How to design a bathroom that adds opulence to your lifestyle

People can spend a great deal of time in the bathroom. The average Brit spends three hours and nine minutes sitting on the throne every week, according to research carried out by UKactive, a non-profit organisation. That doesn’t factor in the time they spend in the bath or shower or just getting away from it all. Forty-three per cent of people say the bathroom is usually the only place they get time for themselves, a study by a British bathroom company reveals.

It therefore makes sense to treat your bathroom the same way you would treat your living room. As more than merely somewhere to ablute or shave your legs in, but rather a place to be made into a sanctuary of beauty and calm. Enter the luxe bathroom; no longer solely the preserve of five-star hotels.

Glory Tam Chi-kiu, interior designer and owner of Hong Kong-based interior design house Mister Glory, says: “[Luxury] can be achieved, no matter the size of space or budget. With clever design tweaks, an indulgent, sumptuous bathroom can be achieved by all.”

Tam recommends tile and marble to add a touch of classic opulence. Marie-Louise Koen, an interior designer based in Cape Town and New York, agrees. “I love the look of an all-marble bathroom with floors and walls – even ceilings in the same marble,” Koen says. “Something like Calacatta Gold – the epitome of luxury. A white Italian marble with a beautifully strong gold vein which adds colour and glamour without any need for decorative items.”

Otherwise, an engineered stone, which mimics marble but has improved durability, emulates the feel of continuity.

Koen is partial to this sense of continuity – especially in bathrooms, adding that it lends itself to a feel of minimalist elegance. She advises going for large-scale tile or stone with few grout and joint lines to create the impression that there is one continuous layer of stone.

Tam says materials such as timber and colour schemes of earthy tones can be used to create warmth and texture as a juxtaposition to the marble and tile. Koen adds: “A classic, neutral pallet is very trendy at the moment and different sheens from matt to high gloss in the metals as well as the furniture and cabinetry add a jewellike touch to the overall environment. Natural everything is trending and is timeless.”

Besides the earthy colour schemes and materials, the right fixtures are essential in creating the ultimate luxe bathroom. Trending in terms of fixtures are free-standing bathtubs – making the tub a feature in the bathroom. In addition to a walk-in, door-less showers with a frameless sheet of glass making the room appear capacious and accentuating the clean lines and simplicity, Koen says.