is swap the hot pink towels for white ones and it becomes a “spa bathroom.”
Photo by Suzi Q. Varin / Q Weddings
Here’s a kid’s bathroom that incorporates bold color in a brilliant way. The band of neon green across the top of the vanity backsplash is just painted on, but is so well integrated with the backsplash tile that it looks like a high-end tile treatment. If the next home owner isn’t a fan of that shade of green, all they have to do is a minimal paint job and change the cabinet hardware. Everything else is neutral gray, black and white.
You can be bolder with colorful tile and fun shapes in a hall bathroom, though. These bathrooms feature some eye-popping color and funky patterns, but are finished so nicely–so clean and classic–they’re not going to cause a home to sit on the market:
When it comes down to it, home buyers are more turned off by outdated kitchens and bathrooms than they are put off by a hall bathroom or powder room that isn’t 100% their taste. So allow yourself the fun of expressing more playfulness in these secondary bathrooms.
Some important considerations:
1. Whatever you do on the inside of your home, it should coordinate stylistically with the exterior of your home. In other words, if you live in a traditional, suburban home, the things that are cemented down on the interior of your house–like tile–shouldn’t be a huge departure in style when compared to the outside. This doesn’t mean your bathrooms have to feature elaborate Italian details if your home’s exterior looks like a Tuscan villa. It just means that there’s a limit to how mod you can go. Maybe you go a little funkier with color, but bring more traditional cabinetry door styles and crown moulding into the mix.
2. You’ll notice a lot of these bathrooms surround their funkiness in a sea of white–that’s no accident. Whites and neutrals are a great foil to the boldness of some of the color choices and helps make those playful elements stand out as a feature.
Stay tuned for more tips on incorporating resale-safe fun into your home remodeling projects!
If you’d like a designer’s help selecting your own bathroom tile and finishes, give us a call or text us at (512) 797-5821. Room Fu would love to help you create a great space, like we have for these clients!
