By Gareth Griffiths
Summer is coming! Your bathroom is your inner sanctuary, regardless of its size. Here’s some ideas curated from various independent sources on how you can improve and personalise it.
Try waterproof wallpaper! Or create a spacious bathroom layout with white or pastels paired with wood accents, like a teak stool, and a fluffy bath mat for spa-like vibes. Try biophilia, also spoken about by many experts. Or make use of accents like low-maintenance plants, or vibrantly coloured window frames and a few designer towels.
Wallpaper the wet room!
Spring 2022 could be the year to give it a go. The prediction is that bright and bold wallpaper will prove popular this year, adding a playful pop to otherwise serene bathrooms: “Wallpapered bathrooms of the 1980s will be making a comeback and with the right choice, any room can be transformed”, says one expert.
Whether you decide to create a tropical theme powder room or go conventional by choosing a romantic floral pattern for your wet room, there are many permutations of this theme. Get creative and bring some fun to your bathroom. For a wet room, vinyl wallpaper is ideal because of its resistance to moisture and humidity. If it’s a large space, try a printed wall hanging or pattern on the wallpaper. If your bathroom is small, choose to paper just one wall or the corner of a room; this gives the illusion of a bigger bathroom.
Add black accents to the bathroom
Contrast hints of black with neutral colours and raw materials for a bold look. Black taps and light fixtures could be a starting point, suggests Tamara Kelly of Woman & Home in the USA. Apparently, certain experts say that antique brass fittings have ‘seen their day’.
Convert to a bathroom suite
What does this mean, you rightfully ask? While larger bathrooms and primary suites will continue to be a trend, one must consider that more people now are permanently working from home. How can we adapt? And how can we adapt to SA’s indoor-outdoor lifestyle.
For a main bathroom suite, fixtures in gold-tone finishes are becoming more readily used and experts feel will continue to be adopted. These will continue to grow in popularity and can stand alone and work nicely with traditional and modern aesthetics.
The home spa
It was very popular ‘back in the day’ to have a large spa bath with water jets, although its star has faded slightly due to the drive tosave water. However, homeowners increasingly want their sanctuaries, and there’s nothing more calming than the sound of running water, right?
Adding to the ‘sanctuary’ feel is to ensure an uncluttered look in the bathroom. Use strategically placed cabinets to conceal your bath paraphernalia. Add a few plants, or some other organic elements to bring in nature, or as they say, introduce biophilia.
Vintage furnishing
A vintage piece of furniture adds an unexpected layer of visual interest and becomes a conversation piece in a bathroom. You can use a vintage chest of drawers or armoire, or use a vintage sideboard for the double sink vanity. This brings complexity to the sparkling new bathroom.
White marble
This is a big trend at present. Luxury stone slabs are a trend that may well prove more popular than ever in both bathrooms and in kitchens this Summer.
You can add a luxurious feel to any space. The most adopted applications include classic white marble with distinctive gray or gold veins running through the stone; and black marble that gives a sleek, contemporary finish.
