What Makes a Bathroom Custom?

Last week we answered the question, "What does 'custom' kitchen remodeling mean?" The word "custom" has no standard definition in the remodeling industry, so MKBD believes it is important to clarify our own definition. For kitchen remodeling, "custom" means designs and fixtures created from scratch. The same is true for bathroom remodeling.

Just like our kitchen remodeling projects, MKBD takes a custom approach to designing and building bathrooms. We draft original layouts suited to each client's needs. We source unique materials for showers, bathroom floors, and vanities. And, of course, we build fixtures from scratch.

As we noted last week, "Depending on your budget, you may choose certain 'custom' fixtures and some standardized fixtures. When you work with MKBD, though, your design will always be unique, and each fixture will be installed by expert craftsman."

For a preview of our "custom" approach to bathroom remodeling, please take a look at our gallery below.

A custom walk-in shower is a luxurious addition to any bathroom.

Custom Showers

At MKBD, a shower is never merely a shower. We build each shower to client specifications, including custom-tiled walls and floors, custom benches, and showerheads and jets. Most showers are prefabricated, made from plastic and fiberglass, in uniform shapes and sizes. To accommodate a custom layout, however, you likely need a custom-built shower.

Witness the mosaic tiles in the MKBD project below. Mosaic tiles can be made to fit curved or uneven surfaces, so they're a perfect example of "custom" shower tiling made to fit a unruly space.

Shower mosaics on the wall and floor

Tiles are a great way to add flair to any bathroom design. We source tiles from Italy, yet we're willing to scour the globe to find a perfect fit for our clients. Our clients are fond of accent tiles, which can be used to offer a unique counterpoint to primary tiles in showers and across the bathroom.

In this Cheltenham project,  accent tiles juxtapose the stone tiles lining the shower wall.

Another custom feature of MKBD's showers is our use of water jets and showerheads, which, by nature, are manufactured to suit varying tastes. Do you prefer more or less spray volume? Do you prefer a gentle or vigorous water flow? According to your preferences, we help you find the right showerhead and jets for your shower.

Custom Bathroom Floors

Most bathroom tile is installed in a uniform manner, running in a bonded fashion, from wall-to-wall. With a custom floor, you can experiment with unique tiles and placement, emphasizing different sizes, colors, and patterns.

Rustic tumble-finished travertine is a perfect custom flooring option. 

In the project above, tumble-finished travertine, often said to have a rustic appearance, creates a perfect look for our client's former farm house. This floor is a good example of the "custom" remodeling approach. Travertine's rough edges can present installation problems--it takes a skilled craftsmen to install and seal this rustic material.

In this project, tiles of various shapes and sizes outfit the entire bathroom, including the floor, wall, and bathtub--a truly custom fit!

Custom Bathroom Cabinetry

Much like kitchen cabinets, custom bathroom cabinets can be built to fit specific dimensions. More than even kitchen cabinets, however, custom bathroom cabinets can be especially useful for the bathroom space, which is usually much smaller than a kitchen space.

A double vanity with custom cabinets for storage. 

In a bathroom, cabinets can come in handy for storage. The project above highlights custom cabinets, built from scratch, for the master bathroom. To accommodate the storage needs of our clients, we built large cabinets and deep drawers.

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Many homeowners choose to call a remodeling company at the very beginning of the exploration process. We believe this is the best option--and not simply because we are a remodeling company!

A remodeling company can guide you in your exploration, saving you time. A home remodeling company can also help you set reasonable parameters for your project. How long might the project take to complete? What are the best materials for your lifestyle? And how about the cost?

At MKBD, we offer a FREE In-Home Remodeling Estimate for all custom bathroom designs.
If you have any questions about your next kitchen remodeling project, please feel free to call MKBD for an individualized consultation. Let's talk budget and more! Call now! 215-355-4747. Better yet, check out our Free In-Home Remodeling Estimate on this very blog!

How to Brighten Your Bathroom Design with Simple Colorful Accents

It's springtime in the Philadelphia-region! Well, almost. The official start of spring is two days away--Friday, March 20--but the first glimmers of our favorite season are here. This Sunday, the NCAA selected the brackets for the men's basketball tournament--an annual springtime rite. And yesterday, St. Patrick's Day, the city was awash in shades of hopeful green. Who knows, perhaps soon we'll see the first blossoms!

Spring is the beginning of our busy season at MKBD, a time of planning and demolition,--and, like spring, expectation. Inspired by the buoyancy of the season, homeowners often ask MKBD to shoot for the moon in terms of bathroom design.

Often, however, we find ourselves suggesting subtle, yet dramatic projects with a timeless appeal. This timelessness is seen in our muted color palette. Spring might be the time of pastels, but we believe most bathroom remodeling projects are best served with muted palettes.

But wait! That doesn't mean we don't enjoy a shot of color. Instead of bold palettes, however, we often prefer bold accents: the little details that make a timeless color scheme shine.

In the pictures below, we explore two favorite ways to add color to your bathroom design: with a single, colorful element or simple accent tiles. 

In this little gem of a bathroom, the bold accent is a blue vessel sink. 

A Colorful Element

A colorful element is a perfect way to add color to your bathroom design. Your colorful element might be a dramatic juxtaposition or seamless integration, but to be successful, the element should merely accent and not overwhelm.

Viewed from a different angle, the bold blue vessel sink above fits quite seamlessly into the bathroom's blue and off-white color palette. 

A different use of color: in this Montgomery County bathroom remodeling project, two decorative dolphins the same deep blue color from the project above juxtapose the white marble tiles. 

The decorative dolphins above reveal a crucial point about color and design--one that we find ourselves reminding clients about all the time: your palette is not simply limited to the base elements of your design.

You do not necessarily need to build a blue vessel sink to add color to your bathroom. Color can come from your own accessories, from decorative elements, like the dolphin, or even toiletries and towels. In this way, even a simple vase of flowers can become part of your bathroom design.

This white and grey palette of this marble powder room is brightened by a colorful potpourri.

Colorful Accent Tiles

Our favorite way to add color to a bathroom is accent tiles. The key to a successful accent tile is choosing a timeless pattern that will not look dated in a few years. Remember, a bathroom remodel is a semi-permanent installation, so you should anticipate enjoying your accent tiles today, tomorrow, and five or more years from now.

In this Southampton project, the simplest of accent tiles brightens the subdued palette.

Like colorful elements, your accent tiles can juxtapose or integrate. Yet here, too, the same principle applies: you want to accent, not overwhelm your color palette. 

In this Voorhees-area project, brown and black accent complement the bathroom's earthy palette. 

In this Cheltenham project, colorful accent tiles juxtapose the larger muted stone tiles lining the shower wall.

Accent tiles can also serve as a unifying element. In the Cheltenham project above, the accent tiles might juxtapose the shower, yet when viewed from a different angle, they become the element, like the Big Lebowski's rug, that ties the room together.

Accent tiles become more than mere accent in this Cheltenham-area project--they become a unifying theme.

FREE In-Home Remodeling Estimate

If you have any questions about your next remodeling project, please feel free to call MKBD for an individualized consultation. Let's talk bathroom design and more! Call now! 215-355-4747. Better yet, check out our Free In-Home Remodeling Estimate on this very blog!