How to Create a Lavish Bathroom
Our experts list 6 super ways to make bathrooms spell sheer luxe
Why wait for a trip abroad or to a five-star hotel to soak up the goodness of a luxurious bathroom? Make your washroom a swish affair and get a taste of the fine life every day. It’s all in your hands. Dress up your bathroom in a style that spells smart and swanky. Create your personal pamper zone; rev up the gloss and glam. Our experts tell us how it is done.
Expert advice: Interior designers Shezaan Bhojwani of Design Cafe and Priyanka P Mehra of P S Design
Expert advice: Interior designers Shezaan Bhojwani of Design Cafe and Priyanka P Mehra of P S Design
2. Colour up in style
Choose your colour palette keeping in mind the vibe you want your bathroom to exude: elegant, chic, rich, glam. “The most luxurious of bathrooms have the classic combination of black and white. For an even more classic touch, pearl white with royal blue can make your bathroom feel like it belongs in a palace,” Bhojwani says.
“Try and keep light colours on the walls and if you are using a dark colour for contrast, restrict it to the floor and counter tops,” she adds. Optionally, a single showstopper splash in a jewel tone works very well. Try glowing shades for accessories or a metallic-patterned wallpaper.
Tip: “If there are well-defined wet and dry areas, you can bring in wallpaper on the walls of the dry areas (above the level of 4 feet) that you can easily change every couple of years. This also adds a good dose of style to the space,” Bhojwani says.
Choose your colour palette keeping in mind the vibe you want your bathroom to exude: elegant, chic, rich, glam. “The most luxurious of bathrooms have the classic combination of black and white. For an even more classic touch, pearl white with royal blue can make your bathroom feel like it belongs in a palace,” Bhojwani says.
“Try and keep light colours on the walls and if you are using a dark colour for contrast, restrict it to the floor and counter tops,” she adds. Optionally, a single showstopper splash in a jewel tone works very well. Try glowing shades for accessories or a metallic-patterned wallpaper.
Tip: “If there are well-defined wet and dry areas, you can bring in wallpaper on the walls of the dry areas (above the level of 4 feet) that you can easily change every couple of years. This also adds a good dose of style to the space,” Bhojwani says.
3. Flaunt the fixtures
From the faucets and bidets to side showers and overhead rain panels, get it all. “For the old-world luxury feel, select fixtures in an ivory or gold finish and basins with a gold trim. And there is nothing like bringing in a stand-alone bathtub to complete the lavish look,” Priyanka Mehra says.
Though a little high on maintenance, brass fittings exude an unbeatably posh vintage appeal. “If you want your bathroom to reflect a modern luxe then use fixtures either in chrome or black: black makes for a great modern luxury statement,” Bhojwani says.
Tip: Make use of specially moulded toilet fittings in sophisticated combinations of colours like black and chrome to add that designer flair to your bathroom. Do ensure that all accessories, such as towel rods, shaving mirrors and bathroom hooks, match the tone of your bathroom fixtures, because tiny details go a long way in adding to the appeal of the bigger picture.
From the faucets and bidets to side showers and overhead rain panels, get it all. “For the old-world luxury feel, select fixtures in an ivory or gold finish and basins with a gold trim. And there is nothing like bringing in a stand-alone bathtub to complete the lavish look,” Priyanka Mehra says.
Though a little high on maintenance, brass fittings exude an unbeatably posh vintage appeal. “If you want your bathroom to reflect a modern luxe then use fixtures either in chrome or black: black makes for a great modern luxury statement,” Bhojwani says.
Tip: Make use of specially moulded toilet fittings in sophisticated combinations of colours like black and chrome to add that designer flair to your bathroom. Do ensure that all accessories, such as towel rods, shaving mirrors and bathroom hooks, match the tone of your bathroom fixtures, because tiny details go a long way in adding to the appeal of the bigger picture.
4. Light matters
Bring in the sunshine. Natural light livens up your bathroom easily and if you have sparkling mirrors and gleaming glass here as well, you can hit bullseye. For a chic finish, include reflective surfaces in your bathroom to maximise the play of light.
“If you are able to bring in horizontal slit windows to your bathroom, then there is nothing like it. These windows allow light to enter but also give you privacy. These also look much better than your regular ventilators,” Bhojwani says
Bring in the sunshine. Natural light livens up your bathroom easily and if you have sparkling mirrors and gleaming glass here as well, you can hit bullseye. For a chic finish, include reflective surfaces in your bathroom to maximise the play of light.
“If you are able to bring in horizontal slit windows to your bathroom, then there is nothing like it. These windows allow light to enter but also give you privacy. These also look much better than your regular ventilators,” Bhojwani says
5. Play up the light
A combination of luxurious wall fixtures and ambient lighting works best. “Get two wall fixtures on either side of your mirror to up the glam quotient. If the ceiling is 10 feet or more from the floor, bring in a chandelier at the centre of your bathroom,” Bhojwani suggests.
