Bathroom trends: 9 design ideas making a splash in 2021 - Grand Designs Magazine

Bathroom trends: 9 design ideas making a splash in 2021

From statement stone to fluted finishes and Japandi-inspired schemes, these trends will define bathroom design over the coming year.

By Hugh Metcalf |

Take inspiration from the latest trends in bathroom design for your renovation project.

 contemporary bathroom with traditional stone wall - John Pawson x COCOON - grand designs

Image: John Pawson x Cocoon collaboration, C.P. Hart 

A bathroom is a significant home renovation project, and not one you’ll want ot change in a hurry, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create a trend-led space. Bathroom trends are subtler than in other rooms in your home, meaning that you can still take influence from the latest and greatest styles, without your bathroom falling out of fashion in a year or two.

Take a look at the finishes, colours, shapes and materials favoured by creative bathroom designers right now.

Curved lines

curved and tinted ex.t Nouveau shower screen - home improvements - grand designs

Image: Ex.t 

From arches in interior architecture to curvaceous fixtures and fittings, flowing lines are becoming a popular design trope for the bathroom. Counteracting spaces which can often be small, boxy and defined by vertical and horizontal lines, curves soften to bring new levels of comfort the space. Look for sculptural freestanding bathtubs, arch mirrors or even this distinct rounded shower screen from Ex.t to bring curved lines to your design.

Reeded glass

https://www.instagram.com/p/B79USxGB-5Z/

Crittall-inspired shower screens remain a go-to for contemporary bathrooms, but there’s been an explosion in reeded, or fluted, glass styles in recent times. More than it’s function as a privacy glass, it brings another texture to a bathroom; a space that can often feel flat.

Feature fixtures

Ripples blue shower tray - home improvements - grand designs

Image: Ripples 

Less known traditionally for huge amounts of character, bathroom fittings have become more experimental, creating focal points throughout the bathroom. The likes of designer brassware with a unique twist, pretty decorative basins or even a shower tray such as this: the Hybrid from Ripples – a geometric design with a concealed drain, offer a new and exciting way to bring more detail and texture to your bathroom.

Colour

drummonds emerald bathroom - home improvements - grand designs

Image: Drummonds

Think beyond a colourful bath towel when it comes to adding colour into the mix of your bathroom design. A growing movement towards a more-is-more style of design is seeing colour used in greater quanitites, spread across walls, floors and ceilings, as in this design by Rebirth by Cuschieri Architects using Drummonds bathroom fittings, as well as fixtures and fittings too. While a whole generation may have spent their time ripping out avocado colour bathroom suites, colourful basins and even baths have made a comeback for the start of a new decade.

Natural variation

stone and ceramic warehouse Loom Greige - home improvements - grand designs

Image: Stone and Ceramic Warehouse

Natural-inspired elements are great for embracing the trend for biophilic design, improving our relationship with a space because of the connection of being outside and enjoying nature. Look for finishes that embrace an organic finish, whether that’s in natural materials such as raw edge or decoratively grained wood, or even just those that allow for natural variation down to a handcrafted nature. These Loom tiles, from Stone and Ceramic Warehouse, may have a more industrial look, but slight changes in colour and texture from tile to tile add a great deal of interest to the overall finish.

Take inspiration from the latest trends in bathroom design for your renovation project.

 contemporary bathroom with traditional stone wall - John Pawson x COCOON - grand designs

Image: John Pawson x Cocoon collaboration, C.P. Hart 

A bathroom is a significant home renovation project, and not one you’ll want ot change in a hurry, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create a trend-led space. Bathroom trends are subtler than in other rooms in your home, meaning that you can still take influence from the latest and greatest styles, without your bathroom falling out of fashion in a year or two.

Take a look at the finishes, colours, shapes and materials favoured by creative bathroom designers right now.

