How to Create a Modern Bathroom
When renovating a home, the bathroom is by no means the first room on the list. Living spaces and the kitchen take precedence for enjoyment reasons, as well as for the immediacy of gratification. But a renovated and modern bathroom is the final piece of the puzzle, and can be transformative for a home – particularly with regard to its appeal and market value on the property market. But where should you start in creating a modern bathroom from scratch?
Tiling
The tiles are arguably the most important part of any modern bathroom design. They inform the feel of the room, and carry much of its character. Your options, though, are practically endless – and there are few wrong answers (besides, perhaps, avocado colours or grandma-chic flower tiles). Slate is a strong choice for a bold, elegant, dark bathroom aesthetic. So too are other forms of ‘raw’ stonework, which give a sense of opulence without ostentation.
Radiators
Often overlooked, the radiator in your bathroom can have a surprisingly powerful effect on the finished product. With bathrooms often being smaller than other spaces, banal radiator choices can stick out. Rather than going for a bog-standard white radiator that matches the house, why not indulge in something sleek and functional? Functional design is another modern trapping with roots in design tradition, and modern vertical radiators truck in that functionality well. These radiators can become statement pieces, both for hanging your best towels and for drying them at pace.
Features and Fixtures
Of course, the radiator is not necessarily the first fixture you think of when addressing the fixtures and fittings of the space. Getting it right, though, can help inform the somewhat more crucial decision of which direction to take your key units: bath, shower, sink and toilet.
For smaller bathrooms, utilising a bath might be overkill, and indeed could be deleterious to your modern bathroom ambitions. The bath-shower combination, while common, has become kitsch; better, instead, to utilise the space a bath would take for a larger, luxurious shower unit with a sleek chrome head.
Sink and toilet designs are also much wider-ranging than the average home might have you believe, with modern and stylish porcelain designs straddling the line between tradition and modernity with care. Waterfall faucets were once a stylish option, but have since been co-opted by the mid-tier restaurant. Opt instead for something understated and elegant, like a goose-neck faucet with a slight curve and brilliant sheen.
Decoration
The essentials of your bathroom now installed, you can turn your attention to final decorations and dressings. Part of your bathroom may not be tiled, such as the upper quarter of the walls or the ceiling. These could be painted in calming pastel colours, though bolder earthy greens are in vogue at the moment. As for the little details, maximalist décor remains a popular modern statement, with biophilic design taking the fore. Humidity-friendly houseplants and hanging pots are a great way to embrace nature while keeping a modern feel.
