38 bathroom ideas to inspire your next big project

Whether you call them crimson, merlot or maroon, this family of sophisticated reds are wonderfully rich without being riotous. Pair with marble for instant Mlianese-esque glamour, as interiors firm Studio Lawahl have done here.

Paint For similar, try ‘Elizabethan Red’ by Paint & Paper Library, £25.50 per 750ml; Flooring ‘Ligo I’, approx £473 per sq m; Vanity ‘Columna’ , approx £5,753; Mirror, price on application, all Vanitas Studio; Wall sconces ‘Float Glide’ by Articolo Lighting, from £2,200, The Specified

The downstairs loo may be one of the most diminutive spaces in the home, but it’s also the room that offers the most creative freedom. Even the simplest update can transform a small space – a statement mirror offers a focal point in this personality-filled powder room by Dylan Farrell Design.

Floor tiles For similar, try Lapicida’s ‘Gramercy Park East Ivory & Veined Black’ marble tiles, from £299 per sq m; Basin For similar, try the ‘Nero Stone Round Basin’ by Indigenous, £290; Mirror Try ‘Arles’ in brushed brass, £149, Made.com

The spectrum of colours and scales available has made terrazzo a bathroom mainstay. It’s a fail-safe way to usher in individuality for minimalists who prefer to eschew bright shades or decorative pattern. This bathroom by French architecture studio Jaune features a bespoke terrazzo sink and matching floors and bath cladding.

Terrazzo For similar, try ‘TE007’, from £300 per sq m, Diespeker & Co; Tap For similar, try ‘Brooklyn’, available in custom colours, from £1,506, The Watermark Collection

This space by Carole Whiting touches on the trend for creative custom mirrors. Go oversized to maximise light and install wow-factor, or use one to frame a stand-out feature – this arched design does both, running right to the floor to conjure up more visual space.

Sink The Marble Group can create a similar sink in Vagli Oro marble for around £4,066; The Glass Warehouse can supply made-to-measure mirrors

Associations with water, cleanliness and a general aura of calm have earned blue a place in the bathroom for decades. Most opt for light, breezy shades that evoke sky and sea, but moodier blues – used in this bathroom by Australian interior designer Mrs Smith –can bring beautiful depth and drama to a space.

Wall lights For similar try ‘Flume’ by J Adams & Co in ‘Antique Brass’, £456. Tiles Try ‘Blue Jean Zellige’ from Otto Tiles, £128 per sq m; Paint For similar, try ‘Hague Blue’ from Farrow & Ball, from £49.50 for 2.5L

While minimalism will always have a place in the bathroom, the look has grown softer in recent seasons, with rounded-off shapes and raw textures replacing crisp edges and high-gloss surfaces. Curved dividing walls can usher a gentle flow from adjoining bedrooms or dressing rooms – see this space by Framework Studio.

Walls Clayworks can create a similar treatment for a bathroom space for around £168 per sq m

Proving that marble can be playful, this space by architecture firm
Atelier Parisien utilises a patchwork of coloured stones to create a striking pattern. Err on the minimalist side for fixtures and fittings, perhaps picking out a shade or two from the stonework for walls or woodwork.

Try Landford Stone for marbles and off-cuts; Basin ‘Stand’ with ‘Matt Black’ stand by Norm Architects for Ex.t, £1,457, West One Bathrooms; Tap For a similar, try Cea’s ‘Freestanding ‘MIL20’ tap in stainless steel, £1,295, West One Bathrooms.

A twist on the classic black-and-white chequerboard flooring, this graphic look by London-based Can Architects extends makes brilliant use of square tiles at a smaller scale. For that extra punch, pair with a bold hit of contrasting colour.

Tiles ‘Cesano’ tiles in ‘YC5311’, £49.50 per sq m, and ‘YC5343’, £52.50 per sq m, both Grestec; Bath ‘Puro’, from £924, Kaldewei

Going bespoke with one or two key elements will not only make every inch count, but can add instant impact – think a statement sink in an opulent coloured marble or a shower screen transformed via tinted glass, like in this bathroom by Milan-based architectural practice Lit Studio.

