Are you one of those who want your bath space to be as impeccable as your living room? Or want to create a personal retreat rather than a ‘splash and dash' zone? Here's the latest from the designers' stable to do up your bathroom.
Antique touch
In a modern home, stepping into an old-world bath can be like transporting yourself into a new world. If you are starting from scratch, then you might want to begin by soaking in the antique charm with Victorian inspired tiles or intricately patterned wall paper. If it's just a redecorating plan for spring, then bringing in some antique accessories and furnishings can do the trick.
The most striking effect is to opt for an antique-looking bathtub, and let it take the pride of place in the bath area. Bathline Sensations has some quaint looking ones in copper and cast iron and even dainty freestanding ones with carved golden or wooden legs. They also have toilet seats in mahagony with golden hardware. FCML Luxurious Bathrooms has an interesting range of metal bathtubs too with perfect accessories to glam up the look. This should be followed by replacing your chic dresser with an antique cabinet and an intricately carved wooden or gold leaf mirror and even getting a copper basin to add to the drama.
A stunning piece to own is Kohler's Marrakesh collection, named after the ancient capital of Morocco. The designs on the basins, faucets and undercover lavatories are inspired by mosaics in quaint courtyards and intricate and abstract floral patterns found in mosque artwork.
Once the main things are taken care of, smaller accessories can be added depending on how much you want to plunge into the theme. Antique golden faucets, cloth hooks and rods, curtain finials and soap dishes can be matched to work up the theme.
Funky colours
Imagine tip-toeing into an immaculately white restroom, with white bathtubs and cisterns, glass faucets and minimal décor and BANG! You are hit by a sudden burst of cheery yellow peeping in from the shower. Well, it's not the sun, but a fun hand shower.
This theme is easier to implement, especially if you have one favourite colour every season. The mantra for this to work across seasons is to have a sparkling white bathroom or a monochrome grey, beige or cream colour scheme. The pop of colour can be in the form of faucets, a brightly-hued cabinet or mirror, bathing linen or décor.
Products to look out for are Grohe's Rainshower WaterColours collection of showers in peppy colours like yellow, red and pink and blue, Bathline Sensations' colourful faucets and a pick from FCML's funky kid's range.
Multifunctional style
Then there is the issue of space crunch that comes between you and your home spa. But thanks to compact, stylish and innovative products, this too shall pass! From bathtubs that double up as storage to all-in-one cabinets to multi-purpose mirrors, one can choose from a wide range of national and international brands on offer.
Roca, for example, has designed oak and walnut water resistant panels to bathtubs that not only gives it a classy look but also comes with laundry baskets and towel supports. FCML also has a neat range of accessories like the Valli Valli bathroom mirror which has a magnified portion to help shave and wear make-up and also features double neon lights, and a Margaroli heated towel rod to dry linen and clothes.
The green effect
It is not just a pot of aloe vera by the window or a mini garden by the tub that makes your rest room one with the environment. The trend is to have the best of products with the least carbon foot print. Reputed brands are eco-conscious and it shows in every innovative technology they come up with. Water saving, water recycling, reducing electricity consumption, recyclable raw materials, less energy consuming manufacturing process… these are but a few areas where the best minds are at work.
Gessi, an Italian faucet manufacturer has launched eco-friendly faucets that change colour from blue to pink to red, depending on the temperature of the water. The electricity generated to light these LEDs is generated through a turbine within the tap itself, hence consuming no electricity.
Roca takes it a step further with its W+W (Wash basin + Water closet) technology which saves both water and space. The renovation tap filters the waste water from the basin and reuses it in the discharge of the cistern. The best part is, both the basin and cistern is combined into one classic L-shaped piece.
Varun Gupta, Joint MD of Bathline Sensations, who has a whole range of eco-friendly products adhering to strict norms says that while the demand for products like these are mainly from the hotel industry, there have been increasing queries from builders too. This only goes to prove that these features are going to be an intrinsic part of high-end homes.
Unique lighting
The stress on appropriate lighting for the bathroom is on like never before. Apart from the regular bright lights near the mirrors and dimmer ones for the bath tub, people are looking for different lighting options and unique fixtures. For those who have the leisure of space, chandeliers are getting popular - ones that blend in with the bath décor. Emphasis is also given on mood lighting. Abhinav Khandelwal, Managing Partner, FCML Luxurious Bathrooms explains, “Showers with inbuilt lights that turn on when the shower does also enhance the mood and are available from Gessi, Fornara or Dornbracht brands in India. As mood enhancers, colour changing lights, soft wash lighting and sconces shades to diffuse the light are also available and are good for relaxation and unwinding.”
Recessed lights are neat options in shower areas. Some unique touches include walls with carvings that emit light, mirrors with inbuilt focus lights and halogen spotlights to highlight plants and other decoratives.
Apart from these five fashionable bathroom trends, designers are experimenting with minimalism and contemporary art.
