Home Improvement Guide

Professional bathroom designers are masterful at merging both function and form to create breathtaking results. In this eight-part series which I call “Understanding Bathroom Design,” I draw on my experience working with some of London’s top bathroom designers to explain this exciting field. This second article reveals the secrets of bathroom colour schemes.

In crafting a new color scheme, most London bathroom design professionals start by pulling out their colour wheel. The wheel can help choose tuneful combinations of colours, regardless of whether the palette is subdued and relaxed or exciting and dynamic. For example, some larger London bathrooms might be great candidates for a high-contrast complimentary look. This will normally pull in two colours from opposite sides of the wheel, maybe combining a yellow base with navy trim for high impact. However, smaller London shower closets would not be compatible with this bathroom design scheme because it might be too overwhelming. In such cases, a monochromatic approach that focuses on a single colour but uses various hues for interest could be perfect. Imagine the same bathroom design as previously discussed, but with powder blue in place of the yellow … exactly the same dimensions and accessories, but an entirely transformed atmosphere. Perfect perhaps for a North London flat or a West London studio loft.

Sophisticated Londoners can be desperate for that spa sensation which is so popular these days. Bathroom designers can make that happen by using cool, restful colours that include blues and greens. These often combine fabulously with the cream and two-tone brushed metal fixtures that are commonly found in spas and salons.

For centuries, the fashionable ladies of London have used makeup to bring out the beauty of their features while also covering up the tiniest imperfections. Similarly, colour can bring a bathroom design to the next level – perhaps by showcasing interesting architraves, cornices or other features.

In the olden days, bathroom design instructors in London used to teach that painting a small bathroom a darker hue will make it seem cramped. However, today’s top bathroom designers know how false that can be. Using different shades of a deep colour in a smaller room can in reality make the bathroom seem more spacious. Adding texturing detail to the paintwork can add extra dimensions and bathroom designer flair.

In the next article in my series “Understanding Bathroom Design,” I’ll focus on child-friendly approaches.

Professional interior designers are expertly trained in the use of lighting features to create breathtaking results. In this four-part series which I call “Colour Me Brightly: Understanding Light in Interior Design,” I draw on my experience in London’s interior design community to explain this fascinating subject. This third article talks about how to create patterns using opaque materials.

The second way for an interior designer to create light-based patterns involves opaque surfaces, which reflect light back into a room. This pattern creation process is more sophisticated and can be fine-tuned for stunning interior design effects. Light portrayals impact how we understand a surface and its texture. For example, the “standard” technique often seen in London residences simply involves casting a gentle play of light across a wall. The light brushes the fittings, causing the wall to appear even, flat and two-dimensional. Some top London Interior Designers know that their clients crave more drama and stylistic nuance. In such cases, placing lightwell fillings very close to the wall and angling them downwards can be really striking. Using this technique, interior design consultancies can transform the previous gentle wave into an enunciated designer style, as the photons shave the surface and build to form sturdy optical patterns, including top-level arcs and dramatic textures. A sharper, more laser-like focus will only make the pattern more conspicuous – recreating a look that is popular in many trendy London nightclubs.

The direct counterpoint to this interior design technique involves the use of close-offset uplighting. With this approach, floor-level filaments cause the eye to move up vertical columns of light which dance across the wall to form puddles of dappled reflected light on the ceiling. Professional London interior designers often work alongside colour consultants to make sure that the result has practical relevance as well as aesthetic appeal. In particular, some newer London residences often have uncomfortably low ceilings. Interior designers can use this lighting approach to draw attention to the vertical plane of the wall, thereby counterbalancing the hemmed-in feel of the low ceiling.

In the next and final article in this series called “Colour Me Brightly!” I will finish by revealing some top lighting tips from London’s interior design community.