1. Look to your finishes
Seek out colour cues from the materials you have already chosen to work with– marble veins, terrazzo flecks, tile tones – can all work cohesively to extend colour options and contribute to your overall scheme.
2. Go with what you love
There’s no need to reinvent the wheel if you’re already in love with a colour palette or have used it before in another space. Carrying it through to your bathroom will create a consistent look throughout your whole home, eg. Matte black tapware in the kitchen and bathroom.
3. Highlight the details
Tiny details can make the difference when selected with your colour scheme in mind. Create a moodboard of your finishes and include everything on it – right down to the grout colour for your tiles. Seeing it all together will show you the direction you’re headed in and anything that jars with your scheme can be reconsidered.
4. Collect samples
Of tiles and finishes, paint and fabrics as you choose them. Add them to your moodboard as you go and you may even find a colour palette begins to emerge. Go with the flow of colours and tones you're gravitating towards and see how you can extend it with other finishes.
5. Cruise the catwalk
Fashion is a great influencer for the colours, patterns and textures finding their way into our homes. Pick up trending colour cues from your favourite fashion designers and view both their current ranges and last season to see how the look will evolve over time and translate into your bathroom space
6. Luxe it up
The addition of stone and statement tapware can up the ante with added luxury in your bathroom. It will also inform your colour palette – chrome lends itself to cooler tones, whilst copper and brass tapware warm things up a little. Or, make a bold statement with black tapware, which can go from monochromatic to Mondrian.
7. Neutral state
Don’t underestimate the power of neutrals in the bathroom. Grey and white is a match made in luxury bathroom heaven and works as an elegant base from which accessories can punctuate with seasonal and trending colours.
"To keep a bathroom looking timeless, we suggest a neutral colour palette and to limit the use of pattern. Colour and pattern can be added with towels and a pot plant."
Fiona Austin
8. Scale it up (or down)
Remember to use scale carefully to ensure one colour doesn’t overpower others in your scheme. The bold colours of your palette should anchor the room in the flooring or cabinetry, with lighter colours used higher to create a sense of space.
9. Go to the dark side
Don’t discount darker tones to create a relaxing and moody bathroom space. Here, texture goes a long way to breaking up surfaces and playing with light. “Open your mind to a dark bathroom, especially if the room is already a little dark,” says interior designer Carmel Wylie. “It can be more effective to play on that and create a moody space to take time out in. Not all of the house needs to be white.”
10. Cabinetry counts
Choosing a coloured laminate or timber finish on your cabinetry is a great way to introduce colour in your bathroom – particularly in a small bathroom or if things are being kept modern and minimal. A textured laminate or natural timber can be stained in your choice of hue and create a statement or a subtler tone to tie in with the rest of your scheme.
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