When it came to our home build, the bathrooms were probably one of the most challenging areas. The rooms are all quite compact and have very little natural light. We had to tweak the design to accomodate a bath (a non-negotiable) and having blown the budget on the kitchen, we needed to keep the costs down. Along with storage, basins and tapware, tiles were high on the list of important elements to consider and I really enjoyed the selection process for flooring, bath surround and showers. When it came to the other areas, I was inspired by Nordic style bathrooms which favoured simple painted walls over tiling, and I also knew this would cut costs. Years later, we renovated our ensuite bathroom and I repeated the process (with a softer colour palette) using DuluxWash & Wear Low Sheen. These days I'm still very much drawn to minimalist bathrooms where the walls feature simple finishes in tonal, neutral palettes. If they have textural, organic finishes, even better! Here are some recent finds to demonstrate.
I love the textured walls in the bathroom above. Paired with stone and pale wood finishes, the spaces exude tactility and warmth. For more bathroom inspiration from Natalie Dubrovska, take a look at her incredible Copenhagen Apartment from the TDC bathroom archives. Black tapware in the bathroom below provides a striking contrast against the sandy-hued micro cement walls. Simple recessed shelving is the perfect storage solution for this style of bathroom.
Spa & Sauna design by Laura Seppänen / Photography by Pauliina Salonen
Sand-coloured stucco provides an earthy, textural look below. A freestanding bath, gold built-in mirrors, brass tapware and a sculpted coral marble sink add sophistication to the generous sized space.
Silver Apartment by by Olga Palichuk
Rendered wall finishes are a firm favourite of mine, and I'd love to use this for a bathroom in future. I started doing some research on local suppliers and ended up down a rabbit hole discovering different types of tadelakt, stucco, venetian plaster etc. I have talked about tadelakt before but in case you're unfamiliar, it's an ancient lime plastering technique that originated in Morocco. Traditionally used in Hammams and Marrakech Riads, it's now used around the world and I have noticed it being used more and more in recent years. The great thing is it can be used in bathrooms, due to its waterproof finish. The irregular character of tadelakt also gives it a beautifully textural, organic look.
The incredible Bath Salon designed by Nicolas Schuyborek Architects is located in Paris and features raw plaster finishes combined with grey travertine, distressed oak and patinated bronze.
Project C by Juma Architects
The bath that we insisted on for our home ended up in the kids bathroom. Having an ensuite with a bath like this would be a dream. The textural walls are complimented by accessories in natural materials such as the wood stool and jute rug. I also love that there is ample storage!