Design Decoded: Bathroom Special
One of the smallest rooms in the house and often the only one with real privacy, it serves to cleanse both body and soul. Form often follows function here – but it doesn't always have to be that way.
For this month’s Design Decoded I wanted to look at bathrooms. One of my favourite stats from the lockdowns is that nine per cent of people were apparently working in their bathrooms. While that might seem strange at first, I imagine that anyone with a small child would immediately empathise. Bathrooms often have locking doors, and while many toddlers insist on accompanying their parent to the loo, said parent can also legitimately asked a partner to take over for a few minutes while they escape. Whether for a private Zoom meeting, a moment’s peace, or a short cry is immaterial. This room matters.
My inbox is full of the trend for turning bathrooms into domestic spas. A few years ago I interviewed the French designer Philippe Starck about his new collection for Duravit, in the course of which which he announced (along with his reinvention of the wheel) that bathrooms need to be quiet havens for relaxation; that they were about so much more than washing our bodies, and should be spaces for personal rejuvenation. Well, as Homer Simpson might say: “Doh.”
But given that bathrooms are so often tiny, it can be hard to make them look beautiful. So I thought I’d take a look at 10 great bathrooms and point out the style features that might inspire or that you can replicate whatever the size of your own.
THE WHITE BATHROOM
Ok so this is a huge space but don’t panic. There’s lots to be taken from here. Firstly, although it’s an all-white bathroom, it’s not at all cold or clinical.
This is because the white painted floor and wall of metro tiles provides different textures, which is how you warm up a white room, wherever it is in the house.
Taking the tiles all over works really well in a small space - think Victorian public loo, but cool! It’s also easier to clean than paint.
The antique furniture brings character and more warmth. In a small bathroom it could be just a couple of wooden shelves with a trailing plant on one end. No need for a cocktail chair, darling. Although perhaps a cocktail on a small tray wouldn’t be go amiss.
Note that this bath is not a super-expensive free-standing tub. It’s just been boxed in and tiled. And, point to note, these metro (or subway) tiles are some of the cheapest you can buy. The wooden edging is going to cost a little more as it will need to be waterproof. But if you’ve saved on tiles you can perhaps buy a piece of marble and use that. Remember you will have to buy the whole slab – but the cut-out from the middle would make a great table if you buy some trestles, or even some individual legs from Tiptoe. If you do use wood, then applying a tin of yacht varnish will keep it looking pristine.
THE BLACK BATHROOM
To the other extreme. If you want a dark bathroom (and I painted my last one in very dark green) then you need to mitigate the darkness with some shiny stuff.
In here the owner has gone for full colour drench – walls, ceiling and floor. I suspect there are no menopausal women plucking stray hairs out of their chins in this one. Although maybe there are, they can’t see them and therefore they don’t care. Nothing wrong with that, either.
If, however, you don’t have a separate dressing room, then you can adapt this look. Keep the floor and ceiling light. Contrary to my usual aversion to white ceilings, you can have them in bathrooms as the “furniture” is usually white, so it looks like you meant it. There is a fashion for matt sanitaryware at the moment but if light is an issue, then go as glossy and reflective as you can.
A chandelier will also catch the light and twinkle, but there are rules about how close to water they can be. If you want one suspended above a bath you will need a high ceiling. If that doesn’t work, move it to a corner, hang it as low as possible and make a feature of it. I appreciate this is not an option for the average British bathroom, but if you are converting a bedroom for this purpose then go as bold as you can.
Finally, if you are painting, then eggshell or gloss is better in steamy rooms and more reflective than matt.
THE FEATURE BASIN