Today, contemporary bathroom design is about more than simply building beautiful yet functional spaces, it’s increasingly focused on creating calming sensory experiences, seamlessly weaving in wellness with luxury. Many want to create rich, spa-inspired retreats to relax and unwind in. More bathrooms in central London now feature facilities typically associated with luxury spas, including bespoke saunas, customised spa baths with whirlpool systems and showers complete with steam modules, spray patterns and sound and light. Waterproof televisions or built-in audio systems can also add to the sense of luxury of a home spa.
As well as the trend for allocating greater floor space to the bathroom, careful streamlining, symmetry and accenting of space tends to set apart exceptional modern bathroom design.
Layout is especially important in order to create a bathroom that makes a statement while being practical. ‘The easiest way to do this is by deciding on a key focal point such as an extravagant basin or an elevated platform for a roll top bath’, says Eleanor Padgett of Dexters Mayfair. ‘Materials such as stone, concrete, marble and wood are very popular options, giving a ‘raw’ industrial-luxe look, complemented by glass, brushed brass or rose gold’.
To set apart any bathroom, incorporating light features such as colour therapy in showers and spa baths and under-seat lighting in saunas and hammam areas to create sensual and soothing spaces. Recessed wall and shower lighting, pendant lighting and built-in LEDs can also create specific zones within your bathroom spa space. Alternatively, you could look to materials like glass to optimise light.
