Keep it Simple with the Minimalist Bathroom Trend

It is no secret that the bathroom is the calm and tranquil hub of any household. Even if your morning bathroom routine borders on the chaotic by sharing a cramped family bathroom and fighting for the toothpaste (sound familiar here?) you still want your bathroom to retain a sense of calmness for those chilled-out evening soaks in the tub.

Luckily, one of the newest bathroom trends keeps calmness and relaxation firmly in mind – introducing minimalist design.

Giving your bathroom that minimalist make-over is certain to inject interior design flair into the room as well as that all-important soothing level of calm – an essential for any bathroom I’d say! The key elements that make up this design trend are very easy to introduce into any existing bathroom setting and the main thing to consider is simply keep it simple!

Rather than choosing garish wallpapering or bold colours, the appeal of the minimalist trend is that colours are subdued and neutral – hence its calm presence. So abandon any fussy bright painted walls in favour of soft ivory painted walls and for extra design flair, add a solo tiled feature using natural stone tiles for that muted contrast of colours.

Once the walls are taken care of, the minimalist trend can be extended with matching window blinds, towels and any bathroom accessories.

 A great thing about the minimalist trend is that it is purely decorative, meaning that you don’t have to refurbish your existing bathroom with a modern designer bath suite to pull off the look. Any contemporary or traditionally styled suite will be perfectly complemented by the simple and fuss-free minimalist look.

However, for those who want to continue the trend beyond a simple lick of paint, there are plenty of ways of adding extra elements of decor to the trend.

 If you are looking to refresh your existing bath suite, you could install new taps. Choose taps that follow a consistent yet minimal design, this can be through choosing the same taps throughout the bathroom or simply ones with a similar design such as smooth curved taps.

 Another way of bringing a consistent theme to the bathroom is though use of bathroom furniture. Storage units will not only add to the minimalistic theme through tidying away any messy clutter but if you choose matching pieces in a warm or neutral colour then you have consistent pieces that will perfectly complement the simple look of the entire bathroom.

 Once complete, add candles and prepare to unwind from any daily stresses in the ultimate relaxation setting!

Aid your Spring Clean with Bathroom Furniture

Well, after a couple of busy months away from blogging (I will start being a more consistent blogger soon, I promise!) the sunny weather has got me thinking about the start of spring and with it comes the dreaded spring clean.

If you’re anything like me, the prospect of commencing that essential household spring clean is somewhat of a daunting task! Cleaning out all of that clutter and giving the room a general nip and tuck is what I habitually do every year – although actually getting started with the spring clean is a mission in itself!

However, this year I have a solution to my spring cleaning woes and it is all down to effectively using bathroom furniture. Now, you may think when I say ‘bathroom furniture’ that I am implying the ‘bathroom basics’ such as the toilet and basin but what I am talking about here is storage furniture.

There is such a wide selection of different furniture available such as bathroom cabinets, shelving units and storage drawers etc. This year I will be investing in a variety of different pieces of furniture as I really think that their space-saving abilities will make my yearly spring clean go a lot smoother. Plus with the various different designed cabinets such as wood finished to modern stainless steel cabinets, they add a stylish element to the bathroom too.

One major problem with any bathroom (and I am no stranger to this either!) is the level of clutter that can accumulate. Just think of your own bathroom, all of those bath oils, lotions, face creams etc – as you purchase more and more, they can easily become messily cluttered around the basin and this really doesn’t help a quick morning routine when you are trying to hunt down your daily essential products.

My advice to anyone who has fallen victim to bathroom clutter is to invest in a bathroom cabinet. They are an ideal purchase as they house a selection of shelves that are perfect for hiding all of your products away out of sight.

For those who find that they simply have too many products to fill a bathroom cabinet then there are some great tall bathroom cabinets available that you can easily fit into any spare space in the bathroom and their selection of drawers and shelves will easily hide away any clutter.

Once all of the clutter is neatly tidied away then it is on to my yearly routine of scrubbing, preening and cleaning every nook and cranny of the bathroom - however I don’t think that there is simple solution out there for this I’m afraid!

What 2012 might have in-store for bathroom design!

Welcome to 2012! I hope you’ve all had a fantastic festive season, filled with family, friends and frivolity.

Now that the partying is over and we’re all back at work (boo!), it’s time for people like me to start thinking about interior design trends again. According to sources back in the summer, 2012 is all set to be the year of ‘English Eccentricity’ in interior design: think Alice in Wonderland over-sizing and some crazy pattern and colour.

But while I can see a home for potion bottles in the bathroom (decant your regular shampoos, lotions and... erm... potions into them and display on open shelving for an elegant look), I’m less sure about indulging in true eccentricity in this space. The bathroom is somewhere we all spend a lot of time, and it’s a practical place. You need the room’s layout and design to fulfil its purpose, and you should create somewhere that you’re going to want to spend your time.

After a hectic festive season full of spending, you’ll be looking to save a little on any home renovation you undertake. I’d suggest that you keep it simple on sanitaryware and pick timeless designs that will resist aging: shop around in the January sales and you’re sure to find something to suit.

Add interest (muted or bright) to simple bathroom furniture through coordinated bathroom accessories, interesting hardware for your bathroom cabinets, or striking paints and wallpapers. This way, you’ll be indulging your tastes, but you’ll have the scope (and the cash) to change your room scheme as your tastes change - without giving your bank manager a breakdown.

Bathroom re-design, the Helen Davies’ way: a lesson in lavish frugality for 2012.