I've been building homes in Sydney for years, and I can tell you the moment a client really falls for their new place. It's usually not the kitchen. It's a Tuesday morning, a few weeks after they move in, when they're standing at the bathroom mirror and realise they can actually see what they're doing.
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tiles off a sample board and hoping the rest works out. If you're building or renovating, here's what I'd want you to know before the walls go up.
jackhammer later.
Bring that list to your builder. Bring the Pinterest board too, by all means. But the list is what changes the drawings.
LED globes are sold by colour temperature, measured in kelvin. Around 2700K to 3000K is warm white, cosy and flattering, the light you want for a bath. Around 4000K is neutral, closer to daylight.
Also ask about the CRI (colour rendering index) on the packaging. A higher number means colours look more true to life. It's worth a few extra dollars on the globes you'll do your make-up under.
And please, no single downlight right above the mirror. It casts shadows under your eyes and chin that no concealer can fix. Light from either side of the mirror, or a backlit mirror, is far kinder.
If you've got the space, link the walk-in robe to the ensuite. Shower, step through, get dressed. No cold dash across the bedroom in a towel. Once you've got that lovely new robe, a capsule wardrobe is a great way to keep it from filling up with things you never wear.
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Sounds small. It isn't.
Most of us spend a surprising chunk of every day in the bathroom: skincare, make-up, hair, the slow cup-of-tea version of getting ready on a weekend. Yet it's often the room people design last, pickingtiles off a sample board and hoping the rest works out. If you're building or renovating, here's what I'd want you to know before the walls go up.
Start with your routine, not the tiles
Before your first design meeting, do something slightly odd. Time yourself getting ready, and notice what annoys you. Do you balance your palette on the edge of the basin? Wrestle the hair dryer cord across the bench? Queue behind your partner every morning at 7.15? Each of those is a design problem with a building solution, and it's far cheaper to solve on paper than with a tradie and ajackhammer later.
Bring that list to your builder. Bring the Pinterest board too, by all means. But the list is what changes the drawings.
Put the window where your face is
This is the single biggest thing I'd change in most bathrooms I walk into. Daylight is the most honest light you'll ever do your make-up in. The trick is getting it onto your face rather than the back of your head.A window directly behind you, which is common when the vanity sits on an internal wall, leaves your face in shadow and turns the mirror into a glare panel.
Here in Australia, north-facing rooms get the most even daylight. If you're reading this in the UK, flip that, south is your sunny side. East light is lovely in the morning, which is exactly when most of us are getting ready.
There's a wellbeing side to this as well. Bright light in the morning and softer light in the evening is much closer to what our bodies expect, and the Sleep Foundation explains how light affects sleep really clearly.
What works better:
- A window beside the mirror, so light falls across your face from the side.
- A pair of narrow windows either side of the vanity, if the layout allows it.
- Highlight windows set high on the wall, or a skylight above the vanity,
- When privacy is a worry. Frosted or obscure glass keeps the neighbours out and the daylight in.
- Orientation matters too.
There's a wellbeing side to this as well. Bright light in the morning and softer light in the evening is much closer to what our bodies expect, and the Sleep Foundation explains how light affects sleep really clearly.
I'm a builder, not a sleep expert, but it's a good reason to plan bright mornings and dim evenings into the room from the start.
Get the LEDs right (this is where make-up goes wrong)
Ever done your face at home, then caught yourself in a shop window and wondered what happened? Colour temperature is usually the culprit.LED globes are sold by colour temperature, measured in kelvin. Around 2700K to 3000K is warm white, cosy and flattering, the light you want for a bath. Around 4000K is neutral, closer to daylight.
Higher than that starts to look cool and blue. For the mirror, I'd usually suggest neutral, so foundation and brows look the same indoors and out. Keep the warmer globes for the ceiling lights on a dimmer, for evenings.
Also ask about the CRI (colour rendering index) on the packaging. A higher number means colours look more true to life. It's worth a few extra dollars on the globes you'll do your make-up under.
And please, no single downlight right above the mirror. It casts shadows under your eyes and chin that no concealer can fix. Light from either side of the mirror, or a backlit mirror, is far kinder.
Vanity height, mirror placement and the boring bits that matter
A few practical details I talk clients through:- Vanity height. Older bathrooms often have quite low vanities, and taller people end up stooping. Many people now go a little higher, but the right height is the one that suits you, so stand at a few in a showroom before you choose.
- Mirror placement. Centre the mirror on your eye line, not on the tiles. If two of you are different heights, a taller mirror covers both.
- A seated spot. If you like to sit for make-up, plan a section of bench at desk height with knee space, in the bathroom or a dressing area off the bedroom.
- Power points inside a vanity drawer. This one changes lives. Your hair dryer, straightener and toothbrush stay plugged in and out of sight. It has to be done by a licensed electrician and meet the wet-area rules, so it needs planning early.
- Drawers over open shelves. Shallow drawers with dividers for skincare and make-up. You see everything at a glance, and the bench stays clear.
Space to breathe
A calm room is mostly a tidy room, and storage is half of that. The other half is air. A properly ducted exhaust fan pulls out steam, so mirrors clear faster and mould has less of a chance. It isn't glamorous, but you'll notice it every single shower.If you've got the space, link the walk-in robe to the ensuite. Shower, step through, get dressed. No cold dash across the bedroom in a towel. Once you've got that lovely new robe, a capsule wardrobe is a great way to keep it from filling up with things you never wear.
Smaller homes can still feel special
People sometimes assume a smaller home, or one half of a duplex, means settling for a basic bathroom. I'd argue the opposite. When space is tight, every decision shows, and a well-planned ensuite with one good window and the right lighting can feel more luxurious than a big bathroom done badly.
If you're designing a duplex, to live in one side, house family in the other or rent part out, give each side a bathroom someone will genuinely enjoy getting ready in. Whoever lives there will thank you every morning.
Before you sign off on the plans
Ask your builder to show you, on the drawings, where the window sits relative to the mirror. Ask where the power points are. Ask what colour temperature the lights will be. Three small questions, and they'll shape how every morning in that house feels.
Tiles date. Tapware trends come and go. But good light and a bench with room for your things? You'll appreciate those for as long as you live there.
Author: Oliver Alameri is the founder of Buildana, a licensed builder in Fairfield, Sydney, building custom homes, duplexes and knockdown rebuilds.
Tiles date. Tapware trends come and go. But good light and a bench with room for your things? You'll appreciate those for as long as you live there.
Author: Oliver Alameri is the founder of Buildana, a licensed builder in Fairfield, Sydney, building custom homes, duplexes and knockdown rebuilds.
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