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IDEAS FOR TURNING THE SMALLEST ROOM IN THE HOUSE INTO A PALACE
Picture the scene – dappled sunlight illuminating the luxurious freestanding bath, the restful aromas of fragrant oils, polished stone floors warm to the touch from underfloor heating, thick cotton bathrobes and gentle music playing … 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 becoming sought-after sanctuaries from the busy outside world and are usually a homeowner’s number one priority when it comes to renovations and home improvements . .
The only limit to bathroom renovation ideas is how far your imagination can take you. Functionality and form are merging in a fusion of polished modernity, but it’s all about personal preference and 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. Ideas are being sourced from anywhere and everywhere – from factory-style industrialism to natural waterfalls carved from ancient rock, exotic resorts and Eastern bathing rituals, to the grandeur of palaces of old to the timeless beauty of nature. Exposed aggregate, natural wood and tactile stone combine beautifully with integrated units, hidden joins, highly polished surfaces, stainless steel, marble and glass in an exciting and tactile package.
There’s no wrong or right. What is new is a move towards seamless integration and cohesion.
A current trend is to design ’wet-room-style’ bathrooms which create a seam-free space, unhindered by walls and doors, say a leading Perth supplier of plumbing products and surface drainage in Perth, Western Australia. By eliminating the traditional glass shower enclosure and using sloping floors and cleverly designed shower drains and grates to channel the water flow, the whole space opens up into a beautiful oasis.
Another bathroom trend follows the open-plan living concept whereby the bathroom is integrated into the bedroom. Clever design is again the name of the game to ensure that privacy and discretion isn’t compromised.
The choice of materials is also far greater and more sophisticated these days, and people are mixing the materials up to create a very tactile experience. Traditional bathroom coverings such as marble, tile, stone and wood are being paired with edgy materials such as mosaic, treated concrete, stucco, coloured glass, metallics and stainless steel to create endless options from the sleek, seamless and minimalistic, traditional Victorian, eco-friendly, rough and rustic to futuristic and fabulous.
Colour schemes range from the wacky and wild to perennially popular neutrals and whites. It’s all about personal choice, but some of the more popular schemes today are mocha, black and grey, chocolate and cream, bright blue and lime green. Recurring shapes in bathrooms (ie the shape of the basin, the shape of the bath etc) also need to be considered, with square or rectangular shapes still popular and ovals and freeflowing forms also coming to the fore.
You don’t have to rob a bank to find bathroom renovation ideas to suit your needs and your budget. The internet, décor magazines, trade shows and exhibitions offer a treasure trove of ideas and options to create your own special space. What is important is creating something that marries form as well as function, so that you have a beautiful space that really works.
Mosaic Marble