Sink and floor Try Lapicida for Verdi Alpi marble, from £195 per sq m; Tap For similar, try ‘LOC07’ by The Watermark Collection, from £1,112. Wall lights ‘Glo-Ball’ by Jasper Morrison for Flos, from £115, SCP

Confidently combine a palette of contrasting materials and textures and your space will benefit from the best qualities of each. In this bathroom designed by TRD Studio, the glamour of marble and brass, the warmth of wood and the tactility of tiles create a supremely liveable bathroom with soul

Calacatta Viola marble slabs, try Starel Stones. Tiles For similar, try ‘Candy Herringbone’ design, £126 per sq m, Otto Tile. Bath ‘Barcelona’ , from £3,325, Victoria + Albert Baths

When it comes to creating a show-stopping focal point, this spectacular slab of multi-hued stone proves that a little goes a long way – the clever use of a single splash of richly patterned, coloured stone is all that’s needed to make a statement.

Bespoke vanity unit, price on application, SJB. For similar, try ‘Blue Beauty’, from £1,200 for a 1.70m x 2.7m slab, Imperial Marble; For a similar tap, try ‘MEM’ three-piece basin mixer by Dornbracht, £1,364, CP Hart

While walls are the obvious place to introduce an element of surface design, the floor is more peripheral – which means you can go to town on a brave and striking treatment that might not work on a vertical plane.

Bespoke sink and floor ‘Semi I’ in Bianco Perlino marble, Jura limestone and Emperador marble by Joanna Lavén for Vanitas Studio, approx £921 per sq m; Pendants ‘Golden Bell’ by Alvar Aalto for Artek, £434, Finnish Design Shop

Yes, the trend nobody expected to get a second chance is back
– the avocado bathroom is proving that our appetite for all things 70s is at its zenith. Get past the (somewhat undeserved) stigma and you’ll find that, once removed from the context of fluffy toilet-seat covers and chintzy wallpapers, the shade is livable, warm and versatile.

Tiles ‘Oska Jungle Green’ matt porcelain tiles, £47 per sq m, and ‘Casablanca Mono Décor Hexagon’ porcelain tiles, £48 per sq m, both Mandarin Stone

More than just a clever space-saving device, a screened-off ensuite has the potential to be a striking design feature. Choosing a translucent material also has the benefit of letting in light from adjoining rooms – industrial-style mesh, coloured perspex or fluted or stained glass would bring instant character to both sides of the divide.

Custom vanity unit and metal mesh divider by Marcante-Testa; Basin ‘Bonola’ by Flaminia Ceramica, from approx £533, Davroc; Tap ‘Life’ mixer, price on application, Bellosta Rubinetterie

Rugged textures and versatile shades of grey make concrete and stone the materials of choice for those seeking an edgy, utilitarian feel. Their innate strength and longevity are highly practical, and although concrete is naturally porous, it can be easily sealed and used for everything, from basins to walls and floors. The concrete look in this space has been created with a waterproof Moroccan surface treatment called Tadelakt.

Walls and floors From £179 per sq m, Tadelakt

As this striking bathrooms by Sandra Benhamou proves, there’s much creative mileage to be had from the simple square. Create graphic arrangements with different coloured tiles to build interest and lead the eye around; play with scale using checkerboard mosaics; or immerse the space in a single colour.

Tiles For similar, try ‘Trasparenze’, available in various colours and sizes, from £50 per sq m, Domus; Vintage stool by Pierre Chapo

Combining practical benefits, such as durability and hygiene, with sculptural flair, it’s easy to see why three-dimensional tiles are booming in bathrooms. Whether there’s a large expanse of wall to fill or just a small stretch, choosing a relief design brings subtle interest to bathroom walls.

Tiles ‘Soap’, approx £480 per sq m, Sebastian Herkner for Kaufmann Keramik; Sink ‘Shell’, approx £1,950, Nina Mair

To treat a bathroom as merely a functional room is to miss out on the opportunity of creating a spa-like space for relaxation. Consider it as an extra living area with homely additions like fabric window dressings and an inviting lounge chair. This bathroom by Portuguese architect Manuel Aires Mateus for Lisbon hotel Santa Clara 1728 features a bespoke bath carved from Lioz stone.

Bath For similar, try Cocoon’s special-edition bath in ‘Beige Limestone’, £14,000, CP Hart; ‘CH25’ chair by Hans J Wegner for Carl Hansen & Søn; Tiles For similar, try ‘Hoxton White Gloss Porcelain’, from £46.67 per sq m, Mandarin Stone

The Italian home of architect and designer Patrizio Fradiani is rich in period details, from the hand-painted frescoes to original stone floors, but he refuses to be tied to the past. This highlighter-bright yellow glass cubicle is an inspired and unexpected addition.

