Start With Walls and Windows

• Educate yourself about walls and window treatments. For example, review types of wall tile in various colors and textures. Figure out what types of tile patterns appeal to you. When designing a new bathroom, it's important to start with wall color and window design, so you can choose all main fixtures and accessories to fit harmoniously. Look at shades, plantation shutters and window fabrics in bold prints, for example.
  
  

Review High-Tech Fixtures

• Learn about new main fixtures available. You might want to purchase a bathtub-shower combo with double glass doors, for example. Or, you might want to buy a jetted tub that is the size of a standard bathtub, if the room is small. Ask an adviser at a home improvement store to explain types of toilets and sinks, so you can learn about new technology regarding electric faucets or toilets that conserve water. High-tech amenities, such as televisions and CD players, are part of many bath remodels these days.
  
  

Plan Special Amenities

• Study upscale bathrooms to borrow ideas. For instance, you might want to build a tiled shower that matches floor tiles instead of adding an acrylic shower. Be sure to learn about multiple shower heads, foot faucets, built-in sitting benches and other amenities. You can often find ways to duplicate luxury items, even in a very small bathroom, by planning the steps carefully. For example, you can make room for a whirlpool tub by possibly borrowing space from a large closet. Consider using a wall of glass blocks above the tub, too.
  
  

Venture Out for Rustic Ideas

• Utilize rustic materials, if appropriate. For example, you can build a vanity counter from framework and stacked stones. Premade cabinet doors can be installed to hide towels or supplies underneath. Don't overlook using tongue-and-groove knotty pine on one or two walls, especially in a mountain or beach home. Do plan to add polyurethane to seal the wood, however, so that mold will not grow from room moisture.
  
  

Install Appropriate Metal Finishes

• Use a common metal for lighting, hardware and shelving. If you plan to buy a brown metal Italian chandelier for your bathroom, purchase metal shelving for towels in a brown finish as well. Select brown door knobs, drawer pulls and faucets in a brown finish too. Avoid mixing stainless-steel faucets and bronze hardware for cabinetry, for example.