Bathroom renovation design trends
Design is an expression of your personal style, tastes and preferences. We believe that you should follow your own taste and design your home in ways that you enjoy.
There’s no point following the latest bathroom design trends just because they’re trends or using specific colours or themes just because they are popular at the moment. If you do, you probably won’t be able to fully enjoy your space or comfortably relax in your home.
When we talk about trends, instead, we’re referring to some of the innovations and updates that we’ve seen when it comes to bathroom renovation designs. Because we’re tradespeople first, we take a very practical and functional approach to everything we do.
We’ll work with you and your bathroom designer, if you have one, to incorporate the bathroom design ideas that you have. But we’ll always look for ways to recommend improved functionality and the best use of space and light when we’re working on a bathroom renovation in Auckland.
Here are some of the bathroom renovation ideas and bathroom design trends we’re seeing in NZ in 2023.
- Timber cabinetry
Gone are the days of shiny white bathroom cabinets. We’re seeing more traditional cabinetry and furniture in bathrooms, and clients are no longer afraid to use timber in the bathroom.
- Black fixtures and tapware
Black is sleek, elegant, modern, classy. It adds great contrast to white, timber, or almost any other colour scheme you choose to use in your bathroom.
- Brass and gold fixtures and tapware
Silver and stainless steel are no longer the go-to options for tapware. Brass and gold add luxury and warmth. They pair nicely with pastels and neutrals that we’re seeing in tiles and paint colours.
- Paint colours
We’re seeing everything from pastels for a retro or vintage feel to bright, playful colours to clean monochromes for elegance. Almost anything goes when it comes to choosing a paint colour for your bathroom.
- Colours and pattern layering
We used to stay away from busy patterns or dark colours in the bathroom for fear that they would make a small room look even smaller. We’ve done an about-face here. We commonly see more than one paint colour sitting alongside patterned tiles.
- Wallpaper
Just as we used to avoid timber in the bathroom, we also used to keep wallpaper out because we were nervous about the moisture in the room affecting the look of the walls over time. Wallpaper options have evolved, and many are now specifically designed for the bathroom.
- Feature walls
Punchy colours and wallpaper patterns are not just for living or dining rooms. We love the look of an eye-catching feature wall in a bathroom, regardless of the size of the room.
- Statement tubs
Perhaps because we’re all trying to incorporate more wellness, relaxation and mindfulness into our lives, we’re seeing a resurgence in requests for bathtubs. When space allows, a bathtub is often a hero of the room, sitting prominently under a window or having antique claw legs to add extra character to the room.
- Funky mirrors
Mirrors are more than just practical elements in bathrooms these days. They have become bathroom art. We’ve seen oversized mirrors, mirrors with picture frame borders, mirrors with brass or black borders, mirrors with LED light backings, and multiple mirror tiles used to create an artwork effect.
- Variety in tiles
There are now endless choices in tiles – for the floor, walls, and shower areas. Home décor programmes and DIY reality shows have made “subway” and “terrazzo” tiles popular. We’re seeing more bold choices in colour schemes, mosaics, as well as simple yet elegant black and white block tiles.
- Clever storage solutions
When space is limited, we’re getting creative with how we provide storage solutions in bathrooms. We’re making more use of wall space – shelves above the toilet, taller towel rails, cavity storage behind the mirror, inset niches in the shower for shampoo bottles. And we’re designing vanity areas to allow for more drawer space beneath the sink. We’ve even seen towel racks on the back of doors and a towel shelf cleverly situated above the door. Every corner of a bathroom, quite literally, can be used for storage if it’s designed well.
- Technology in the bathroom
No, we’re not talking about bringing your phone to the toilet. We’re seeing more use of technology in the bathroom in the form of modern “smart” toilets (heated, remote control, and other functions), underfloor heating controlled remotely or on a timer, sensor lights that turn on when you enter (great for middle-of-the-night trips to the loo), automatic taps, Bluetooth for music in the shower. “Smart” homes even have voice-activated functions, so you can control lighting, heating, water temperature, etc., just by talking to your bathroom.
We tend to love all of these features and bathroom design ideas when we see them in restaurants and hotels, so why not also enjoy them at home?
Please get in touch if you would like to look through some of our recent bathroom renovation projects. We’d love to help you bring your bathroom renovation design ideas to life.