In the wonderful world of home interiors, it’s always good to get a fresh perspective on things. We invited young designer Romanee to help us develop a bathroom style that’s minimalist, youthful and on-trend. Discover how to “Get the Look” with our latest guide.
Here at Victoria Plum, we take inspiration for our beautiful bathrooms from many different sources. From the upcoming trends to tried-and-trusted old favourites, there really is something for everyone.
With our latest project, we thought it would be fun to get a more youthful perspective on bathroom design, inviting budding home interior student Romanee to help us shape the look and feel, whilst keeping budget concerns in mind.
As a starting point with any bathroom design, it’s always helpful to create a mood board, including all the colours, materials and products you'd like to include. And, with this project, there was no exception.
With the mood board completed, it was time to get to work creating our bathroom design.
Soothing Blue: Style and sophistication
With its calming, relaxing feel, we named our new bathroom design Soothing Blue, which is very apt once you take a look.
The ultra-sophisticated look is ultimately rooted in the rich colour palette we chose. Inky, ocean-blues and glimmering gold accents give the space several layers of depth, thanks to an array of design elements.
Wall panelling, painted in a timeless shade of blue, brings a traditional touch to the overall setting, and this is mirrored in the style of the double sink vanity unit. However, we were careful to maintain simple, clean lines throughout, with the large, contemporary freestanding bathtub (the focal point of the room).
To create both contrast and visual interest, we painted the upper half of the walls in bright white. Psychologically, in interior design, this creates a sense of calm and cleansing–ideal for the bathroom–whilst providing a solid base, allowing us to introduce more vibrant colours, patterns and textures. Meanwhile, the deep shade of blue promotes a feeling of solitude—an escape from the everyday.
The look itself is versatile, with budget-friendly products that appear incredibly opulent, yet are relatively low in price. The gold fixtures, which include taps and accessories, feel incredibly luxurious, but you could add other luxe finishes and products (like marble) to create an even more chic and contemporary space.
Despite the fact this bathroom is quite minimalist, the outcome is fabulously elegant, capturing the very essence of that much-loved term less is more (an especially important phrase to keep in mind when renovating your bathroom!).
What Soothing Blue demonstrates is that, by selecting and focusing on a few strong, on-trend elements, you can create something truly beautiful and well-balanced.
The larger bathroom space pictured above is suitable for both renovators and style switchers, as there are many elements that can be easily recreated or swapped in and out for a smaller-scale bathroom refresh.
Next, let’s take a closer look at just some the individual elements that make up our Soothing Blue bathroom.
Which products did we use?
Twin vanity units
Offering storage and personal space, a double vanity unit is ideal for families and couples. Here, we’ve used two of the Orchard Dulwich navy floorstanding vanity units as well as the Orchard Dulwich ivory open storage unit to echo our contrasting navy blue and white walls.
The basins are paired with sleek, contemporary taps for a subtle balance of tradition and modernity. Whilst Orchard Bathrooms is one of our more affordable brands, the quality of design certainly isn’t compromised. For further evidence, look no further than the Dulwich collection, which offers a timeless and vintage appeal.
- Orchard Dulwich navy floorstanding vanity unit with semi recessed basin 600mm
- Orchard Dulwich ivory open storage unit 800 x 300mm
Contemporary freestanding bathtub
To achieve a true sense of escapism, relaxation and a spa-like experience, we’ve incorporated the beautifully designed Mode Heath freestanding bath into the overall bathroom layout. In simple contrast to the area surrounding the vanity units, we elegantly matched the bathtub with subtly traditional wall mounted taps in a brassy-gold finish. If you choose to include a freestanding bath in your bathroom refresh, we suggest propping a large, overhanging plant nearby for a tropical look that wouldn’t appear out of place in a luxury holiday home.
Glittering tapware
As I’ve already mentioned, the metallic finish you choose for your taps can play a significant role. From the Mode Bathrooms brand, the Spencer basin mixer tap will provide your space with a tasteful dusting of gold. This matching finish is available across showers, taps, and accessories within the Spencer collection, meaning you can include additional glitz and glam, should your heart desire!
