Imagine the indulgence – a shower that feels like an invigorating walk in a rainforest, a deep bath in water infused with nourishing oils, gleaming basins that look like oversized shells nestled in a bed of impossibly beautiful marble, thick towels warming up on the heated rail, a seamless view to the private garden beyond … It’s idyllic and it’s a perfect antidote to the hectic real world – only it’s real and it’s in your own home!
Bathrooms of today are being treated more as luxurious retreats than as functional utilities. They’re the perfect place to relax, indulge, escape and recharge, and it’s not surprising that they are one of the most popular spaces to renovate . .
Bathroom renovation ideas are unlimited. Anything goes – with form and functionality merging in style. Modern techniques, detailing and new materials are being combined in clever ways to create edgy and slick spaces that still provide old fashioned comfort and unbridled luxury. Inspiration comes from unexpected and interesting sources – factories and palaces, exotic resorts and ancient bathing customs, Eastern exotic to natural exuberance, marine influences to industrial chic. Cascading rain showers, floor to ceiling frameless glass, high gloss polished surfaces co-existing with earthy naturals all combine to create a visually rich and tactile experience.
There’s no right or wrong. But the current thinking is seamless surfaces and invisible joints that make the sum of the parts into one cohesive and harmonious whole.
According to Civil & General, a leading supplier of plumbing products in Perth, Western Australia, one key trend is to make a bathroom into a ‘wet room’, where the shower is no longer an enclosed glass compartment but rather an open space that integrates seamlessly with the entire design. Sloping floors and cleverly integrated drainage grates consign the traditional shower enclosure to history, making the whole bathroom one seamless, integrated sanctuary.
Bathrooms are also being integrated into the main bedroom areas. Again, clever design enables privacy and discretion without compromising the seamless integration.
There’s also a huge choice of new materials to use in bathroom design these days, and people aren’t afraid to mix the rough with the smooth to create a visually rewarding and very tactile effect. Some of the options include mosaics, glass and coloured glass, ceramics, metallics, stainless steel and copper, marble and travertine, stone, wood and limestone – which can be used to create any theme from Victorian to futuristic.
Bathroom colour schemes are as individual as you are – ranging from moody black to pure white. It’s such a personal choice, but many people are pushing the boundaries of convention when it comes to schemes and there are trends towards the chocolate and coffee shades, charcoal and black, pure white and grey and antique cream. Angular shapes such as square baths, rectangular basins etc are still popular but there is a move back to more natural shapes, such as oval, circular and even asymmetrical shapes.
A bathroom renovation doesn’t have to cost the earth. You’ll find a wealth of information on the internet, in decorating and homemakers’ magazines, books, the showrooms of bathroom design companies and suppliers as well as home improvement programmes on TV. It’s your space, and the only thing that is really important is that it works for you.
Posted under Miscellaneous Content
This post was written by admin on August 21, 2010
