Latest bathroom trends

I always know when there is a new trend in bathroom decor or tap ware.  I must admit while I am always interested in new tap ware and toilets, I don’t generally notice from a design aesthetic – I leave that to my wife who loves to watch every house renovation show on television and then watch repeats if there is nothing new on.  What I do always observe is the new products on the Reece shelves and the calls from customers seeking installation of new, flash products.  I love a beautiful shower head as much as the next person, but I am abit weary about following trends – particularly when it comes to fittings and fixtures that are not cheap or easy to replace when the trend passes.

Recently, matt black fittings have been all the rage.  I’ve installed black taps, shower heads and even a black toilet in the last 12 months.  They do look beautiful in a brand new bathroom, however I do encourage customers to really think about whether following a trend is going to be the best move long-term.  For example, are you renovating just to sell?  In which case having a completely on-trend room might be perfect.  However, if you are planning this for yourself to live in long-term, you might need to ask whether following a trend will date the room quicker.

Like everything, bathroom fittings and fixture evolve and things come and go in and out of fashion.  I would always encourage people to have a long-term plan when renovating or updating bathroom fixtures and make sure if you are keen on purchasing something that is on-trend that it is still going to suit your needs in 12-18 months’ time or longer.  Unfortunately, they are not like pillows or throws which are a cheap way to update a room.  Updating toilets/taps or shower heads usually involves abit of disruption to your bathroom and the cost of trades in addition to the actual tap ware itself.

So what is the next big trend in bathrooms?  You’re asking the wrong guy!  But I will say this, what I have started to see right now is a combination – mixer taps that have a stainless steel stem with a matt black handle, a return to gold and there is still a heap of variety in the traditional stainless steel.  Although, something that is quite new and I hadn’t seen that much of until just recently was the bathroom tap ware in a rose gold and a matt grey colour.  My guess is these might be the new trends as matt black makes its way out, only time will tell!