The dream for many is to have a heavenly bathroom that feels like a luxurious, serene sanctuary. A transformative space where one can unwind and relax in at the end of each day. If you’re dreaming about a luxury bathroom in your next Sunshine Coast bathroom renovation, read on for tips and ideas on how to achieve it.

Double basins and vanities

This is a luxury feature and a bathroom trend that looks set to stay. This feature allows the luxury of two people to able to get ready together. You’ll want to ensure the vanity is long enough to accommodate two basins, with enough benchtop space for often-used items. I love the clean look of the undermount basins in our Penthouse Project ‘Bella La Vista‘ (above). This allows the natural stone to be the hero and keeps the focus on the 250mm apron. Yes, double basins equal more cleaning, but the grand scale and effect of a double vanity is pure luxury, which is worth the extra cleaning and care, in our opinion.

Freestanding Bathtub

A freestanding tub is a wonderful inclusion to a luxury bathroom. The freestanding style enhances the feeling of space. You’ll need a minimum 150mm clearance each side to allow for cleaning. If you have the room, consider a floor mounted bath mixer (like our Mooloolaba Marmo project, above), otherwise, a wall mounted mixer set can look and function just as nicely. A larger bathroom that can accommodate a freestanding bath might like to consider a timeless, hero bath made of solid stone, marble, granite, or copper, megalithic rock or stone composite (which gives you the look and feel of stone without the weight of solid stone). Styling your beautiful bathroom with small luxuries like fluffy towels, fragrant hand soaps and fresh flowers all contribute to an elevated luxury bathroom experience. A bath caddy or a simple stool for your candle, book and glass of wine is a must. Bonus points if your stool or chair is timber or an antique- this lends a lovely warmth and character to the smooth, hard surfaces of a bathroom.

Luxury Lighting

A well-lit bathroom is a functional bathroom. Consider your lighting plan throughout your bathroom prior to beginning your renovation, you’ll want to include some wall sconces at face level by your mirror (like our project Bella La Vista, above), as well as overhead lighting. Subtle LED strip lighting beneath your vanity or to accentuate a high ceiling can be used to great effect. With strip lighting, my rules are: less is always more, warm is the only colour temperature, and you must never see the light source, only the glow of the light. Dimmable lights are always the best option for a bathroom as you can dim them whilst you’re having a long soak in the bath. Heaven!

Mitred Edges

This is a small detail that will really elevate your bathroom and make it feel so much more luxurious. A mitred edge is a type of edge finish where two tiles are cut at a 45-degree angle and joined to create a seamless and professional 90-degree corner. The alternative to a mitred edge is a tile trim, the aluminium band of trim that tilers sometimes use on tiled corners, wall niches, shower edges etc. The effect can be busy and cheap looking- luxury bathrooms simply don’t have tile trim throughout them! Here at Coco Interiors, we often project manage our bathroom renovations, and we only use tilers who also believe that the extra time and care taken to mitre tile edges contributes to a high-end finish.

Luxury Materials

This is your opportunity to create a special place just for you. Using high quality materials like natural stone feature tiles (like the herringbone-pattern Dolomite marble in our Mooloolaba Marmo project, above), good quality Italian porcelain tiles, quality plumbing fixtures, and using skilled, professional trades will ensure your bathroom remains luxurious and timeless into the years, without any need for upgrading.