Other people’s tastes are not necessarily right for you, but if you’re looking for ideas, they can provide a good starting point. If you have very definite ideas about how you want your remodeled bathroom to look, go right ahead and do it, but you might be missing out on some new looks. Here is what top interior designers are talking about this year.
Chicer Showers
Is chicer even a word? It is now. It is how people are phrasing the idea of something more stylish or chic than what came before. Even the French, who invented much of the language of fashion, would say plus chic, but then they don’t have the advantage that English speakers do of putting er on the end of an adjective.
Whatever the grammatical niceties, we all know what is meant by a chicer shower. The shower is a wonderfully practical idea that does the job of washing a body more effectively and hygienically than a bath. But just because it is so practical, that doesn’t mean the unit where we do it can’t be attractive. We’re not hosing down horses here, and the shower doesn’t have to be a spray over a bath with a plastic curtain to keep the water in. If you have that arrangement and you’re happy with it, all well and good, but if you don’t really use the bathtub, why not ditch it and save some room? Then install a stylish cubicle, maybe with a touch of etching on the glass? And rather than that ugly rubber mat stuck to the floor beneath your feet, you can have a lightly textured non-slip surface.
Smart Bathroom Technology
Bathrooms have been quietly raising their game in the technology stakes. Taps that you wave at rather than touching, flushes that know when they are needed, and motion-sensitive lights that save money because you can’t forget to turn them off: these innovations have been available for years, but how many people have got them in their home? The way smart technology is going, with systems that can monitor a building for issues and even potential future issues, the bathroom could be considered the pioneer among rooms, and you can elevate your humble bathroom to something decidedly more state-of-the-art.
Sustainable Materials
Not so much a design matter as a core element of modern thinking, using sustainable materials as part of your bathroom remodel is the responsible thing to do. If you are doing your bit for the environment by recycling and reusing, don’t forget that the materials you use in your new bathroom have environmental implications too. If you’re not sure what can be done in this area, ask your bathroom contractor about it and see what they have to offer.
Creative Tiles
Tiles are the kings of the bathroom, the basic materials that can set the tone via style and color. If plain white is your idea of what a clean, hygienic bathroom should look like, that is, of course, still an option. But you can get creative with tiles, both ceramic and natural, in a huge variety of styles, and if they are kept clean, there can be an ambience that says health and safety as well as being distinctive and expressing your personality.
Freestanding Bathtubs
It’s funny how some ideas are thrown out through misguided ideas of what is “modern”, only to return years later as a style choice. Someone somewhere must have once decided that the place for a bathtub was up against the wall, preferably in a corner, with sealant keeping any stray drops from seeping down into the newly created dark area below.
Freestanding bathtubs are now back with a bang, many (but not all) with that claw-foot design, and evoking earlier times when movie stars luxuriated in them while the public made do with a galvanized tin tub in front of the fire. Today, most people have access to a comfortable, well-equipped bathroom in a pleasantly warm, dry house, so we can bring back the freestanding bathtub and use it as a style statement.
Minimalist Design
Less is more, as the modern motto goes, and this can be applied to bathroom design by keeping everything functional rather than elaborate. While that may sound stark, it can be very effective and give an atmosphere of smooth luxury that is contemporary in its own way. If that way is your way, go ahead and keep it simple.
If your ideas run in a different direction, maybe with mixed metals, which can be warm, like gold and brass, or cool like stainless steel and chrome, you can incorporate some of that, and all the better for it. Alternatively, perhaps soft color palettes are your thing. In either case, you can be bang on trend too, and whether that is important to you or not, so long as it makes you feel good, that’s what matters.
