The new bathroom look

“I want to change the bathroom, I want something new,” is what most people would say after years spent in the same home.

Wanting to upgrade and simultaneously change the face of a bathroom might not seem a difficult step to take when the initial enthusiasm sets in. But once you get down to it, it is not simply a matter of forking out the money and making do with some dust and a bit of mess for a week or so.

The task of changing a bathroom is all about giving it new life and a fresh and better look that is probably also more contemporary and which feels comfier to live with.

That is when things start getting complicated. If your basic idea is to makeover your bathroom mildly rather than drastically so that your present bathroom stays in situ and only gets the odd accessory to boost it up, you may require the trendiest kind of accessories for a quick-fix solution.

Revamping a bathroom instantly is relatively simple – new curtains, towels, bath mats and lighting. A new towel rack, some baskets to hold dirty laundry, cosmetics neatly organised and lots of cactus plants can do the trick.

Finding the space to introduce new elements or simply changing what you already own usually does wonders.

Installing a new mirror is another good idea since most modern mirrors come conveniently equipped with LED lighting, and can totally change the basic look of your room. If you aim for a larger mirror, you will probably also acquire a feeling of more space and light.

However, if you want to be more radical, you might decide to have the most contemporary tiles, flooring and wall decor. Finding out what constitutes ‘contemporary’ design takes some research.

Roaming around bathroom shops and centres to find out what is available can somewhat complicate things and may make things even more confusing.

Do you get green tiles? Are they fashionable? Or would black look better? But you don’t want to have a dark room ambience, so perhaps yellow would look nicer, fresher…

First things first. Where colours are concerned, the fashion focus is on muted colours, such as beige or grey and, in combination, these two colours help create a contemporary, modern but warm look.

Karina Spiteri of Vella Falzon Bathrooms has a keen eye on what styles to combine with these colours. “A common trend is to aim for a very simple and smooth look for sanitary wares, mixed and embellished with feature walls that can be of a wallpaper effect or a more textured feel.”

An innovation to look forward to next year is the ‘marble look’. It is trendy, rich and sumptuous, but at the same time smart and chic. This look can last a lifetime as it’s a classic style many people would be especially keen to adopt.

Such a feature is in line with another innovative look also linked firmly to the nature theme which proved popular this year.

The most trend-setting bathrooms of 2011 came equipped with large, ribbed tiles, giving off a glossy effect. This was coupled with a vibrant colour that was offset with a decorative feature design.

Another look from a nature-inspired material is a natural stone feature wall. This can be used as cladding for indoor rooms such as bathrooms. Its rough, textured look and earthy colours complement almost every style, especially those ruled by the beige-grey combination.

So aim for elegance, sleekness and a chic wash basin, bath or water closet, but render them charmingly closer to nature through the use of neutral and muted colours on walls that may be temptingly rustic or reminiscent of the seaside – but never, ever dull.