Move over avocado – there’s a new green washing its way into bathroom design.
The avocado bathroom, once the height of fashion, is usually a tell that a bathroom hasn’t be remodelled since the mid-1980s.
It's a mainstream design trend that left such a mark on the national psyche that, aside from a brief masculine all-black bathroom trend in the early 1990s, most renovators have opted for all-white washrooms since.
Statement colour and pattern have become the norm for the guest w.c., a space where a door can be closed on experimentation that didn’t quite work.
But colour is spilling out of this closeted space, and emboldened renovators are looking to create a serene spa-like space in the principal bathroom.
Sage, a soothing shade in use since antiquity, is a decorator’s first choice.
Herb-infused bathing
London-based bathroom emporium Haddon’s new Bromley is a freestanding stone bath that comes in a soft sage shade and will create a centrepiece for a sybaritic space.
Designed to retain water temperature beautifully, it costs about €1,535, ex VAT, taxes and delivery.
Mix up materials
Mardi Doherty, whose ancestors came from Co Clare, is principal of Melbourne-based interior design practice Studio Doherty.
A colourist, who is at the top of her game, selected this set-up for the principal ensuite in a art deco house in South Yarra, as she explains: “Our clients wanted a beautiful space with intricate detailing and were open to introducing bold colour.
"We chose deep green gloss tiles whose earthy hue and reflective finish amplified the light and created a strong connection to the garden, which was central to the brief.
"Warm-toned terrazzo floors balanced the green tiles, and cast bronze legs and frame to the vanity, with bronze surrounds to the mirrored cabinetry, added a sense of craftsmanship and permanence.
"We love introducing skylights in showers; it was just so nice being able to look up to the sky.
"For this ensuite, we designed a cylindrical skylight above the shower to bring in shifting natural light, which created a calm and uplifting atmosphere.”
Tilestyle’s bevelled duck egg 20cm by 10cm styles, about €44.50 psm, will deliver a similar look.
Custom colour for creative solutions
Irish bathroom brand Sonas offers over 2500 custom colour options in some of its sanitaryware lines.
Its Pulse range in the colour Parkland, shown, is not quite as smoky a colour as sage, but changes the look of a bathroom and warrants investigation.
Pictured is its 60cm wide, two-drawer countertop unit that includes the white resin top, €995; the Living ceramic countertop basin atop it costs €295, while adjoining it is a single floating Pulse unit, also 60cm wide, €495.
The Living wall-hung spiro-flush w.c costs €495.
The 120 cm Scandinavian wet room panel, about €695, which can also be colour matched and isn’t shown, is another standout design.
