Diving into a bathroom remodel might seem challenging, but with the expertise of the Guhde Flooring America & Design Studio team in your corner, giving birth to a new space can be pain-free

By Patricia Nugent

Whether you call it a restroom, potty, ladies’ room, toilet, lavatory or latrine, the bathroom is as close as you’ll get to a haven in your home, a space in which you can shut the door on the outside world.

The value goes beyond your everyday appreciation of esthetics, functionality and quality time spent there. Realtors have an adage that bathrooms and kitchens sell homes. Depending on the scope of the renovation, you can recoup up to 70% return on your investment when you go to sell your home.

Since clients often put off a bigger primary bathroom renovation because it seems like a hassle to have their room unusable for an indefinite period of time, or because it’s a room really only the homeowners see, I caught up with the powers that be at Guhde Flooring America & Design Studio for a step-by-step rundown of the renovation process. Kitchen and Bath Designer Jillian Brickman, Office Manager Monica Guhde-Rosa and Sales Manager Shawn Rosa report that bathroom renovations account for nearly half of their business.

Located on the terrace level of the Platinum Center, the design studio includes an impressive selection of trending lines that check the box of one-stop shop in flooring, cabinetry, countertops, tiles, lighting, showers, tubs and hardware.

Anatomy of a Renovation
Here are the easy (and fun) steps it takes to bring your dream bathroom to life:

1) Discovery and Selection

“We sit down with people and go over their likes and dislikes, getting an idea for their taste and preferences,” says Jillian. “It’s helpful when they bring photos of spaces they gravitate toward. We find out the colors, shapes and textures that appeal to them by powwowing at the design table and putting different samples together. It’s like figuring out a puzzle. One decision leads to everything else falling into place. After that, we make big decisions, such as moving the toilet or shower, or increasing the space by moving walls and changing the footprint. When making selections, we usually ask the client how long they plan to live in the home to determine the best investment to make in the short or long term. At that point, it might be a good idea to talk about curbless showers or grab bars to help them age in place.”

2) Taking Measure

“One of our designers comes to your home to measure the space and take stock of the particulars of what needs to be done, what’s possible and what’s not worth the expense,” she says. “At this time, we also bring the samples the homeowner picked out to see what they look like in the room’s natural light.”

3) The Proposal

“After we’ve ironed out the details and gathered quotes from our tradespeople, we present the proposal, which the homeowners sign and then give us a down payment. We order the parts of the job, flooring, tile, cabinetry, etc., and get them on our schedule. Depending on the job, we can usually begin work in six to eight weeks.”

4) Installation

“Depending on the scope, most bathroom renovations take two to four weeks,” she says. “Our installers communicate daily with the homeowner and do their best to make sure it’s as operative as possible during the work.”

5) Follow-Through

“We do a final walkthrough to make sure the client is pleased with the work. We always send a thank you gift to let people know how much we appreciate the opportunity to work with them.”

Guhde Flooring America & Design Studio is located in the Platinum Center, at 7200 Center Street, Suite 100, in Mentor. Access and parking are in the rear of the building. Backed by the buying power of a 500-store nationwide retail flooring group, Guhde Flooring America offers its clients some of the lowest prices, best warranties, and widest selection in the industry. Call 440-639-1990 or visit GuhdeFlooringAmerica.com for more information.

Trends we Love
The designers at Guhde Flooring America and Design Studio are wizards when it comes to emerging trends in the interior design and product innovation space.

But Kitchen and Bath Designer Jillian Brickman has a caveat she tells each client who asks about what’s hot and what’s not: “It’s not what’s ‘in’ that matters, it’s what you like.”

Several trending choices are highlighted in the bathroom remodel’s before-and-afters seen here. Take, for instance, the bright blue cabinetry and champagne bronze fixtures.

“We’re seeing a lot of cobalt blues and sage greens pop against a backdrop of warmer whites and taupes,” says Jillian. “Putting the pattern in the flooring was a nice balance to the classic white subway tiles in the shower.”

Sophisticated touches people are asking for, she adds, include textured wallpaper, floating vanities, painted and paneled ceilings, heated floors, seamless shower doors and lit shower niches.