People who have worked with me know that I LOVE designing WCs and Bathrooms. It might come as a surprise to others as these aren’t necessarily the most glamorous spaces. Sadly, they are the spaces that often get neglected - I can’t remember how many times I’ve been to a cute cafe clearly designed with lots of love, but the WC is cold, white, uninspiring, paint crumbling... you get the picture. As customer, it makes me wonder how much the business values attention to detail in everything else, if they've overlooked this area.
So why do I love designing WCs and bathrooms? I’ve found that that’s where clients are most willing to experiment. While adding crazy pattern in a reception or a lounge might make people feel uncomfortable, with bathrooms we always get the ‘go for it’ for our more unorthodox suggestions!
Thus, I wanted to share 5 tried and tested strategies that you can implement to jazz up your own bathroom/WC

1. Pick a bold feature tile.
There are numerous tile brands and ranges out there. Picking one that you love is the easiest way to give personality and uniqueness to your space. You can pick ones with geometric patterns, bold colour, unusual materials such as lava stone or concrete, or sustainable products like the gorgeous Alusid tiles that are made of recycled toilets (look at them before you judge). We prefer to pick one that we love and use it either on the wall or on the floor, and complement with a neutral on the other surface. If budget is tight, you can only do a splashback. In the UK, our go to suppliers are Solus, Made a Mano, Mosaic del Sur, Domus and Claybrook tiles, they are a good place to start if you need inspiration.

2. Use an unusual basin
Another fun item is the basin. Again, that doesn’t have to be boring - there are colourful ones, with unusual stands or made out concrete or metal! You can also get some very elegant ones suitable for disabled or elderly people. The guys from Hewi share our belief that accessible design doesn’t have to be boring!
Above: A collection by Ex.t and Norm Architects and a basin by Hewi
3. Do lighting the right way
Spotlights on the ceiling are just practical, but make sure you complement them with a nice feature light. Can be a pendant, or a cute light. If people are likely to do their makeup, make sure the light doesn’t come from behind - so a soft glow from the edges or behind the mirror, or wall lights can help.
Make sure you understand the right IP(International Protection) rating you need. It is given to electrical appliances and lights as a two digit code indicating the degree of protection its enclosure affords. The first digit represents protection against penetration by solid objects the second describing-protection against the ingress of water. Different areas of the WC have different requirements, so refer to a chart by Astro Lighting like the one below:

4. Mirror, mirror on the wall...
If you don’t want to do much work, and just want to buy an item that can transform the WC, you can pick a gorgeous playful mirror. Pick something really bold and unusual. We love the artistic mirrors from Petite Friture, that look like a piece of art. Even high street brands like Anthropologies, Habitat and West Elm have some cute options for any taste and budget. And back to the previous point, feel free to illuminate the back of it for a 'halo' effect - use a LED tape at the back of the mirror, and mount it slightly off the wall as we did for Fora with Hassell below:


5. Bold use of colour
There are situations where you want to completely refresh your WC but you might not be able to do any major works because you might be renting (office or home), planning to sell or have an extremely tight budget. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered - the easiest way is to pick a bold colour and paint all walls above the tiles in that colour. Colour blocking is fun, easy, cheap and so efficient! Don’t be afraid to use a bold colour. Go to Farrow and Ball or Little Greene (we love their coverage and durability), pick a couple of colours, test them on the wall and paint your WC.
Got any questions or you’ve done something fun with your own WC? Share a comment below and we’ll make sure to help!

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