Make A Splash
Story: Sara Bederman
Luxury and art are dominant décor motifs for 2019. As bathrooms continue to be a big interior interest, people are seeking to inject high-end touches here and artful accents there. Here are six trending elements to keep an eye out for in the coming year and beyond.
1. Hexagon Tile
The trendy hexagon shape has worked its way into the modern bath where it's splashing everything from walls to backsplashes to floors. This shower enclosure features micro hexagon tiles in three colours and, underfoot, a larger hexagon tile in a slate colour and finish, offering a great visual variety while maximizing this popular trend. Companies like ErthCoverings offer both small and large hex tiles in a marble stone finish called White Wolf Hex.
2. Open Vanity Shelving
Move over, big bulky vanities! Open vanity shelving has a fresh, lightweight look and feel that instantly opens up a bathroom – both visually and literally. This trend will be a particularly welcome addition to small spaces like condos. Victoria + Albert's Candella washstand, topped with a Lario 100 Solo basin is elegance personified, featuring sleek, polished chrome legs, a barely-there towel rail and a storage shelf beneath. Stocked or empty, open shelving is definitely one trend to watch for this year.
3. Bold fixtures
Expect to see a departure from white bathroom fixtures. Bold colour will make an appearance in bathrooms, ranging from modern and edgy to classic with a mildly contemporary twist. British brand Victoria + Albert is dominating this trend with its Barcelona 2 bath collection. A sure-fire showpiece, this freestanding tub is sleek and streamlined – perfect for a compact space, but certainly not short on drama. Black, grey, blue and custom colour choices are splashing onto tubs and sinks in 2019.
4. Mixed Metals
The eclectic look of mixed metals will continue to be a strong style trend in 2019, as we've already seen in other areas of the home. Bathroom faucets, fixtures and hardware will venture beyond pretty-but-predictable polished chrome to matte, brushed and aged metals, offering more depth of character. Bronze, copper, rose gold and gold will continue to be in demand this year, for their warm and overall "extra" aesthetic.
5. Textural Elements
Where white does make an appearance, you can bet that it won't be the plain-Jane variety. With minimalism gone by the wayside, texture will play an essential role in spicing up the ever-popular white palette. Sculptural, three-dimensional wall cladding is primed to become the next modern bathroom fixture, featuring an artful interplay of shadow and light for an ever-changing alternative to basic white. The Atlas Concorde 3D Diamond White Matt 80 textured tile is anything but basic.
6. Marble Lookalikes
Porcelain marble lookalikes deliver that coveted look of luxury for less, and will continue to be a strong trend in 2019. MaxFine is touted as the only product available in oversize slabs at a reduced thickness of just six millimetres, with a gleaming surface that looks like natural polished stone. Your bathroom will love you for it.
The bathroom is where you start every day. It's where you primp and pamper, ponder life, prepare to take on the world. This year, isn't it only fitting that this space lives up to your high standards, too? OH