These bathrooms from the ELLE Decoration archives show that colour doesn’t have to shout to be effective. Sherbet, rose and powder pink shades are particularly effective for colour drenching a bathroom, creating a sanctuary-like atmosphere.
Dusty pink walls in a reimagined home
Sympathetically renovated by firm NTF Architecture with interior design by studio Richard Hall & Son, this stately Italianate villa in Melbourne was reimagined to include a new kitchen, two dining spaces and landscaped gardens. In the glamorous bathroom ‘Magma’ tiles in ‘Coral Pink’ by Cerdomus line the walls, while a custom-designed mirror and cabinet by NTF Architecture is paired with the ‘Eccentric Wall Basin Outlet’ tap by Roger Seller and Alape’s ‘Unisono’ basin.
A retro fabulous home in Margate
Homeowner Whinnie Williams, co-founder of Poodle & Blonde, had these vintage wall tiles for years before the opportunity arose to use them in her home – ‘I knew I would use them one day,’ she notes. The pink suite and swan tap are also from Ebay. The rest of this 1970s-inspired home is similarly furnished with vintage furniture and fixtures. ‘It’s fun using old pieces,’ she says. ‘I usually know I want one key thing in a space and wait until I find that.’
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The original 1950s bathroom in Milan
Bathroom trends may come and go, but sometimes the original can’t be improved upon. That was certainly the case during the restoration of Gio Ponti’s famed Casa di Fantasia in Milan. When overseeing the recent restoration of the 1950s apartment, design studio David/Nicolas left the stunning petal pink tub and shower tray, the work of the legendary architect, simply pairing them with an artwork by Letizia Chianese.
A mega marble moment in London
This magnificent marble bathroom is the work of Own London, which was tasked with creating a home for two brothers and their families under the one roof. A subtle palette of soft pink, green and mustard flows throughout the five-storey listed townhouse, located in the heart of Knightsbridge, while marble is the hero of the materials palette.
A rose-tinted bathroom in Melbourne
Homeowners Paul Ghaie and Lucy Wallace cleverly utilised tinted glass to achieve the rosy pink glow in the bathroom of their Melbourne townhouse. It’s just one of the details peppered throughout the property that reference its former life as a brothel called Club Rose – a salvaged red neon ‘Exquisite Ladies’ sign has found a new home in the courtyard.
The compact flat that packs a colourful punch
Homeowner Jenny Fleming calls the pink bathroom in her east London home ‘very unlike me’. She originally planned to use Caramac-bar-coloured tiles, then considered extending the Mosaic Factory terrazzo tiles she’d got for the floor to the walls, to emulate the public toilets at the Barbican, but worried the lack of space and light would make it look too prison-like. Finally, she settled on Claybrook’s ‘Circo’ tiles in ‘Baton’ and painted the walls in ‘Confetti’ by Little Greene to soften the scheme. A vintage portrait of a woman in a green veil inspired the green paint choice – Farrow & Ball’s ‘Beverly’.
A geometric shower room in London
Interior designer Cleme de Grivel Sader achieved a colour-drenched effect in the bathroom of her London home by covering the walls, floor and ceiling in Popham Design’s ‘Brasilia’ tiles in a peachy pink shade. It’s just one of many moments of uplifting colour, from a minty green wall to the technicolour ‘Meltingpot’ table by Dirk van der Kooij in the kitchen/dining area.
A punchy pink powder room in London
In a house full of standout design moments this small but mighty powder room holds its own. The work of interior designer Greg Natale, the luxurious space features De Gournay’s ‘Amazonia’ silk paper, teamed with a pink onyx basin from Gemlook, a ‘Swan’ tap from Astra Walker, 1960s Murano sconces by Barovier & Toso and Natale’s own ‘Presto’ tiles for Teranova. Homeowner Laura Hui describes the space as ‘one of our biggest indulgences,’ adding that ‘even the builders were like, “Wow, this is gorgeous”’.
The Paris home full of colourful twists
Curves, polka dots and a healthy dose of powder pink combine in this eclectic Parisian bathroom. Designer Marie Deroudilhe sourced the dotty tiles from Vogue Ceramica while the ‘Pétale’ waxed-concrete shower blends into a custom-made mirror-wardrobe that seems to emerge from the wall. Behind the chrome ‘Dr Sonderbar’ armchair by Philippe Starck stands a floor lamp in synthetic fur and aluminium from the ‘Courbes Alléchantes’ series by Axel Chay.
Floor to ceiling pink in Barcelona
Malibu Barbie would be right at home in this reimagined 80s bathroom. Barcelona-based design practice Cierto Estudio oversaw the renovation of Casa Hope, a property originally designed in 1988 by the architect Antoni Roselló Til. Mint green and pink were integral to a bold new palette, and the bathroom clad in candy-coloured mosaics became a showstopping moment.