Cubicle Ion Glass can create bespoke, laminated coloured or tinted glass shower and toilet cubicles, Ionglass

Interior designer Iya Turabelidze has used bright colour – in the form of the Klein Blue cabinetry – to ensure this bathroom in a private home in Russia leaves a lasting impression.

Tiles For a similar look, try ‘Marini Base’ terrazzo tiles from Fired Earth, £124.80 per sq m; Fired Earth; Cabinetry The sink unit and mirror are bespoke designs made of stainless steel, painted Klein Blue – ‘Ultra Blue’ by Little Greene is similar, £49 for 2.5 litres, Little Greene; Tap ‘Tara’ by Dornbracht, from £903, C.P. Hart

Interior designer Beata Heuman utilised every inch when creating this bathroom under the stairs in her home, originally a Victorian coal store. ‘The colour scheme was inspired by a space I saw in Forte dei Marmi, Tuscany, which had a large Carrara marble sink sitting against soft pink walls,’ she tells us. ‘The pleated curtain serves a useful storage function’.

Lights Adjustable brass and bone china shell wall light, £384, Felix Lighting Specialists; Curtain ‘Marbleized’ velvet £125 per metre, Beata Heuman

Let the tiles do the talking with a pattern that’s bold, but also chimes with other tones in the space. The soft coral of these encaustic floor tiles is offset by the room’s natural palette, the black accents ensuring the scheme still packs a punch.

Tiles Customised ‘Eclipse’ cement tiles by India Mahdavi, from £167 per sq m, Bisazza; Bath The straw marquetry decoration is bespoke. Simon Orrell Designs creates similar pieces; Light ‘Chanpen’ hexagon pendant by Forestier, £263, Made in Design

Designing in greyscale doesn’t need to be dull. In this bijou bathroom by Consuelo Pierrepont of American practice Sway Studio, the Toile de Jouy-style wallpaper creates interest, with the interruption of the chunky, solid concrete basin lending a contemporary edge.

Wallpaper ‘Pampa’, £166 per linear metre, Pierre Frey; Basin Custom design by Consuelo Pierrepont, for similar try Kast Concrete Basins; Tap ‘Purist’ wall-mounted tap, from £1,260, Kohler; Mirror ‘Hang 1’ round mirror, from £245, Blu Dot

Apply a real-life Instagram filter to your bathroom with a coloured glass shower screen. This yellow panel has a brilliantly mood-lifting tint that casts a permanently sunny glow over the otherwise pared-back palette of natural materials.

Screen Glass specialist Float Glass Design can create a bespoke tinted pane of glass, Float Glass Design; Basin ‘Sonar’ by Patricia Urquiola, from £792, Laufen; Cabinetry ‘Boutique’ double vanity unit, from £3,332 and tall cabinet, from £1,964, both Laufen

Use standard square tiles to great effect by arranging them in a bold, chequerboard pattern. When used as a backdrop for an architectural-style washstand, the result is fantastically graphic.

Basin and stand ‘I Catini’ by Cielo, from £1,580, C.P. Hart

Why stop tiling when you’ve covered the splash-zone? Interior designer Jacques Erasmus extended this glossy cobalt pattern to create an all-encompassing surface that’s both fully waterproof and impactful.

Tiles For similar, try ‘San Diego’ in ‘Ink’, £400 per sq m, Fired Earth; Shower ‘Traditional’ rose, fixed riser and mixer in satin brass, £1,422, Perrin & Rowe

Contrast is key in this Brazilian bathroom, where São Paulo-based design practice Estudio Penha has offset contemporary custom-made basins and industrial-style bulkhead lights with pretty, mint green tiles and mismatched antique mirrors.

Basins Custom-made limestone countertop – Hansgrohe has a good selection, from £495 Hansgrohe; Tiles For similar, try ‘Green Hexagonal’, £5.18 per sq m, Bert & May; Lighting Try the salvaged British bulkhead wall lights by Revo, £270 each, Skinflint Design

Swapping small design elements for something exciting can have a big impact. In this space, neutral ceramic tiles are enlivened by red grouting, adding a twist to the solid stretches of high-gloss finish.

