What are bathroom trends and why should we bother following them? This is a question our Mint design experts are often asked so we thought we’d take a look at why it’s important to keep abreast of current design trends in bathrooms and what are some of the prevailing trends of today and tomorrow.

The design world is fickle and there can be many variances between what experts decide is an enduring trend or just a fad. Trends can be related to individual aspects of design such as colour and shape, or they can be about more generalised topics such as lifestyle and technology. It’s important to stay in touch with upcoming trends – not just here in Australia but around the world – because that allows us, as designers, to ensure we are offering our clients the best possible service that takes into account their specific needs.

Energy & Water Saving Solutions

So, looking forward, what can we expect to see in bathroom design? At the recent ISH fair held in Frankfurt, Germany we saw a huge focus on wellbeing and in creating spaces for wellness. This is an enduring trend that has been gaining in momentum for many years but now, with massive changes in technology and adaptation, we’re really seeing how this can be turned into personalised solutions for individual requirements. ISH is an important fair in the international design calendar as it focusses on energy and water saving solutions for buildings and, in particular, in bathrooms.

Smart Shower Heads

In terms of shower technology, we’ve seen an upsurge in the application of technology to control and personalise the showering experience. Most major manufacturers now offer a range of shower heads that can create various showering experiences via a choice of water sprays – soft, relaxing sprays, firmer massage sprays, targeted sprays and the like. Chromatherapy – the application of light to create mood – is only increasing in popularity and is now being enhanced with the addition of smell and sound.

But it’s not only the spray that can be controlled. It’s also possible to pre-set many options for your showering experience and to specify a different experience at various times of the day. For example, you may prefer an invigorating shower at the beginning of the day at a cooler temperature but prefer a lighter, more relaxing shower at a higher temperature before bed. Today’s shower technology allows you to program these settings so your shower is prepared for you, just the way you like it.

Natural Materials

Manufacturing technology has also markedly changed furniture options for the bathroom with plenty of choices to include highly realistic wood grains and natural stone effects without the accompanying issues surrounding these items in a humid environment. The move towards the inclusion of nature and materials that reflect natural finishes has been strong within the bathroom design world for many years and is only set to continue with an increasing variety of solutions available within both horizontal and vertical surfaces.

Thin Is In

In terms of basins and baths, we’ve noticed a strong move away from “chunky” edges towards a more refined, luxurious thin aesthetic. This is particularly enhanced when applied to items of considerable size within a bathroom – such as a freestanding bath or feature basin. The advent of new technology and new materials has allowed a variety of manufacturers to create extremely thin edges to these once-bulky items to add a new dimension to the design of the bathroom space.

The application of these thin elements allows designers to create new visual spaces and provides opportunities to produce a different aesthetic as they can totally change the ambiance of a bathroom area.

Colour Is In

We’ve also seen a huge upsurge in the use of colour within the bathroom. And not just as a feature strip of tiles but with colour used in clever and unique ways to craft spaces that enhance lifestyle and promote relaxation and wellness. Traditionally, bathrooms have often been seen as “white boxes” with only hints of colour but we’re seeing our clients embrace the need for colour – strong colours, bold colours, rich colours and bright colours – to not only reflect their personal style but generate a space that is inclusive and welcoming.

And, that suits our Mint designers perfectly because we don’t specialise in bland and boring! We’re loving the idea of more colour in the bathroom and not just in the obvious places. Seeing brightly coloured baths is brilliant and having a wide variety of choice in areas such as vanities, basins, toilets and accessories just makes our job so much more enjoyable.

Technologically Advanced Baths

When we talk about technology, we must talk about the amazing technology we’ve seen in baths to create a bathing experience that is out of this world. From baths with jets positioned to create a zero-gravity experience, or baths with built-in sound systems, to some of the largest baths and spas we’ve ever seen, this year’s ISH was a technology-embracing experience and we were wowed with the range of ideas on display.

Toilet Tech

We’ll touch briefly on toilet technology because in Europe the idea of a bidet is quite entrenched. So at these international design shows, we often see many very interesting ideas and applications of technology to enhance the toileting experience. Although bidets are yet to really take off here in Australia, we feel it’s important we stay in touch with what’s on offer as we’re regularly asked to create a more European-inspired bathroom design.

So, that’s our pick of the enduring trends but the other aspect to consider is how to apply them in your home. With Australians renovating their bathrooms only every 15 years or so, it’s important to temper which “trendy” items you incorporate to make sure you will still love them for many years to come. Here’s where our Mint experts are able to offer measured and reasoned advice regarding which to consider and which to dismiss, so give us a call today or drop into one of our Melbourne showrooms and let’s discuss your new bathroom design.