Curved lines

curved and tinted ex.t Nouveau shower screen - home improvements - grand designs

Image: Ex.t 

From arches in interior architecture to curvaceous fixtures and fittings, flowing lines are becoming a popular design trope for the bathroom. Counteracting spaces which can often be small, boxy and defined by vertical and horizontal lines, curves soften to bring new levels of comfort the space. Look for sculptural freestanding bathtubs, arch mirrors or even this distinct rounded shower screen from Ex.t to bring curved lines to your design.

Reeded glass

https://www.instagram.com/p/B79USxGB-5Z/

Crittall-inspired shower screens remain a go-to for contemporary bathrooms, but there’s been an explosion in reeded, or fluted, glass styles in recent times. More than it’s function as a privacy glass, it brings another texture to a bathroom; a space that can often feel flat.

Feature fixtures

Ripples blue shower tray - home improvements - grand designs

Image: Ripples 

Less known traditionally for huge amounts of character, bathroom fittings have become more experimental, creating focal points throughout the bathroom. The likes of designer brassware with a unique twist, pretty decorative basins or even a shower tray such as this: the Hybrid from Ripples – a geometric design with a concealed drain, offer a new and exciting way to bring more detail and texture to your bathroom.

Colour

drummonds emerald bathroom - home improvements - grand designs

Image: Drummonds

Think beyond a colourful bath towel when it comes to adding colour into the mix of your bathroom design. A growing movement towards a more-is-more style of design is seeing colour used in greater quanitites, spread across walls, floors and ceilings, as in this design by Rebirth by Cuschieri Architects using Drummonds bathroom fittings, as well as fixtures and fittings too. While a whole generation may have spent their time ripping out avocado colour bathroom suites, colourful basins and even baths have made a comeback for the start of a new decade.

Natural variation

stone and ceramic warehouse Loom Greige - home improvements - grand designs

Image: Stone and Ceramic Warehouse

Natural-inspired elements are great for embracing the trend for biophilic design, improving our relationship with a space because of the connection of being outside and enjoying nature. Look for finishes that embrace an organic finish, whether that’s in natural materials such as raw edge or decoratively grained wood, or even just those that allow for natural variation down to a handcrafted nature. These Loom tiles, from Stone and Ceramic Warehouse, may have a more industrial look, but slight changes in colour and texture from tile to tile add a great deal of interest to the overall finish.

Image: Mandarin Stone

Statement stone

Whether fabricated panels or worktops made from natural or composite stones, or effect-style porcelain tiles, such as these from Mandarin Stone, homeowners are embracing styles with ornate patterning in chasing a truly unique interior for their home. From marbles with bold, statement veining to the growing popularity of terrazzo, there’s more than one way to embrace this trend in your bathroom.

Smart bathroom tech

VitrA V Care showing VitrA Smart Panel Flushplate - home improvements - grand designs

Image: VitrA

The home technology takeover continues and the bathroom is a space that is, perhaps surprisingly, leading the revolution. Mirrored wall cabinets can be found with Bluetooth-connected speakers and built-in lighting that’s touch-sensor controlled, while showers can be remotely operated to ensure that the temperature is always enjoyable for you, and safe for children.

For more inspiration in how to create a smart bathroom, consult this guide to the latest bathroom technology.

Feature flooring

ca pietra rotterdam tiles herringbone gradient flooring - bathroom home improvement - grand designs

Image: Ca’Pietra 

Patterned floor tiles have set a precedent for creating a feature out of bathroom flooring. Now, you’ll witness an evolution of the trend with even more decorative detailing added to a scheme from the ground up. There’s a growing creativity in the use of floor tiles, including ideas such as this ombré herringbone from Ca’Pietra and using penny tiles to create words in a bathroom floor, alongside simple, effective ideas such as using flooring to zone different areas of larger bathroom spaces.

Trough basins

Porter marble and brass Clyde Freestanding Vanity in bathroom - home improvements - grand designs.jpg

Image: Porter 

While you may not want to discount the countertop basin quite yet, larger, long trough-style basins are surging in popularity for modern bathrooms., offering a more streamlined look, as well as being easy to clean and maintain when made from a single material.

 

Are you updating your bathroom in the near future? Let us know by tweeting us @granddesignsmag or post a comment on our Facebook page.

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