An old friend called recently and asked for some design help. She and her husband were at their local tile store to select a tile for a bathroom remodel. She sent me a few pictures and explained “I like the gray one and he likes the beige. What do you think?”

My answer was not so much an answer as a series of questions. “What color is the vanity going to be? What is the color of the existing door and trim? What flooring is right outside of the bathroom and what color is it? What color of plumbing fixtures did you have in mind?” Our “quick” call lasted much longer than expected. Ultimately, they made a selection (the gray one!) and the project turned out beautifully. How did her initial question turn into so much more?

The answer is twofold: first, there are typically more design decisions than meets the eye. Second, each individual design element in a particular space is connected to all the other elements in the space.

Let’s start with the numbers. You might be surprised to learn that an average bathroom remodel requires at least 50 individual decisions. We can use my friend’s tile selection as an example. Besides color, here are a few other decisions that she needed to work through in the course of her tile selection and installation.

What size and shape of tile is best for this space?
What kind of tile material is best? Ceramic? Porcelain? Marble?
What pattern should the tile be laid out in?
How thick or thin should the grout lines be?
What color grout should I use?

With just five questions related to tile alone, the decisions for a bathroom remodel add up quickly. This is often the point at which a homeowner might start to feel overwhelmed. Then add to this the fact that a typical bathroom often has more than one type of tile – one on the floor and one in the shower, which then doubles the number of decisions involved.

The project then becomes more complex once the adjoining elements and spaces are taken into consideration. This results in questions like the ones I asked my friend about. These questions generally speak to the style you are trying to achieve in the space and address cohesiveness with the adjoining spaces as well as the home’s overall aesthetic.

In order to make your way through this process, the approach that I recommend homeowners take in this situation is something I call panoramic to close-up. This means starting with the big picture view and slowly zooming in until you can see the fine details. This is similar to what I use in design projects every day.

How does it work? Using one of my client’s bathroom remodel as an example (shown in the photo here), the panoramic (or big-picture) shot starts with deciding on the non-aesthetic components that relate to layout and functionality. Items such as number of sinks, shower vs. tub, whether storage is needed and the layout and placement of these items. I always determine these things early on with my clients for two reasons: these decisions can have a significant impact on budget which then affects the selections in the close-up phase, and they set the course for the room’s overall aesthetic. For example, a built-in bathtub and a freestanding bathtub (like the one pictured here) carry two different aesthetics.

The next step is to move in a little closer and start to describe the aesthetic you want the space to embody using adjectives. Are you aiming for dark and moody? Rustic and woodsy? Bold and colorful? My clients desired a clean, bright, peaceful space for their owner’s suite bathroom remodel. Once we determined their aesthetic goals, many answers to other questions were found in the home’s existing design. For example, the vanities have the same style and details as the other bathrooms as well as the kitchen cabinetry. The white trim paint is the same white as in the rest of the house. In this phase, it’s important to keep the style and aesthetic in line with that of the other rooms of the house. Each space can have its own personality, but it creates overall cohesiveness if they share similar language.

Lastly, it’s time for the close-up. Based on everything you accomplished in the two previous levels, you can now zoom in on the details of the space: things like exactly which tile to choose, whether to select polished or satin fixtures, counter material, and the wall colors. During this step, keep referencing the goals you established in the middle phase to be sure you’re adhering to your style goals for the space. When considering a tile, for example, ask yourself if it truly fits within your desired aesthetic or whether you simply like how it looks (even though it’s not a good fit). The number of beautiful options can be overwhelming, so it helps to ask a sales associate to guide you towards tiles that fit within your aesthetic goals.

Using the panorama to close-up approach is a trusted method of navigating the dozens of decisions in any design project. It creates a framework that you and your family can utilize to see a project through from start to finish.