INTERIOR DESIGNER BATHROOM STYLING TIPS (2024)

Bathrooms are one of my favourite rooms to design. When designing it’s always a balance of space planning, creating a focal point, contrast, adding warmth and practicality. This shoot took place in our bathroom at home. The handmade floor tiles honour the heritage of our home. The wall tiles are a nod to a traditional subway but undulate which adds movement and texture. The vanity and shelf were designed in a dark oak which brings in our timber floors through the rest of the house. The bath was repurposed out of our old bathroom but I loved how it added depth and a focal point.

Every bathroom is different, and the mix of the design details vary depending on the era of the home, the client’s aesthetic, budget and so on. One thing which I feel is universal in bathrooms is their need for character, because (as a general rule), they are mainly made up of hard surfaces which can easily lack interest and beauty. Below are my interior designer bathroom styling tips to help you elevate your space to make it more of a sanctuary and a place which feels like home.

ADD LAYERS

More layers, more interest – however scale and balance always play a part in getting this right. If you are wanting to display small items together (trinkets and treasures) a tray is always a good idea for anchoring these and ensuring it doesn’t end up looking messy.If you have shelves or space on your vanity, grouping 3 items together looks lovely. In this instance, on the vanity top, we have grouped our Little Miss Sweet Peawith a soap dispenser and a facecloth which brings all of the colours together and adds texture at the same time. For our shelf, we added a framed print at the back (add art with caution – depending on the artwork and the moisture levels) as the shelf needed something with height to add interest and create balance. We then layered the shelf with our artificial plants (in differing heights) and a candle. Under the shelf we placed our Rattan Basketon a stool, which holds an overflow of towels. We have also added onto the vanity our gorgeous French Style Wire Basket- a great option for storing flannels or hand towels whilst adding a design element to the space. When composing a focal point consider how your eye reads the room - you should be able to pan across a space and it make you happy – if it doesn’t, have another play!

ADD TEXTURE

Towels are the obvious choice, if you can stretch to Turkish towels they are a beautiful option - the hand woven nature of these means that they can finish the towels with a fringe detail, which adds an extra layer of interest. Waffle, ribbed or jacquard weaves are also wonderful options for adding texture. (Some of my favourite brands are Ottoloom, Cultiver, Baina, Seneca and Citta).Heated towel rails are the obvious choice for towels, but you can also stack them on shelves, put them in a basket, or drape one over a bath or on a stool.

ADD FRAGRANCE

There is something magical about a bathroom that doesn’t only look good, but also smells good! The Ashley and Co diffusers are a wonderful option and you can place these behind other objects if you don’t want to make the bottle a feature. We also love a good candle, not only for their smell but for the ambience they provide at night – nothing like a candle-lit bath!

ADD LIGHTING

We are such believers in our cordless lamps that it’s going to be hard not to mention them in every blog post! Our lamps are IP44 rated which means they are suitable in a bathroom or even outdoors. We tried to captivate the ambience they create in the evening – but the image is never quite as good as the real deal. We have 2 lighting options – the ‘Pina’ and the ‘Olivia Pro’– The pina is very minimal and creates a beautiful atmosphere but isn’t a visual feature. The Olivia Pro is slightly bigger and reads as a layer and design element in a grouping. Both are dimmable and amazing.

ADD BOTANICALS

As always, they are the key element to bringing life to a space – this includes the bathroom. We have a variety of options for the bathroom which we have showcased in this newsletter including one of our favourites being the newly released Hanging Hoya plant. Keeping plants alive in the bathroom is always a challenge so our faux options really come into their own for these spaces.

WARM TONES

If your bathroom doesn’t have any fixed timber accents, it may need some ‘warming up’. I would look to add timber or rattan styling elements which complement the bathroom and your homes aesthetic. In our home we already have a timber vanity and shelf but I have added a little stool which could be kept in front of a free-standing bathtub, or placed strategically in the bathroom somewhere.

COLOUR

Every bathroom is different, so colours are very subjective, however it’s always a good idea to take cues from your existing bathroom tones and/or the environment. Our bathroom window looks out to layers of green foliage so bringing in green is an easy and beautiful choice. (We also have a busy floor, so I wanted to keep the scheme sympathetic, not dominating or taking away from that as the focal point). Towels, styling items and botanicals are a great way to bring things together

Remember, styling is fun, try things, step back, move things, tweak and try again.

BATHROOM STYLING VIDEO