Inspiration from those that know, to help you make your home your own.

The bathroom is one of hardest working rooms in the house, yet so often left behind, destined forever to be a shrine to the metro tile. But what if there was another way? Many may cringe at the avocado suites of yesteryear but what if they were onto something? What if a bathroom that sings with colour as you wash the cobwebs away is actually the secret to a long and happy life?

At LA HQ, we’ve been grappling with a real-life bathroom re-design, so we’re delighted to share the bathroom design innovations we’ve spotted along our own design journey…

We’ve covered three common conundrums when it comes to bathrooms in the hope of inspiring you…

Tile it Up

Along with a thousand shades of grey, in the last decade our homes have been silently overtaken by… the white metro tile. Chosen for their versatility and price they were the easy choice for the modern bathroom. But change is on the horizon, allegiances are shifting, and we’re delighted about it. Ceramic, encaustic, terrazzo, marble… whatever your style, there’s a tile out there for you.

Those keen on clean white (wallet-friendly) metro, could consider introducing a little colour with a pencil tile, like Dina Bandman. If however, like us, you feel the need to be enveloped in colour, how about floor to ceiling block colour to create a mood like the glossy candy-hued dream by Handlesmann+Khaw?

Or how about treating tiles like the new wallpaper? Decorative or patterned, guaranteed to give a show-stopping finish. Imagine a bath gazing up at these shimmering mermaid tail tiles. Hand-painted tiles are also hot off the press, but whilst not everyone can afford a wall adorned with delft, there are more affordable options if you know where to look… (*coughs Milagros).

Colouring In

It doesn’t have to be all white… Once you look beyond the traditional white sanitary ware, there are endless opportunities to inject a little (or a lot of) colour into your bathroom. Whilst most may not be confident enough to take the plunge on a full pink suite, there are more subtle options to breathe a little zing into your bathroom. Paint is always the most accessible way to add colour and a favourite is this subtle stunner by Nicola Harding who has walls, doors and floors in complementary hues. Another trick is to tart up your white sanitary ware; Queen of Colour Sophie Robinson’s red bath and mustard radiator caught our eye here, as did Lonika Chande’s beautiful pink creation. Imagine bathing in an actual marshmallow?!

Small but Perfectly Formed

We can all picture it, our dream bathroom; walk in shower, bath in the middle of the room, or perhaps under a window, maybe even with a, dare I say it, a carpet underfoot. If that’s already too much, imagine fitting an entire sofa in there? Lucky Kate Moss via@arc_pr. The reality for most however, is somewhat different. So, what can you do to perk up a pokey bathroom?

First things first; the shower-over-bath conundrum. Two words: Shower Curtain. I know what you’re thinking, don’t they stick to you? Get damp and smelly? Well, take a look at Tara Craig’s glorious bathroom below and think again. We wish our actual curtains look that good. For a slightly subtler option, Hazlitts Hotel deploy the curved curtain pole. And if Beata Heuman’s doing it surely that’s enough to turn to head of even the harshest critic.

The best thing about a small bathroom is the fact that you can go big on the floor. If you only need 4m2 then why not take advantage and choose something wild. We love a checkerboard for maximum impact, à la green Studio Classico. One final idea to leave you with… Full, shiny, gloopy, gloss. Don’t tell us you’re not interested,,,