Tiles ‘Materia’ in ‘Mastice’, £36 per sq m, Ceramica Vogue; Grout Try ‘Kerapoxy’ epoxy grout in ‘Cherry Red’ by Mapei, £26.34 for 3kg, Pure Adhesion; Light ‘Pendant 02’, from £725, Magic Circus Éditions

Simply cladding a wall can make the world of difference, be it wood, stone, tiles or composite. Australian design studio Biasol wrapped the bathroom of The Budapest Cafe in Chengdu, China, in colourful terrazzo, echoing the curved alcove with the basin and accessories.

Walls ‘EM-35-09’ terrazzo by Signorino, try London Terrazzo for similar; Mirror Try the ‘Angui’ mirror by AYTM, £135, Nordic Nest

Embrace the rundown and rustic, and turn unloved spaces into washrooms without the need for refinedment. Johannesburg architecture practice Silvio Rech + Lesley Carstens’s rugged concrete wall dramatically juxtaposes the perfect, smooth surfaces within it, both textures exaggerating the other.

Mirror Custom-made by Silvio Rech + Lesley Carstens. For similar, try the ‘Orta Drop’ mirror, £699, Heal’s; Basin Bespoke piece designed by Silvio Rech + Lesley Carstens, made by Boutique Baths

Creating a scheme from a single element can produce unexpected results. Australian design studio Decus Interiors extended the dark red directly from the Calacatta Viola marble, balancing the stone’s white tones with the rest of the space.

Mirror Custom designed by Decus Interiors – try Nordic House; Vanity Bespoke fluting by Decus Interiors – for a similar colour, try ‘Grenache’, £55 for 2.5 litres, Paint & Paper Library; Marble Calacatta Viola from Artedomus

An open-plan layout gives you the luxury of an en-suite without making the space feel boxed in. In this rustic Mexican home, a simple concrete wall provides just enough privacy.

Shower For similar, try the ‘La Chapelle’ wall-mounted shower head, £449, Holloways of Ludlow; Furniture ‘Backenzahn’ oak stool by Philipp Mainzer for E15, £860, The Conran Shop

A single, bright tone throughout the bathroom gives an energising boost. Fledgling Spanish architect and interior design studio Basamenta covered this private home in a zingy apricot hue accented with gleaming brass and playful terrazzo.

Tiles Try ‘Norse’ ceramic gloss tiles in ‘Terra’, from £46.40 per sq m, Mandarin Stone; Lights Try ‘Kew’ wall light in ‘Polished Brass’, £366, Porter; Basin Custom ‘Sabadell’ terrazzo in ‘NCS S 2030-Y70R’, from £90 per sq m, Huguet; Paint Try ‘Shrimp Pink’, £50 for 2.5 litres, Little Greene

With inventive plumbing, any space can become a bathroom. Arianna Lelli Mami and Chiara di Pinto of Milanese firm Studiopepe transformed this space with a burst of colour, protective flooring and storage to form a multipurpose area.

Bath ‘Morphing’ bathtub with ‘Pan’ taps by Ludovica + Roberto Palomba, from £5,385, ZucchettiKos; Chair ‘Zig Zag’ by Gerrit Rietveld, £1,440, Cassina; Wall ‘Cherry Bomb’ wallcovering by Gio Pagani for Wall & Decò, £171 per sq m, West One; Light ‘Laurent 05’, £1,343, Lambert & Fils

The area of the home where we’re at our most vulnerable, it makes sense to create a bathroom in which we feel comfortable and cocooned. Using tactile surfaces, such as reclaimed timber and plaster walls, is a fail-safe way to foster this feeling, but temper them with streamlined fixtures to maintain a modern feel.

Bespoke vanity units For similar, try Brandler London, from around £4,800; Tap spout ‘021-28’, approx £281, and ‘500-28’ table-mounted tap mixer, approx £621, both Vola; Wall and floor For similar, try ‘Slate Grey’ and ‘Bronze Lantern’, both from £179 per sq m, Tadelakt

Juxtapose hard, heavy stone with a soft material to create a comforting, welcoming feel. In this space by Decus Interiors, a wall of pink leather tiles contrasts with the slabs of honed Cipollino marble that form the basin and vanity.

Lights ‘Duo Balls’, from £1,700 each, Articolo; Wall Studioart can supply something similar; Vanity Custom design by Decus Interiors – try Contemporary Stone

Bali-based architecture studio Word of Mouth harnessed the endless creative opportunities afforded by the terrazzo trend in this joyful villa. The firm used coloured pigments, stones and glass chips to create different textures and tones, with brass inlays producing a sunburst pattern.

Walls and bath Try Diespeker & Co for similar terrazzo