Interior Design London – Bathroom Design Explained – Hues
Professional bathroom designers are expert at combining purpose and aesthetics to craft astonishing designs. In this four-part collection of articles, “Bathroom Design Explained,” I rely on my know-how gleaned from collaborating with London’s finest bathroom designers to explore this dynamic profession. This second article dives into the use of hue and tint in bathroom design.
When thinking up fresh hue and tint combinations, most London Bathroom Design professionals begin by reaching for their colour wheel. This can be critical in selecting melodic integrations of different colours – the wheel is an important tool, whether the concept is hushed and calm or theatrical and engaging. For instance, certain more spacious London bathrooms are well-suited to an el evated-contrast complimentary scheme. This approach incorporates two hues from opposite parts of the wheel, perhaps drawing on a lemon background together with a midnight accent for a real wow factor. By contrast, cramped London cloakrooms may simply not be suitable for this bathroom design approach because the results may be too overpowering for the residents. Given this fact, a monochromatic scheme that utilises a single tint but with multiple different hues to add charm could be just the ticket. Think of the exact same bathroom design I mentioned above, but let’s substitute robin’s egg blue instead of the lemon … keep identical layout and accessories, but the mood will feel totally different. Such a scheme could be ideal for an East London banker’s apartment or a basement bachelor pad in Central London.
Well-heeled Londoners will sometimes feel a real yearning for the spa/retreat combo that has become such a hit in recent years. Bathroom designers can recreate this feel by relying on fresh, calming hues, perhaps with a focus on aquamarine and jade. Consider matching these up with the ivory-and-nickel taps and trims that are often a feature in high-end London spas and beauty parlours.
Since at least the 1500s, London’s upper class ladies have relied on cosmetics to accentuate their finest features while rendering invisible even the most miniscule blemishes. In the same way, tints and hues can elevate a bathroom design to stratospheric heights – maybe by highlighting historic wall mouldings, unique dado rails, or other structures.
Back in the day, bathroom design lecturers at London’s top schools used to tell their students that washing a small bathroom with a dark tint is undesirable because it can create a claustrophobic mood. By contrast, today’s best bathroom designers have learnt otherwise. By incorporating a multitude of shades of a deep colour, designers can actually make a smaller bathroom feel much larger. By including interesting textures and patterns within paint or on wallpaper, we can create extra dimensions and add bathroom designer style.
In the next article in this collection “Bathroom Design Explained,” I’ll discuss what to do when you have a child in the house! Up next: kid-approved design.
Lily Candice is regular article writer for Interior Design London – Global Interior Design Consultancy Company in London, UK for interior design services.