Read article : 7 stunning bathroom trends for 2017 revealed
The bathroom is first and foremost a functional space, but it is also a space that can be beautifully designed to make it a standout feature visually as well.
Aside from the usual practical aspects of this space, Kyle Turner from Luximo, the local distributor for the luxurious ROCA sanitaryware brand, offers some insights into the main trends influencing bathroom design going forward:
1. Organic is back
Kyle says organic elements can add warmth, uniqueness, and a rich tactile sensation to the overall composition. As such, materials such as wood, stone, metal and ceramics remain popular.
It is understandable why designers and homeowners alike admire Mother Nature as the ultimate source of design inspiration - organic elements can add warmth, uniqueness, and a rich tactile sensation to the overall composition. As such, materials such as wood, stone, metal and ceramics remain popular.
“Natural materials are being used to great effect to bring nature back into our homes. To stay within budgets, and to ensure easy maintenance and longevity, lots of indistinguishable imitative products are gaining popularity,” says Kyle.
“These warm organically-inspired or natural materials are used to great effect when juxtaposed with modern materials and super clean, streamlined design lines that offer practical and simple arrangement of spaces.”
2. Leading colourways
Darker more moody tones are making a huge comeback throughout the home, as well as in the bathroom.
“Darker tones, especially the rich palette of grey hues, are proving to be enormously popular. In the bathroom, they can be used on the walls and floor, and juxtaposed against brilliant white sanitaryware for maximum visual impact,” says Kyle.
He says can also integrate other popular colours.
“Matte, nude and neutral colours offer the perfect combination when paired with darker greys and blacks, and offer a great way of introducing some contrast to the overall colour palette,” says Kyle.
“Combinations of pastel tonalities in blue, green, salmon and ash are also on the rise, but only when used as accent tones. And of course, the classic all-white monochromatic bathroom never seems to go out of fashion.”
3. Metal and marble mania
“These warm organically-inspired or natural materials are used to great effect when juxtaposed with modern materials and super clean, streamlined design lines that offer practical and simple arrangement of spaces,” says Kyle.
“Marble cladding on the walls and metal accessories in gold or copper are bang on trend,” says Kyle.
“There has been a stylish revival of this 70s aesthetic - brass has really become that most fashionable metal for the bathroom, and when paired with the nobility of marble, it makes a truly irresistible combination.”
4. Play with geometry
A variation of geometric shapes inspired by the strong lines of architectural and structural elements has really come to the fore with regards to tiling and ceramic cladding.
“Hints of the Orient and the Mediterranean are being introduced in a modern and dynamic way in new trendy bathroom tile ranges,” says Kyle.
“An example of this is the rising popularity of the hexagonal tiles used for wall and floor coverings - it is proving to be a very popular design combination with multiple variations that can interpreted in many ways.”
5. Water efficiency rules
Water has always been a very precious commodity, but it is becoming a very high priority, especially in light of the severe water shortages we have been living through of late.
Kyle says awareness of water shortages has made choosing sanitaryware that is water efficient a must.
“You use more water in the bathroom than every other room in your home combined. Choosing water-efficient options is the right thing to do, and it can save thousands of litres and lots of money in the long run,” he says.
“Matte, nude and neutral colours offer the perfect combination when paired with darker greys and blacks, and offer a great way of introducing some contrast to the overall colour palette,” says Kyle.
“Water-efficient taps, double-flush cisterns, and low-flow showerheads all make a big impact on reducing your water consumption in the bathroom. However, there are other really clever and innovative products - one of them being the exclusive ROCA W+W, which reuses the water from the basin to fill the cistern after filtering it, further reducing water consumption by up to 25%.”
6. Smart storage
Adequate storage is essential in any bathroom space, and today, it takes on the role of being both functional and visually pleasing.
“Bathroom storage needs to provide you with easy access to all your items - it prevents the items from getting lost inside the furniture unit. ROCA’s range of bathroom furniture, for example, boasts drawers with full extraction systems that display all their contents so that you may access even the farthest corner,” says Kyle.
“Some models also include a concealed drawer to facilitate the tidiness of?the smaller objects.”
However, he says that modern bathroom furniture has also become smart.
“ROCA’s Statum-N Base Unit, for example, allows you to connect your smartphone to the Bluetooth speakers of the furniture unit and enjoy your music while you shower or get ready to go out. It also offers a built-in socket in its drawer so that you can use to plug your hairdryer, electric shaver, or straightening iron in.”
“Combinations of pastel tonalities in blue, green, salmon and ash are also on the rise, but only when used as accent tones," says Kyle.
7. Deluxe showers
The bath has always taken centre stage in bathroom design, however, there is a trend to replace the bath with a super-luxurious and grand shower instead.
“Showering is water efficient, it is quick and easy, and it provides one of the few occasions in which we are relaxed, calm and away from the stress caused by our everyday lifestyle,” says Kyle.
“It is no wonder that it is really starting to take centre stage in modern bathroom design. From the shower walls, shower heads and faucets, you can customise your shower according to your budget and needs.”
He says another important element to consider is the shower floor or tray.
“Gone are the days when acrylic shower floors were your only option, as ROCA now also provides shower trays in STONEX, steel and vitreous china. Shower trays manufactured in STONEX, a resistant and long-lasting material, may be installed levelled to the floor, and thanks to their textured surface, offer a high anti-slip feature,” says Kyle.
“They are also available?in different natural finishes to meet the needs of all kinds of bathroom environments, providing a very modern look - Helios, wooden texture, Terran, stone texture.”
Adequate storage is essential in any bathroom space, and today, it takes on the role of being both functional and visually pleasing, says Kyle.
Kyle says steel shower trays are functional, long lasting and extra slim so that they are perfectly integrated in the shower space, and it is only necessary to clean them with a wet cloth and soap.
“For greater comfort, ROCA’s In-Floor or Blues XL collections include an anti-slip base,” says Kyle.
“If you are searching for an economic shower tray that is easy to clean and resistant to chemical agents, those manufactured in vitreous china - such as ROCA’s Malta shower tray for example - are a good option.”
All ROCA products are currently available at Bathroom Bizarre outlets countrywide.
x 4 (main is King)
Ensuite Bathroom (Shower only)
Rene | 
Courtesy photo