Fashionable update
Until recently, the prevailing view was that bathrooms should be timeless: they should look good for 20 years and sidestep fashions that would date them.
However, the bathroom's new-found confidence means that the tide is turning. On-trend finishes and patterns are now big news in the contemporary bathroom, as are interchangeable cabinet fronts (in case you get bored of the colour you chose), accentuating trims and handles, and lighting effects.
“Even though people's willingness to experiment with fashions in the bathroom will always be limited because it's such an investment-intensive part of the home, there are still plenty of bold ideas, such as a bathtub and matching vanity unit with a textile covering made of water-repellent fabric,” says Wischmann.
“That kind of innovation is often driven by the use of new materials that will last for years – even in an environment like the bathroom, which is usually dominated by hard surfaces,” he continues.
That's not to say that bathrooms are not still designed to last. Fashion may have forged a path into the bathroom, but it's adaptable and focused on needs rather than trends alone.