“A maximalist bathroom is the perfect way to celebrate individuality in a home," says Jessica Gibbons, co-founder of Field Day Studio, “Blending colour, pattern and texture with unapologetic richness transforms daily routines into something truly special.”
For a long time, bathrooms and kitchens have been considered purely practical spaces, where flare and interest are superseded by functionality. Mass production and easy access to high-street and online brands has engendered widespread homogeneity in the bathroom design world. In reality, a huge amount of our time is spent in these most ‘practical’ spaces, with open-plan living bringing life into the kitchen for example. From kids' bathtime, to a candlelit tub session, to Gen Z's byzantine 12-step skincare routines, we can no longer deny that a large proportion of our time is spent in our bathrooms.
So, the question is: why not use these spaces, rather than relegate them to purely sterile and soulless environments lacking in soul or spirit? Marble powder rooms, portrait-adorned boudoirs and even avocado suites all have an important message for those embarking on a bathroom renovation – that bathrooms can be a place for exciting design, and even the most miniature spaces can withstand some fabulous maximalist design choices. “Small bathrooms are the perfect space to let your maximalist ideas run wild,” says Angus Buchanan of Buchanan Studio. “They're often overlooked and squeezed into the less desirable areas in a house, with poor natural light and lacking in architectural interest and beauty. This allows small bathrooms to really benefit from a wonderful tile scheme or bold paint colours.”
Bathrooms have the added bonus - unlike kitchens - of being isolated, closed-off spaces. As such, designers often choose to decorate them as individual pods. They may still fit into the vernacular of the house, but they can also be a fun, eccentric island of joy. By extending attention to your bathrooms - in whichever way you choose - you're also expanding your floor plan, and adding to your list of rooms to enjoy designing.
Angus adds that “bathrooms offer that chance to try something that you possibly wouldn't dare do in other areas of the home." Small bathrooms in particular, he says "allow you to create that unexpected moment behind a (usually closed) door that opens up into a different world – one that doesn't have to have any relevance to the rest of the house. It can be creative, theatrical and brave just for the sake of it.”
Influencers and designers often receive comments on their bathroom photos haranguing them for featuring antique furniture, paintings or bookshelves in their schemes. Whilst you may choose to protect your ‘best’ from steam or water damage, we're of the belief that objects are to be enjoyed and viewed. Tiffany Duggan, founder of Studio Duggan, similarly likes bathrooms to “feel like living spaces.” “I'm really not a fan of cold, clinical bathrooms fully tiled with porcelain and gleaming chrome fittings," she adds, "We tend to start with the aesthetics and then consider how to incorporate the all-important practical requirements. For example, we like to buy vintage mirrors and re-purpose them into concealed medicine cabinets.”
Max Hurd - whose bathroom overflows with ornate detail and wit - posits that bathrooms should be “like the dressing rooms for actors about to take to the stage of life.” “Who wants to get ready in a hospital?!” Max exclaims. Instead, he says, opt for “trinkets and objects that inspire you to create the person you want to be that day or night.”
Designers have several techniques to avoid falling back on clinical stereotypes. For Studio Duggan, bringing nature in can be an instant entrance into warmth and charm, whether through print or living plants (which often thrive in warm, damp environments.) Jessica recommends starting with a “bold foundation”, be it a “statement tile, colour or piece that wouldn't normally grace a bathroom.” From there, she recommends “gradually adding complementary elements to create a room that is cohesive, but layered and exciting.” Buchanan Studio try to always include a seating area, no matter how tiny, whilst Max Hurd is all about dressing the room: “A rug? Yes! A chintz chair? Absolutely!”
So, if you're looking for a place for that kooky painting or armchair, why not consider the bathroom? A bathroom can, if you let it, be a wonderful arena for your most daring design choices.
