How to Create a Spa-Style Bathroom

Whether you’ve seen it on Pinterest, interior design blogs or maybe even a builder’s home listing, one trend is taking the home design industry and Monmouth County by storm: the spa-style bathroom.

A modern white bathroom complete with a spa bath tub, a sink, white surfaces, wooden cabinets and beautifully-designed windows. These luxurious-looking rooms may seem like something of a dream, but what if we told you it’s a perfectly practical idea to incorporate into your home? J. Millet Construction has a few tips to help you learn how to create a spa-style bathroom in your Monmouth County home.

Defining the Spa-Style Bathroom

To begin, it would help to define what a spa-style bathroom really is.

“Spa-style bathrooms feel light, open and airy,” says Sean Juneja, CEO of award-winning New York City interior design firm Décor Aid. “They have clean lines and a modern feel.” Paloma Contreras, a Houston-area National Kitchen and Bath Association Insider and interior designer, says a spa-style bathroom is not just beautiful, but it also functions in a truly effortless way.

“Great lighting is key in order to set a relaxing mood,” she adds. “A neutral color palette with natural materials such as honed marble and bleached oak can also help to create a spa-inspired ambiance.”

Ultimately, the definition is totally up to you. What brings you comfort and how you can utilize the space to provide benefits to you is what defines the spa style.

“A luxurious bath feels like a sanctuary after a hectic day,” says Juneja. “Spa-like baths feel clean, calming and fairly transportive.”

Spa-style bathrooms are also a great way to add value to your home.

“Bathrooms and kitchens are the most valuable rooms in the house in terms of resale, so it is wise to invest in something that you can enjoy, but that will also pay you back in dividends when you go to sell your home,” says Contreras.

Today, some common trends in spa-style bathrooms include free-standing tubs, steam showers, multiple showerheads and radiant-heated floors. Anything that brings a luxurious feel and makes that master bathroom suite feel more like a spa-like oasis instead of any ordinary bathroom.

Juneja suggests a minimalist style, floor-to-ceiling tile and the use of teak wood accents.

“This is a style that clients often request when they are renovating their bathrooms and I think that that’s a reflection of what’s happening in new-home construction,” says Juneja. “People gravitate toward the sanctuary-like feel of a spa bathroom.”

The Frugal Budget

Who says that luxury has to come at a luxurious price? The spa-style bathroom can still be achieved with a conservative budget with the right mindset.

“You can absolutely attain a spa-style bathroom on a small budget,” says Contreras, suggesting modern white tiles, neutral walls and a nice mirror as budget-friendly options. “Keeping your bathroom neat and clutter free also goes a long way.”

At the 2016 Dwell on Design conference in Los Angeles, Jonas Carnemark, owner of Carnemark Design + Build, gave a seminar on balancing luxury and budget.

To Carnemark, it all depends on the homebuyer’s idea of what luxury is in terms of:

• Space and Flow: the space around you in your new environment

• Opportunity: keeping an open mind of what you can and can’t have

• Peace of Mind: being secure that it’s a safe investment and adds resale value

• Stolen Moments: ability to enjoy the luxury and pampered moments

• Smiles: include the things that make you smile “I like to look at it in terms of putting the money where the smiles are,” he says, noting that it’s wise to keep in mind what areas of the bathroom will make you the most happy and focusing your budgeting and upgrades there.

Keeping all these things in mind, considering what is driving what you want in a spa-style bathroom and investing money in areas that make you happy is Carnemark’s ultimate key.

The Luxury Budget

When budget isn’t much of a consideration, there are so many options you won’t know what to do with. The best course of action would be to work with an interior design professional or your homebuilder’s design center to help bring your dream to life.

Still, Juneja has a bit of advice for those who may wish to tackle the custom upgrades on their own.

“If you don’t have to worry about the budget, opt for high-end finishes like travertine and marble,” he says. “Consider teak wall paneling or flooring in the shower for an outdoorsy feel. A walk-in steam shower feels luxe, not to mention a tub designed for two. Radiant heated floors and heated towel racks complete your spa-like experience.”

Whatever the budget, most builders will be more than happy to help you create the bathroom of your dreams.

“I think now more than ever builders are paying attention to master bathrooms in particular,” says Contreras. “Everyone wants their home to feel like a sanctuary.

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