COMFORT & Character
Designers and decorators are breaking contemporary conventions in bathroom design, shunning spa-inspired calm and wet-room practicality for more playful, individual settings
A notable move to reinstate comfort, individuality – even drama – in bathroom design echoes those great decorators at the turn of the 20th century – Nancy Lancaster and Elsie de Wolfe – for whom bathrooms had to have as much charm, interest and personality as any other room in the home. Here, we take inspiration from six detail-filled spaces created by modern decorators redefining expectations in bathroom design.
SARAH VANRENEN Interior designer
En-suite bathroom in her own home
“Growing up I went to stay in lots of country houses which all had uber-comfortable bathrooms, usually with carpets and often with armchairs or something comfortable to sit on. Bathrooms are so important; they are the first room you enter in the morning and the last you leave at night and they should be welcoming, a place to linger (if you have time). There is something so wonderfully luxurious about sitting in the bath with a glass of wine while your other half chats to you from a chair. It is great, when the opportunity allows, to treat the bathroom like an extension of the bedroom. Using curtains or upholstery in bathrooms is similar to including a carpet or a rug. If it gets wet, it gets wet – it will dry again. Nowadays there are so many incredible tiles to choose from that you can have fun creating different patterns and atmospheres while being able to have underfloor heating to boot.”
HENRI FITZWILLIAM-LAY Interior designer
En-suite bathroom in a period rectory for a client
‘‘ Tiles are the perfect way to bring colour, pattern and texture into a bathroom. I like to see the walls and floors as a blank canvas and create a ‘frieze’ or ‘carpet’ to fill the space. How you lay a tile can completely change the way it reads and it creates its own texture. For example, a rectangular tile can be laid in a brick bond (staggered) or herringbone style, or stacked in vertical or horizontal rows, and each will change the look of the tile. You can create pattern by mixing colours, make stripes by using rows in different shades, or add a patterned border to define areas – the possibilities are endless. Th
