Jacinta Pearson is a Sydney based interior designer and feature writer, renowned for her advice Décor Dilemmas in Real Living Magazine. We felt very lucky to explore bathroom trends and decorating ideas with her. Read on for some insider tips. 

What are the biggest bathroom trends for 2015?

Bathrooms are fast becoming the new living rooms. It’s all about creating an experience – and the bathroom is now a serious destination. 

Trend 1: The Day Spa

The Dayspa bathroom is all about creating a wellness centre, a place to relax and rejuvenate, and renew your spirit. Stone surfaces and textures and organic shapes make this a bathroom an oasis of tranquillity. This look is about creating atmosphere, and lighting is the key to creating the right mood.  

Trend 2: Personalisation

Another of the new trends for bathrooms is all about personalisation. Bathroom brands are offering a range of mix and match products, so it’s all about doing it your way, and being able to select products that suit a unique and personal need. 

Trend 3: Tiles

Tiles are seriously the new black. Tiles are becoming as decorative as wallpaper, and we can’t seem to get enough of the colour, texture, pattern, and scale.

There’s just so many design possibilities. Look out for modern tiles that embrace imitation textures resembling fabric, faux bois, wood, fabric, leather, glass and paper. 

Trend 4: Smart Bathrooms

Technology has also entered the bathroom. Products like toilets and showers are getting ‘smarter’ and allowing for customisation and programming.

What types of plants are best suited to bathrooms?

Bathrooms are moisture rich environments, so plants need to be able to withstand both the humidity and the available light level. 

My favourite plants for bathrooms are Orchids and Bamboo, and space permitting, the Fiddle Leaf Fig. Fig frenzy has spread across the world of interiors, it seems we all love the large glossy leaves. The scale of this plant is perfect for adding the WOW factor, as it becomes a sculptural element within the space.

Remember too, a vase of fresh flowers, ideally cut short & en masse, will also add to the overall luxury experience. It’s all about the details. 

What’s your top choice for painting bathrooms?

The new colour trends for bathrooms is a warm muted palette which draws inspiration from organic natural hues. Think stone, marble, concrete, copper, and natural timbers.

Warm tones create a soothing, tranquil, and luxurious environment that work with on trend seasonal elements. That said, when it comes to colour, almost anything goes! 

What are your tips for decorating small bathrooms?

Small bathrooms need one ‘big’ idea! A small bathroom is the perfect opportunity to take your ‘top-of-the-range’ (premium) tile, wall-to-wall or floor-to-ceiling. Yes, consider even tiling the ceiling too.

Using just one element throughout the entire, tiny space will blur the boundaries of the space, and help fool the eye into making it look larger than it really is. Bold wallpaper and dramatic dark paint elements work particularly well in small spaces too.

Floating shelves, wall-hung vanities and storage cabinets, and full height features will help maximize the sense of space in even the most bijoux of bathrooms. 

What are your current favourite bathroom linen products?

Bathrooms love patterns! A warm neutral palette, like stone or marble, comes alive with a splash of colour and pattern. Patterned linens in the bathroom are as practical as they are beautiful, and let’s face it, patterns don’t show grubby handprints like plain blocks of colour.

I love using Sheridan & Country Road beach towels in the bathroom as a standard year round styling tool. Beach towels are always available in great colours, stripes, and on trend designs, and are generally quite inexpensive. Additionally, the fringing details add a nice textural detail too.

The newest beach towel trend is the Aztec round. This is great option for a large family bathroom or the kids’ bathroom. 

25 January 2016