15 inspiring bathroom trends
From tinted shower screens to Japanese baths, explore these fresh ideas
Overhauling your bathroom is an exciting prospect but it can also make a significant dent in your wallet. So you’ll want to create a scheme that looks fresh and contemporary, and includes bathroom trends that are set to stand the test of time. The following ideas have a lasting appeal will look good long into the future.
1. Brass fittings
Natural or unlacquered brass fittings have an antique look that further develops a unique patina over time. They are an ideal complement for a rustic or industrial-style scheme. Try the Bespoke Landmark Pure bath filler in Urban Brass from samuel-heath.com, as shown below.
Photo: Samuel Heath
2. Reclaimed materials
Choose to reuse by restoring original features, such as floorboards, and including reclaimed materials or salvaged finds. If you can’t track down the kind of salvaged bathtub you want, try upcycling your own with aged brass panels from quirkyinteriors.co.uk, as shown below.
Aged brass panels from quirkyinteriors.co.uk. Photo: Debi Treloar
3. Pastel shades
Muted pastel shades are a dominant bathroom trend for walls, floors and fixtures in 2022. Look out for tiles and sanitaryware in shades of sage, rose, pale ochre and lilac. Using pink and green together – like this scheme featuring an Artis surface-mounted oval washbasin in Sage Green and Finion freestanding bath, both from villeroy-boch.co.uk – is proving a surprisingly enduring trend for both kitchens and bathrooms.
Photo: Villeroy & Boch
4. Coloured glass panels
Every element of a new bathroom can be decorative, even a glass shower panel. This collection, which features a Nouveau shower box with pale pink 8mm glass (also available in pale green or clear) and Nouveau LivingTec basin, shelf and cabinet from ex-t.com, is inspired by early 20th-century Art Deco design.
Photo: Ex.t
5. Rustic finishes
Alongside the shift towards soft-sheen and matt surfaces, there’s a bathroom trends movement towards rustic tiles that are, or look, handmade. The texture and colour tones of these brick-shaped Riad Terracotta matt porcelain wall tiles from mandarinstone.com offer a handcrafted effect.
Photo: Mandarin Stone
6. Natural patterns
Stone-effect tiles with rich colours and bold veining, like the Onyx Nouveau gloss porcelain rectified tiles from mandarinstone.com, shown below, bring a sense of opulence to a scheme. They offer a luxurious look without the high cost of real stone. Precision-cut porcelain allows for finer grout lines so that there’s a minimal break in the overall design.
Photo: Mandarin Stone
7. 1980s style
Bathroom tile patterns are getting bolder with graphics taking the lead. Look for versatile tile designs created to provide multiple options for geometric arrangements from symmetrical stripes and blocks to random forms. Try the Bert & May at Fired Earth porcelain tiles in Alalpardo Green, pictured below with the Versailles large sink console, both from firedearth.com.
Photo: Fired Earth
8. Japanese-style baths
Designed to be enjoyed sitting upright for a deep and relaxing soak, Japanese-style baths are compact and great for a small space. Traditionally made from timber, they can also be found in solid surface composites. Try the True Ofuro Mini freestanding Aquatex Japanese soaking bathtub in matt white from aquaticabath.co.uk.
Photo: Aquatica
9. Matt finish
High shine surfaces are making way for a subtle sheen. Manufacturers continue to launch new brassware, whether contemporary or classic in style, with brushed, matt, or unlacquered finishes. The Milano Ashurst brushed nickel thermostatic shower and freestanding bath shower mixer shown below are both from bigbathroomshop.co.uk. The Ovali bath, available in two sizes, is from bcdesigns.co.uk.
Photo: Darren Chung
10. Dual-purpose furniture
Designs offering more than one function are a versatile solution for multi-use rooms. There’s a wealth of new space-saving, dual-purpose furniture to choose from, such as this Cielo Narciso floorstanding vanity unit from cphart.co.uk that doubles as a dressing table .
Photo: CP Hart
