End of the boring white bathroom: Bright fittings are the biggest interiors story of the year
- Bright bathroom furniture is fast emerging as the biggest interiors story of 2023
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Avocado and baby pink bathroom suites will always be remembered as the ultimate symbol of 1970s bad taste.
For the past four decades white — and white alone — has been the only acceptable colour for our loos, baths and sinks.
But now that’s all changing and, just as we’ve seen a rise in the number of people going for boldly coloured kitchen units, bathrooms are also undergoing dramatic revamps, with bright bathroom furniture fast emerging as the biggest interiors story of 2023.
There’s no arguing that it feels like a brave choice after years in the all-white hinterland.
So much so that U.S. newspaper the Wall Street Journal ran a feature on the pros and cons of what it called the ‘divisive trend’ for lemon loos and baby blue baths.
Traditional British bathroom brand Burlington has just added two new retro hues to its bespoke ceramics: a 1930s-style powder blue (pictured) and a Fifties-esque mint green
But interiors influencers are very busy showing theirs off on Instagram — and where they go, we tend to follow.
TV presenter and stylist Sophie Robinson (@sophierobinsoninteriors) has a confetti-pink basin and toilet (with a backdrop of sunny yellow metro tiles); style guru Erica Davies has a tangerine tub; while Sarah Tomczak, editor of Red Magazine (@sarah.tomczak), found an original 1970s avocado basin set in a matching marble top, which she’s combined with chocolate brown walls and a baby-blue tiled shower. Sounds like a whacky combo, but it works.
Then there’s interior and homeware designer Natasha Lyon (@appreciation projectuk) who received a flurry of likes when she recently unveiled her gelato-coloured bathroom suite, the centrepiece of which is a pink Edwardian basin.
So what has got us washing our hands of white and taking the plunge into Technicolor?
Interiors therapist Suzanne Roynon (interiorstherapy.com) believes the dazzling dominance of whites and cool greys has left us feeling bleak and chilly and craving a little more warmth. That and a desire to beat the post-pandemic blues with, well, a bright blue, green, pink or yellow.
Don’t fret if this all sounds a bit too much like a replay of the 1970s suites you ripped out first time round.
Interior and homeware designer Natasha Lyon says you should treat the bathroom just as you would any other room. You could have an armchair and a cushion, art, tapestries or house plants
Today’s shades do have a joyful air of retro luxe about them, but far more staying power in the style stakes, too.
Add black taps and smart tiling and you’re firmly in chic hotel spa territory — a world away from those wildly impractical shagpile carpets and naff beige corner baths.
‘In the 1990s and 2000s, property shows were telling us to tone down our spaces and keep them neutral to make more money on them,’ says Stephanie King, creative lead at Dulux.
‘But now people want to enjoy their homes rather than constantly viewing them as an investment tool.’
Cue retailers scrambling to launch new ranges of baths, toilets and basins in decidedly snazzy shades.
Traditional British bathroom brand Burlington has just added two new retro hues to its bespoke ceramics: a 1930s-style powder blue and a Fifties-esque mint green.
Joanne Burgess, interior designer at The Curious House (@thecurioushouse.co.uk), a practice that works mostly with historic properties, has not one but three colourful bathrooms in her Georgian/modernist hybrid home.
‘I chose muted greens and yellows from The Water Monopoly plus the pink and blue suites from Burlington’s bespoke range,’ she explains.
The starting point for Natasha Lyon’s ice-cream coloured bathroom was a pink basin found on Facebook Marketplace
‘I’d used reclaimed bathrooms in the past. But plumbers don’t often like working with them, plus you have to source all the fittings, so I chose an easier route.’
How to do bold & bright
1 Choose a green bath, toilet and basin for a soothing, tranquil space that links to the great outdoors.
2 Mixing and matching a blue basin and toilet with, say, a pink bath can work for the colour-confident, but you’ll need a keen design eye to tie the look together without it becoming a headache-inducing, mish-mash. Picking the same hue for all your fittings is a much safer bet.
3 Sahara hues such as rust, ochre and sandstone are big news in interiors — and for our bathroom basins, too. Pair with charcoal or burnished gold taps to enhance the warmth.
4 Try a statement, decorative basin within an all-white bathroom for a luxe touch of colour and pattern. Otherwise go for bright towels, accessories or a shower curtain that can be simply swapped out if you’re unsure.
Roll-top baths are going bright, too, and brands such as Victoria + Albert Baths are reporting an upsurge in sales of tubs in rich reds, navy and emerald green, according to Phil Etherden, managing director of The Albion Bath Company, which has several A‑list customers. (Musicians go for bolder hues and sporty folk a more muted pastel palette, apparently).
Joanne Sangster, from Ripples Bathrooms, which has 15 showrooms across the UK, confirms: ‘We are being asked for toilets and baths in greens, pinks, even yellows and oranges.’
The Bold Bathroom Company, as its name suggests, can kit out your washroom in pastel shades and vibrant glazes from its own line and its range of vintage pieces.
It’s all super-Instagrammable, as a quick scroll of the clashy peppermint, candy floss pink and peach basins, baths and toilets on its website will testify.
If the thought of a peach bathroom is still a step too far, the not-so-brave could try a small zone first — say a cloakroom with one of Kast’s colourful, concrete basins.
And if you do opt for a bright suite, you could temper it with a polished concrete floor and (whisper it) white walls. Add a liberal scattering of house plants for extra style points.
If you’re feeling bold, though — and you have the space — Natasha Lyon has this advice:
‘You should treat the bathroom just as you would any other room. Have an armchair and a cushion, add art, tapestries or whatever feels right for you. Don’t be afraid to fill it with personality.’
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