Episode 72: Bathroom Design Essentials- Choosing your bathroom style and colours

Where to start with the look and feel?

Think about what you really gravitate to – What do you really love?

• Create mood boards either online or with magazine cut outs 
• You can also look at Pinterest, Instagram and Houzz 
• Interior designer portfolios 
• Bathroom showroom will allow you to touch and feel materials  

• Calming and relaxing 
• Bright and fun  
• Dark and moody 

Think about the look – here are some ideas 

• Bright and airy– more functional compared to a dark bathroom  
• Colourful– if you want to inject more colour and personality into the space. 
• Monochromatic- if you want to keep it simple 
• Tropical 
• Moroccan 
• Traditional 
• Modern 
• Shabby Chic 
• Modernist style  

How to design for multiple bathrooms

If you have more than one bathroom, do you want them all to be the same or do you want to use this as a creative opportunity to design the bathrooms differently? 

• Opt for each bathroom to be the same or have them completely different.  

• You can use one element throughout all the bathrooms to create a link. For instance, having the same benchtop but different cabinetry or tiles.  
• There is no hard and fast rule. It is going to come down to the look and feel that you are trying to create and what your preference is 
• Some clients prefer to have their powder room stand out by adding loud wallpaper, using brightly coloured wallpapers or texture. 
• Be brave and if you don’t feel confident pulling it together, ask for help.  

Starting out

• Homes need to have a consistent tone for it to flow and to create continuity – For instance, if you are using a warm colour tone, warm colours such as beiges and browns should be applied to the rest of the home including bathrooms. 

• Warm=beiges and brown Vs Cool= greys 

Choosing Material Colours

• Leading piece-what the rest of the scheme is going to revolve around. 
  • Feature tile 
  • Cabinetry colour 
  • Benchtop 
• Choose something you love- material, tile, colour or shape 
• Dark or light cabinetry 
  • Depending on what your leading piece is, you need to make sure that it’s going to co-ordinate with the colour tone of the cabinetry 
  • Overall look- If you want dark and moody then you may have a dark tile, dark vanity and dark benchtop. Or if you want to create a bit of contrast, you may induce a light timber vanity on dark tiles.   
  • Add texture, shape or colour to break it up – generally with a feature tile or feature benchtop. 
• Timber in a bathroom can be created through;- 
  • Timber cabinetry – either solid or laminate version 
  • Timber top- Timber handles- as an accent can look very sophisticated. It creates warmth in the space 
  • Timber for floating shelves 
  • Avoid grey-based timbers- not a reflection of nature, looks artificial 
  • If you going to use timber, make sure you use a natural looking colour 

• Less is more 
  • Don’t mix your timber types. Try to have your timber consistent in colour tone. It doesn’t have to be the exact type, tone is important.  
  • Having the same floor and wall tiles? 
    • For a small bathroom,  having the same floor and wall tiles is ideal because it creates simplicity in the space.  
• How to incorporate colour 
  • Coloured tiles 
    • A splashback above the vanity 
    • Feature tile on the floor 
    • Feature tile on the wall 
    • Kitkat tiles are very popular now  – skinny, thick, multi coloured and  textured 
  • Coloured cabinetry 
    • Navy is very popoular right now
    • Organic greens- sage greens, olive greens or earthy greens 
    • Choose a colour you love though 
  • Benchtop  
    • • Natural feature stone – green, pink, marbled, coloured concrete 
• Colour Combinations 
  • Timber with plain coloured cabinetry 
  • Darker cabinetry and lighter benchtop 
  • Darker tiles and lighter cabinetry 
  • Lighter timber with darker tiles 
  • Light cabinetry, light benchtop and light tiles but then incorporate texture so it’s not clinical. 

Mood boards are an excellent resource to how your designer as it allows them to get inside your head. They can see your design direction and what you are gravitating to.