The bathroom. The lavatory. The throne. Every house has one, and every house needs one (case-in-point: have you ever heard the term “outhouse” in a positive light?). 

Now, because it’s seen as more of a utility room rather than a leisurely one (often by people who haven’t experienced a bubble bath yet), interior decorating in the world of bathrooms is often overlooked, or at least, often undertaken without much thought.

But… why? The bathroom, on all fronts, is a place of serenity. Whether it’s being used to cleanse yourself after a long day, get ready for an important event (or an evening of fun) or just to seek a moment of quiet whilst reading the newspaper/scrolling through Facebook. 

In short – the bathroom is the ultimate sanctuary of the home, so you really should be putting some thought into how it looks –and subsequently how it feels. 

Of course, it would be just cruel of us to tell you to decorate your bathroom without giving you some pointers on how you can do so. 

So here are a few ways to do just that.

Colour Schemes – The Tried and True Neutrals

There’s a couple of things to take into account when it comes to picking out good colours for your bathroom. There’s been a trend in recent years to stick to neutrals, specifically whites and off-whites when it comes to washrooms.

There is some wisdom to this. Neutral colours tend to feel “fresh”, which is pretty ideal considering what sort of atmosphere you’d hope for a place of cleanliness. As we’ve mentioned in past blogs, neutrals are also very good at reflecting light. This is especially useful for separate toilets where space nor natural light is in abundance. 

Colour Schemes – Try a bit of Colour

However, you can still reap the above benefits without sticking purely to a white colour scheme. It’s become extremely popular to play around with a bit of colour in bathrooms of late – particularly dark egg blues and pale greens. That’s because these colours bring the freshness of whites, but add a bit of character to any space they are used in. 

If your bathroom is larger, you can be fairly free with colours (although we recommend keeping them subtle for the above reasons). You can also use lighter blues/greens in smaller, separate toilets – just try to keep them lighter as not to create an overly dark room. Many paint retailers will happily create a half-strength version of certain colours if a particular shade has caught your eye but you’re worried that it may prove too dark. 

Fitting Designs

Although subtle, the design of your fittings will massively contribute to the character of your bathroom. Often, the difference between a modern design or something more old fashioned comes down to the style of your taps, showers and cabinetry. 

There’s no correct answer as to which style you should pick, but if you have a desired atmosphere in mind, you now know where to start. 

Breathing Space

Keep it simple. It’s perfectly fine to have a few tasteful knick-knacks placed around the bathroom, or a stack of magazines by the toilet – but don’t overdo it. Bathrooms with too much going on will start to feel claustrophobic very quickly.

Keep the clutter out, you’ll be grateful for the relaxing atmosphere that follows. 

Optional Luxuries

Now, these are by no means essential, but if you have space and the means to take your bathroom that one step further, the resulting luxuries will be well worth it. 

A spa-styled bath is probably the most popular fitting in this category – and we can see why.  They take the utilitarian act of getting clean and turn it into a time of serenity and relaxation. Flowers, or anything that provides a scent alternative to the – usual – odour associated with bathrooms wouldn’t go amiss either. 

As you can probably tell, we are big fans of well-designed bathrooms. In fact, we’re even bigger fans of well-designed homes and providing them to Kiwi’s nation-wide. Find out more here.