Take the guesswork out of designing your perfect bathroom

(BPT) – Whether you’re working with contractors and ripping out everything down to the studs or you want a simple DIY upgrade to elevate the space, a new bathroom is functional and adds value to your home. Unfortunately, many people have good intentions for upgrading their bathroom only to feel overwhelmed and confused once they start the project.One of the most frustrating aspects of designing a bathroom is selecting and coordinating design elements and materials. Metalworks are key features in the space, adding to the aesthetic and polishing the overall design. They also can be quite intricate, especially when selecting lighting components, which can be difficult to coordinate with everything else. And if metals clash or mismatch, it can make your upgrade look amateur rather than elevated.Finishes have the power to evoke a certain look in the bathroom space, from traditional to modern and beyond, depending on your personal style preferences. Color-matched finishes and material quality matter, but finding finishes that match or coordinate can be difficult, time-consuming and stressful.For instance, if you choose brushed nickel, you want the same tones in the metal and texture in the brushing. For popular matte black, this choice might seem straightforward, but blacks can have many different undertones not to mention the matte levels can vary dramatically.One simple trick to take the guesswork out of designing the perfect bathroom retreat is finding brands that offer partial or whole-room solutions that create a coordinated look. Kohler is often a go-to brand for this because it offers a comprehensive approach with a variety of collections that coordinate lighting, faucets and accessories. Plus, if you don’t want everything matching in style, but you want to coordinate metals and materials, you can cross collections and still get a cohesive, color-matched look.One example of coordinating with different collections is drawing from the Kohler Riff Bathroom Faucet and complementing Kohler Riff Lighting Collections. Both are inspired by Louisiana French Creole design and incorporate similar decorative elements available in a range of color-matched finishes to help you build out your room with core products that were meant for each other.The Riff Collection Lighting features squared metal framework and faceted details juxtaposed by sweeping, slightly flared glass shades, the dramatic, straightforward forms leaning traditional in scope, yet taking on a decidedly more contemporary air when finished in Brushed Moderne Brass or Matte Black. The Riff Faucet Collection reflects the same angular shape and bold pattern as the Lighting designs and when combined create a coordinated, sophisticated look that is tactile and visually appealing.The stress of a renovation and choosing the right products can be daunting. Finishes, although the same by name, can be different when mixing brands. When selecting from the same company, you are assured that you will be able to get color-matched finishes, with designs that have like quality and are made from materials that complement each other.