Amazing accessories and heating
Continuing the satisfying contrast of blue and white (whilst simultaneously creating a soothing, sandy beach look), we’ve placed a sophisticated, white heated towel rail directly on to the rich, blue panelling. Similarly, we’ve incorporated a navy blue toilet seat in order to achieve a highly polished look that flows beautifully.
Overall, it’s the detailed attention we’ve paid to the accessories which really pulls this look together. I’d highly recommend using gold accessories—either from the Spencer range for a cohesive feel, or from the 1805 antique gold accessory range if you’re more into a traditional style.
And, for the finishing touches, we’ve used a similar deep-toned blue for the softer accessories, such as towels.
- The Heating Co. Phoenix white heated towel rail
- Orchard Wharfe back to wall toilet with soft close toilet seat and concealed cistern
- Accents universal navy blue toilet seat with soft close and quick release
- Accents Higgins round antique gold mirror 800 x 800mm
Matt white floor tiles
For the flooring in our Soothing Blue bathroom, we’ve opted for minimalistic, white, matt tiles. There were a couple of reasons behind this decision. Firstly, we didn’t wish to over-style this calming space and, secondly, didn’t want to detract from the charming wall panelling. However, as mentioned earlier, marble-effect tiles would also work particularly well with this look, further enhancing the sophisticated and opulent feel.
Get the Look in a small bathroom
At Victoria Plum, we believe in small spaces that have BIG impact. That’s why we’ve applied the key design elements of our Soothing Blue bathroom to an ensuite, to help you visualise this style in your own home.
With a smaller bathroom, a freestanding bath may not be a luxury you can accommodate, which is why we’ve opted for a shower enclosure. You may also notice that we’ve swapped out the gold accessories here for matt black. This is because the metal fixtures play a significant role in our Soothing Blue bathroom, and by incorporating a shower enclosure that really stands out, we can continue the theme throughout.
- Mode Spencer round thermostatic twin valve matt black shower set
- Mode 6mm black framed shower enclosure bundle with black slate effect shower tray
What we love about black accents is that they create the same sort of sleek, sophisticated look that gold accents do, but with a more bold and industrial edge. We’ve also opted for a single floorstanding vanity unit rather than a double.
In terms of styling, as you can see, the beautiful blue wall panelling can seamlessly be incorporated, and many of the original and impactful décor pieces can be emulated as they are wall hung. For example, the Amezola industrial bathroom wall lights by Eglo, the wall art, and the contemporary shelving all add another layer of depth to the space without making it feel crowded or cluttered.
Get the Look in a cloakroom
Lastly, our Soothing Blue bathroom style has been translated into a cloakroom, or downstairs toilet, in case you were looking to renovate this particular room in your home. This space is often one that is forgotten about. However, at Victoria Plum, we’re passionate about amazingly designed cloakrooms and downstairs toilets, just like this one.
As you can see, this cloakroom gets lots of natural light. If yours doesn’t, we’d recommend dialling down the navy-blue tone (a very dark colour can make a space feel smaller). Instead of using this colour on every wall, consider only panelling and painting one of the walls with navy blue paint, bringing focus to it as a feature wall, and painting the rest of the space white.
Remember, the blue shade will shine through in your bathroom towels and accessories. We used the same Dulwich navy vanity unit as in the ensuite version of our Soothing Blue bathroom, however, if things are really tight, we also offer a slimline cloakroom vanity and basin from the same range, ideal for a small space.
Get the Look
No matter what style bathroom you’re thinking of, at Victoria Plum, we’ll have a style guide to suit. From industrial to floral, and everything in between, we’ll provide all the inspiration you need, showing you which products we chose and why. What’s more, you’ll discover the bathroom of your dreams costs less than you’d think.
Why not check out more of our brilliant blue bathroom ideas or browse the rest of our style guides by clicking on the image below.
