5 bathroom trends for 2019

A bathroom renovation is an exciting but daunting time – especially if you’re ripping out a tired or generic-looking bathroom suite and are wanting to replace it with a beautiful feat of contemporary design.

Of course, the trouble with bathroom design is the fact that most elements are rather… fixed. It’s not like the living room, say, where you can replace the furniture and give it a lick of paint over the weekend to completely transform the space. Replacing your bathtub, toilet or sink requires a bit more effort.

As such, you want to be sure that, however you decorate your bathroom, it will still look fresh and stylish 10 years or more down the line. So, what are the very latest trends for 2019? We explain all…

1.  Communal space

While you might think of the bathroom as the one place in the home where you can get some alone time, there’s a growing movement towards communality in bathrooms. No, not like the showers at the gym! Think of it as double basins positioned in front of a large mirror so you can both brush your teeth in the morning, or a brick partition that separates the bathtub from the rest of the bathroom to create a snug, secluded oasis for the bather.

2.  Utilitarian influence

When it comes to aesthetics, designers are still taking heavy influences from 20th-century industrial architecture. While this might sound stark, drab and cold, when it’s properly executed, this style creates bathrooms that are chic, luxurious and welcoming.

In the place of the Victorian frills previously associated with luxury bathrooms, the utilitarian influence uses clean lines, robust materials and the use of open space to create a calming, spa-like feel by borrowing aspects of design typically associated with warehouses and factories.

3.  Concrete

And if you’re wondering which material to go for, then, rather like modern kitchens, concrete is still the material du jour. Flick through a few design-orientated Instagram accounts and you’re certain to find a plethora of cement-coloured kitchens, living rooms – and bathrooms.

Cement is an incredibly strong, cost-effective and low-maintenance material that creates an effortlessly cool, neutral background. Whether you want to go for a minimalist, bohemian or even a farmhouse-style bathroom, cement will fit the bill. Concrete can be polished or unpolished, moulded into any shape and even coloured.

4.  Black matte

Credit: Meir Australia Pty Ltd

If you’re wondering about your taps, exposed pipes and shower heads, and want something a little more stylish than generic chrome, then black matte is the choice for you. Metallic fixtures coated in a black-matte treatment have a pensive beauty, with their lack of shine creating a deep and mysterious atmosphere, reminiscent of Japanese black-ink artwork.

5.  Plants

Finally, filling bathroom spaces with succulents and ferns has become a hugely popular choice in recent years. Injecting organic elements not only cleans and improves the air quality in your home, it also adds lush green accents. The introduction of living plants also helps to create a natural feel to modern bathroom designs, which could otherwise feel unbalanced, due to the heavy use of inorganic shapes and structures.

A word to the wise: when purchasing plants for the bathroom, ask the employees at your local garden centre which plants thrive in hot and humid environments, to ensure the ones you buy have the right constitution to survive in your bathroom.

Thinking of transforming your bathroom?