SMART THINKING

Create a relaxing sanctuary in your bathroom with shades drawn from nature, harmonious lighting and calming scents.

Create a relaxing sanctuary in your bathroom with calming scents, harmonious lighting and colour.

Embrace the moody, dark palette that Mother Nature has created for this year’s new trends in bathroom design. Gone are the stark white and gleaming bright surfaces. Instead, there’s an almost Gothic-like mix of colours, with panelled walls in dark forest-green hues, and wallpapers in textured shades of grey. Black accessories in tapware and heating rails keep the look modern and fresh.

Say goodbye to traditional marble and move towards darker flooring options such as a mottled-grey tiled floor and add a touch of foliage to bring the outdoors inside. If it’s a tropical plant or something floral, the inclusion of botanicals will offer a bold impact. Oversized lighting also creates a statement, such as a chandelier or giant pendant, and it can give any bathroom a completely different feel.

Long gone are cluttered spaces and clinically white rooms. The pared-back bathroom today is more like a cocoon. It’s all about being relaxed. Edit your amenities and hang your towels or stack them neatly in a basket. Keep things simple. Linking the colour palette to nature immediately brings a calm harmony that suggests your very own spa, where you can fill the bath with your favourite bath salts, light as many candles as you wish, let the day float away, de-stress and unwind. This quiet sense of comfort is about looking after yourself, making sure you take a moment to stop, reflect and rest. Enjoy the ritual of having a bath when you light the candles, choosing just the right bath essence for the moment as you discover your bathroom is the perfect place to retreat and relax, and find time for yourself.