Bio: Christopher Smith is a writer with a keen interest in interior design.
Everyone wants to stand out. Well, okay, not everyone. But most people enjoy a little attention every now and again.
It’s also true that we’re a judgemental bunch, even if we deny it constantly. Who hasn’t walked into a complete dive and thought ‘when the hell did these guys last clean up? What’s the matter with them?!’
It is a combination of these two factors that drives us to make our homes as nice as possible, whilst also standing out. We don’t just want to avoid negative judgement; we want our friends to stand in awe at our frankly unrivalled eye for classy-yet-outlandish design.
The Bathroom
The bathroom is the room upon which all homeowners are judged. If it’s not clean, you can expect any invited guests to avoid you like a bad smell (perhaps even literally…). If it looks outdated, you’ll be judged on your unwillingness to get with the times.
So it’s important that your bathroom looks good. But how can you make it stand out?
Statement Accessories
‘Making a statement’ is frequently mentioned in these kinds of articles, despite not really meaning anything and only assuming some kind of shared meaning among the design community.
In simple terms, making a statement is making your friends go ‘wow’, recoil in horror or admire you for your sheer bravery. The best way to achieve this effect in the bathroom is through accessories.
To determine what accessories to use in your bathroom, you only need to look in one place – your brain. And maybe your heart.
Yes, you, dear reader, are the only one who can decide what will best suit your bathroom. Here are a few suggestions to get you started though: illuminated mirrors, golden fixtures, a freestanding bathtub, a waterfall shower, waterfall faucets and so on. Now go forth and make your statement!
Outlandish Colours and Design
File this one under ‘making a statement’ too, except we won’t be using accessories this time. Instead, we’ll be using your walls.
The commonly accepted colours in a bathroom are cream, white, navy blue and – at a push – navy blue. Black is acceptable for the flooring. You won’t walk into many bathrooms with colours outside of this palette.
Therefore, an obvious way to stand out is to break with convention and pick a colour completely from leftfield. Why not paint a single wall red and see what reaction it garners? If everyone hates it, the only thing you’ve lost is a bit of time and the price of a pot of paint – it’s worth it just to see.
Tiling is back on trend at the moment too and, strangely, a lot of it is drawing heavily on the work of the Romans. Mosaic patterns are a certain way to stand out and, as many retailers are selling pre-cut tiles, they don’t require too much artistic effort. If you can buy tiles in a picture formation, you can add some extra ‘stand out’ points to your tally.
Bathroom Wallpaper
Like chalk and cheese, wallpaper and the bathroom is a couple that just shouldn’t be. Unlike chalk and cheese, however, wallpaper and your bathroom can actually work.
Wallpaper technology (for lack of a better term) has come on a long way and water-resistant wallpaper is widely available. This, of course, opens up a world of design possibilities. Best of all, bathroom wallpaper is a trend that has yet to be widely adopted, so you’re guaranteed to stand out.
Bathroom Lighting
Bathroom lighting has two main settings: harsh, bright overhead lighting or the dim light of candles on a romantic evening.
This trend has shifted somewhat as bathrooms become less about the essentials and more about creating a relaxation environment. Mood lighting is now a popular lighting choice albeit one that isn’t that common yet – now is the time to adopt it. It helps with stress too!
Installing a dimmer is another good idea. Watch your guests’ faces as your bathroom transforms from bog-standard to blissful with the slide of a switch!
Making your bathroom stand out is actually pretty easy, so long as you let your personality shine and your imagination run wild. Don’t be afraid to experiment and, most importantly, don’t be afraid to break the rules. That is what they’re there for, after all.
