When you are remodeling an office, hotel, restaurant, or other commercial space, you may have a strong vision for how your space will look. Maybe you want a spacious lobby to welcome guests, a cozy bar space with lots of seating, or a modern, glass office that’s full of natural light.
You know what else you need to consider? Your bathroom design. Commercial spaces often overlook the design and layout of their bathroom aside from ensuring it meets building codes. That’s a mistake — a bathroom is not just a necessity in a building. It can make your space feel polished and upscale with just a few considerations.
Why Remodel a Commercial Bathroom?
Bathrooms serve an important function first, but they also provide a comfortable, private space for guests of your business. It can make or break the experience for patrons and staff if your bathroom is dated or in a state of disrepair. A neglected bathroom leaves a poor impression. On the flip side, an updated, clean, stylish bathroom can subtly enhance the experience for guests, and make your space feel that much more polished and professional.
Consider the Functionality of Your Commercial Bathroom Remodel
The needs of your space will dictate how you approach your bathroom design. If you expect high-traffic, ensure your bathroom design can keep up.
Size:
An upscale restaurant with a dozen tables will likely only need one or two individual restrooms, while a 100-person office building may need multiple bathrooms with several stalls in each. Opting for individual restrooms over stalls requires more space, but adds a level of comfort and privacy that stalls don’t.
Layout:
Nothing is worse than a messy bathroom — it gives a poor impression of your whole business. Your layout can actually help prevent this. Ensuring sinks, hand dryers or towel dispensers, and waste bins are thoughtfully placed or integrated into the design helps keep mess at a minimum. Dripping water over the floor attracts dust and dirt, all of which can be contained by having towels within reach from the sink.
Traffic flow:
Whether you opt for stalls or individual rooms, where will people wait? We’ve all experienced a crowded restroom where you have to elbow your way out as if you are at a standing-room-only concert. Avoid that by considering how people will move throughout the space — especially if you plan on having a high volume of people come through your commercial space.
ADA requirements:
Ensure your bathroom meets ADA compliance code. Hand dryers must be operable without touching them, and extend 4” from the wall. Mirrors above a sink must be no higher than 40” of the ground, and you must include 30”x48” of space in front of the sink and in at least one stall to accommodate a turning wheelchair or other assistive devices, as well as a 60” radius in the center of the room. You can view more of the requirements here.
Lighting: Natural lighting is great, but not every commercial bathroom space has windows to let sun in. If you need to add light to your space, consider recessed lighting paired with fixtures like scones or mirror lights that can enhance the design and ambiance of your space.
Decor:
Rather than upgrading your space with decor that clutters surfaces, choose to enhance your space with paint colors, tile finishes and patterns, and useful items — like stylish soap dispensers. Hanging plants can add freshness without taking up space. If you must use your bathroom as storage, invest in a built-in cabinet or streamlined closet over open shelving.
Commercial Bathroom Finishes
After you’ve considered the layout and functionality, you can choose your design and finishes. View a collection of inspiration for your commercial bathroom here.
Modern Commercial Bathrooms
Modern style works well for commercial bathrooms because it’s all about smooth surfaces and clean lines — making it easy to keep clean and free of clutter. For modern style, choose neutral tones or a monochrome color scheme, paired with sleek fixtures.
Industrial Commercial Bathrooms
Restaurants, bars, and breweries that lean into an industrial vibe can continue this theme into the restroom, with concrete-look floors, metal fixtures, and even using details like open ductwork or exposed stones as features.
Eclectic Commercial Bathrooms
If your business has a strong brand or quirky style, an eclectic bathroom style can add even more personality to your space. Consider patterns within tilework, interesting shapes for mirrors, and splashes of colors, perhaps even choosing to pull from your brand as inspiration.
Contemporary Commercial Bathrooms
For spaces that want a current feel, choose a contemporary style. This incorporates current trends while still remaining timeless and true to your business or brand. For instance — a striking yet subtle tile color that coordinates with neutral tones adds a trendy twist to this commercial bathroom design.
Luxury Commercial Bathrooms
Does your space need a luxury, high-end bathroom to match the rest of your aesthetic? Spare no detail here, and choose textures and glossy finishes that look luxe and are easy to maintain. Even the ceiling in this space adds a touch of elegance to this commercial bathroom remodel.
When to Remodel a Commercial Bathroom?
Easy – when you feel like it’s not comfortable anymore. Are stall doors missing hinges? Do you have water-stained wallpaper behind the sink? All of these are signs that your bathroom needs some help.
You can also plan ahead for a remodel to keep your bathroom fresh and up-to-date before any deterioration occurs. If you are currently planning a remodel in other areas of your space, you should be thinking about updating your bathroom, too. Adding it into your existing project can save time and labor, making it less expensive in the long-term.
Gather your design inspiration and get in touch with Central Ohio Renovation Experts to discuss your commercial bathroom remodel project. Whether it’s just the bathroom that needs a fix, or it’s part of a larger project, we offer a full-service design-build approach. That means design, permitting, project management, and construction management are all taken care of for your business.
