Are guests headed your way this holiday, for an evening of entertainment or an extended stay? Then you might be wondering if you have enough bathrooms…and you might be thinking 2018 will be the year you either add a guest bathroom or tackle a guest bathroom remodel.

If that’s the case, let’s talk about a few important factors to keep in mind when planning that guest bathroom remodel or addition:

• Just as drawers are replacing cabinets in the kitchen, so too in the bathroom. Consider drawers for easier access to items stored under the sink.
• Go vertical to maximize the space you have. Use a tall cabinet as in this bathroom, to make room for towel storage. Or use vertical shelves to store everything from towels to toilet paper.
• Consider making room for a shower. Does that sound crazy given the small space you’re working with? If so, check out the clever ways people made room for showers in small bathrooms in this article. Adding a shower can make your half bath into a three-quarter, which might increase the value of your home.
• Recess the medicine cabinet into the wall, to gain storage without losing space.
• Use semi custom cabinets, so you can fit the cabinets to the space you’re working with.
• Using semi custom cabinets made by a quality company such as Wellborn Forest also means you’ll create a guest bathroom with style and panache, because you can choose from so many styles, glazes and colors.
• Offer good lighting! Your guest bathroom might be tucked under the stairs or in another window-less space. Make up for that lack of natural light by installing plenty of well-placed light fixtures in the guest bath.
• Rethink the pedestal sink. Sure, lots of homeowners think the pedestal sink is a nice idea for the spare bathroom because it takes up less room, but where the heck are your guests supposed to put their toothbrushes or razor when using that same sink? Give them some countertop instead.
• Use mirrors to add a sense of space to a small guest bathroom…but place them carefully, please, so guests don’t get an unwelcome reflection when stepping out of the shower!
• Consider a pocket door if space is really cramped, and you’d rather the door didn’t swing into the bathroom. (We’ve all been there, right? Trying to squeeze around the door we just opened so we can shut it again?)
• Downsize…by that we mean, think small in order to keep your guest bathroom in scale. Choose a slightly smaller sink, a skinnier faucet, the streamlined toilet, the thinner light fixture. Keep scale in mind when adding accessories too, such as a rug and the towels. Yes, you want to wow your guests with extra thick towels, but not if the towels take over the bathroom!

Once your guest bathroom remodel is complete, take it to the next level by anticipating your guests’ needs. What do you find in a hotel bathroom? Offer it here, supplying a hair dryer, small bottles of shampoo and conditioner, pretty soaps, and extra toothbrushes. When you think through all those little conveniences on behalf of your guests, they’ll feel even more at home in your home.