Concealed lighting under the washbasin creates a hushed glow, especially in the evenings. Skip using white light in this room. The golden glow lends a softer, richer, more elegant appeal to the space. A combination of luxurious wall fixtures and ambient lighting works best.
Tip: Daylight LEDs ensure you get the right balance of ambience and functionality. Try positioning a mirror opposite the chandelier to maximise the impact. “You can use high-gloss surfaces, such as burnished metal, to give the bathroom the necessary shine. Even a spot of glass mosaic helps in creating a chic vibe,” Mehra says.
A combination of luxurious wall fixtures and ambient lighting works best. “Get two wall fixtures on either side of your mirror to up the glam quotient. If the ceiling is 10 feet or more from the floor, bring in a chandelier at the centre of your bathroom,” Bhojwani suggests.
Concealed lighting under the washbasin creates a hushed glow, especially in the evenings. Skip using white light in this room. The golden glow lends a softer, richer, more elegant appeal to the space. A combination of luxurious wall fixtures and ambient lighting works best.
Tip: Daylight LEDs ensure you get the right balance of ambience and functionality. Try positioning a mirror opposite the chandelier to maximise the impact. “You can use high-gloss surfaces, such as burnished metal, to give the bathroom the necessary shine. Even a spot of glass mosaic helps in creating a chic vibe,” Mehra says.
6. Accessorise well
Of course, you can play around with elements like fancy hooks for hanging towels, delicate face-towel holders, fragrant candles, fresh lilies against frosted window glass, a plaster-of-Paris ceiling … the sky is the limit.
You can also go down the natural route and recreate a spa-like feel in this part of your house. Bring in potted plants, wooden blinds and tiles, bamboo sticks, and a pebbled floor topped with glass. “Usher in the organic, earthy feel by making use of natural Indian stones like kota, slate…” Mehra says. Enrich the experience with a storage cupboard stashed with neatly folded soft towels, cakes of handmade soap, elegant bottles and jars with essential oils and bath salts, and so on.
Tip: “Multiple focal points can create visual unrest. You must choose one central point with other sub-elements building up around the theme of your choice, to avoid visual confusion,” Mehra says.
Read more:
Makeover on a Budget: 10 Tips to Style Up Your Bathroom
Beautiful Inside-Outside Bathrooms We Love
Tell us:
Share your tips on how to make a bathroom more luxurious. Write in Comments below.
Of course, you can play around with elements like fancy hooks for hanging towels, delicate face-towel holders, fragrant candles, fresh lilies against frosted window glass, a plaster-of-Paris ceiling … the sky is the limit.
You can also go down the natural route and recreate a spa-like feel in this part of your house. Bring in potted plants, wooden blinds and tiles, bamboo sticks, and a pebbled floor topped with glass. “Usher in the organic, earthy feel by making use of natural Indian stones like kota, slate…” Mehra says. Enrich the experience with a storage cupboard stashed with neatly folded soft towels, cakes of handmade soap, elegant bottles and jars with essential oils and bath salts, and so on.
Tip: “Multiple focal points can create visual unrest. You must choose one central point with other sub-elements building up around the theme of your choice, to avoid visual confusion,” Mehra says.
Read more:
Makeover on a Budget: 10 Tips to Style Up Your Bathroom
Beautiful Inside-Outside Bathrooms We Love
Tell us:
Share your tips on how to make a bathroom more luxurious. Write in Comments below.
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Stylish cladding is a great way to amp up the bathroom decor. Our experts suggest opting for colours like ivory, cream, light brown, mauve, powder blue or black. Next, sprinkle glamour through textures. Marble is the easiest way to get a sumptuous look. You can choose Italian marble for a touch of instant opulence, much like Turkish marble and martini flooring that ritz up the flooring, as well. “Use white Statuario [marble] and black Marquina [granite], or if you want to really splurge, then go for golden Portoro marble. For a sleek avant-garde look, Bisazza tiles are a great option. You can even use these in combination with marble. For understated luxury, wooden tiles on the floor with Bisazza on the walls work beautifully,” Shezaan Bhojwani says.
Tip: Remember, the more grooves you can see, the lower the glam factor. Oversized high-gloss tiles in a marble finish of your choice are a slightly cheaper option than marble. Available in myriad finishes, large tiles in 1 x 1 metre size minimise joints and need no polishing, unlike marble. “Anti-skid tiles fall flat in a luxurious setting,” says Bhojwani. “Just for the wet area, you can inlay steel or brass into marble. Go for really rough-textured tiles in the wet area for a stark contrast to the shiny tiles.”