Stylish bathroom ideas

If we’re being honest with ourselves we’d all love a dream spa-style bathroom to come home to at the end of each day and climb into the large, free-standing bath or steam shower and allow the cares of the day to wash away.

While budget or space restrictions may preclude the luxury of high-end bathroom fixtures, we can still give the impression of a spa-like experience with some clever design choices that will make any bathroom feel luxe.

Follow these design tips and you too will have a bathroom the envy of your friends and family.

Everyone knows tiles are a practical choice when it comes to choosing the flooring and wet-area wall coverings for your bathroom. They’re also a really good way of adding impact, so why not fully embrace the fact and go all out with a tiled finish from floor to ceiling. Pictured above is the 2023 Bathroom of the Year, Woodland Dance, by Rogan Nash Architects which does just that, with an award-winning combination of green mosaic tiles with a halo-like glaze, slate tiles underfoot, and another wall of white flecked vertical subway tiles.

Anything from a penny mosaic through to a large-format porcelain or natural stone tile is widely available, and at a variety of price points to suit many budgets.

If grout lines are a no-go, then a large-format tile is going to be your go-to. Large format porcelain tiles will change your world and give your bathroom a sleek, no line look. Being porcelain, they are available in a range of natural stone finishes, botanical prints and even metallic finishes such as rusted steel.

For a natural stone, you’ll be hard-pressed to do better than marble, the stone of choice for bathrooms since the ancient Romans. Prized for the beautiful veining and variations in shades available, marble will lend your bathroom an air of exotic luxuriousness. Marble slabs can be expensive, so a marble-look porcelain tile may be your best bet if you’re wanting large format without the price tag.

It may be a bit of a titillating thought, but the idea of bathing in nature is something that appeals to a lot of us. If you have the option of opening your bathroom to the outdoors then don’t hesitate. If major structural updates are out of the budget, then look to incorporate nature through the use of timber accents and plants, such as in the decadent bathroom design pictured above by Rarebirds Interiors.

A skylight, if possible, will also do wonders by admitting natural light into your bathroom throughout the day, making the space bright and airy. Raw and exposed finishes can also enhance the natural feeling. Textured, handmade tiles, matte brass plumbing fixtures, richly grained timbers and lush planting all work to create a bold and dynamic bathroom space that will mimic the great outdoors.