Five bathroom fitting trends for 2014
If you’re looking for the latest big trends, it’s not always to be found draped across the skeletons at Paris Fashion Week or on the front cover of Vogue. In fact, breaking trends are just as commonplace in the world of interior design as they are in that of fashion.
Now, with 2014 just about getting into its stride, the trends are coming in thick and fast for what is the new must-have for your home. As expected, the bathroom is no exception, with these five additions really starting to make waves – and not just in the sink!
Brass funky
Vintage items remain as popular as ever, with second hand clothes being inflated to ridiculous prices by anyone that can justifiably convince buyers it’s made the switch from ‘charity shop nasty’ to ‘boho retro’. The same is creeping into interior design, with brass taps firmly leading the charge.
Once the preserve of opulent aristocrats, brass taps fell out of favour once stainless steel entered the mix, thanks to the latter’s perceived ‘clean’ look and ease of upkeep. In 2014, though, all that is set to change as brass taps (along with other fixtures and fittings) start to make a comeback that would make even Take That jealous.
50 shades of grey
Thankfully this doesn’t relate to shoddily written ‘Mummy porn’, but instead the decidedly monochromatic approach many homeowners are taking to their bathrooms. The days of cream, yellow or – God forbid – green bathroom fittings are long gone, being replaced instead by the striking utilitarianism of blacks and greys. As a little benefit to those opting for the brass taps as noted above, they’ll go together with a monochrome tub most beautifully.
Lounging around
For those who’ve sat on a chaise lounge and thought, ‘this would work in the shower’, 2014 is the time that dream could become a reality. Wetrooms are becoming more established – not to mention commonplace – every year, so it should come as no surprise that people have began tinkering with the formula. Now, large wetroom showers seem incomplete without a small bench on which to sit, although enterprising designers are taking it a step further, installing a chaise lounge-style fixture which should make it much more comfortable for those who want to recline, not just sit.
Slinky curves
Anyone lucky enough to have a his-n-hers sink set in their bathroom will know there’s one small drawback – the inevitable clatter of elbows when they are used in tandem. Step in the curved worktop, which doesn’t just make the bathroom look much sleeker than before, but also offsets the two sinks in order to provide just enough breathing space to prevent the morning’s tooth brushing from descending into fisticuffs.
Framework
Nowadays, showers don’t need bulky frames around each pane of glass to keep it safely in place. Instead, designers have been given much more free rein to tinker with the formula, sometimes doing without frames altogether in order to provide a much more open look, even when the space isn’t really there.
As such, 2014 should see more frameless showers provide a sleek and shimmering finish that isn’t dampened by hefty borders of plastic or chrome.
As with all trend forecasts, of course, all the above could be blown out of the water by a new addition that comes along this year and takes everyone by surprise. Failing that, though, these should be a good indication of the building trends for 2014.
