Luxury bathrooms

Inspired by the best hotel bathrooms, here’s your guide to unwinding in style at home

A good hotel may pride itself on the comfort of its beds, the quality of its restaurant or the trendiness of its bar. But there’s another element that’s essential: a bathroom to die for. Because let’s face it, if you pitch up at a pricey destination and find stained grout and taps that were out of date a decade ago, you won’t be recommending it to your friends. The best hotel bathrooms are stylish sanctuaries of sumptuousness, out-of-this-world oases of refinement and luxury. Superbly planned, they offer sleek efficiency at the same time as indulgence and opulence, from cosy-toes underfloor heating to deep-fill baths, monsoon showerheads to gleaming glass. And there’s no reason why you shouldn’t recreate the same sort of haven in which to relax at home.

Hi-tech opulence

Barnsley House, Cirencester, Cotswolds

If it’s all-out luxury you’re after, look no further for a role model than this splendid bathroom at Barnsley House, a boutique hotel in the Cotswolds. The deepest bath ever? Check. A walk-through power shower? Check. A TV to watch while soaking your cares away? Check.

With its centrally wall-mounted taps, the curvy slipper bath is perfectly comfy for two. Reproductions are readily available today but, if you’re considering installing an extra-large bath in an upstairs room, do check that it will fit up the stairs and that your joists will take the weight of bath, water and bather(s) combined.

You can also recreate an energising and invigorating shower experience at home by changing your model. You could opt for a power shower, one with body sprays or a range of modes (from a fine mist to a drench), or even remote controls. And may we just add here that a floppy plastic curtain is never a good look. Replace it with a hinged glass door instead. They can be bought off-the-shelf or even made to a specific size and shape.

A subtle but essential element at Barnsley House is the false wall covered with subtle mosaic. Ingeniously, not only does it conceal all the unsightly pipe work, it also provides a handy surface on which to store shampoos and soaps. False walls can be created by using tiled plasterboard or painted tongue-and-groove woodwork, either centrally as here or, more conventionally, around the walls.

The final mention must go to the waterproof TV. With a heated screen to prevent misting, and a floating remote control, they can be built in or, for retro-fitting in an existing bathroom, mounted within a towel rail. Relax and enjoy.

Sleek and modern

21212, Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh’s 21212 is an award-winning restaurant with rooms, and its sleek and sophisticated bathrooms are pretty nifty, too. In this example, a pair of shapely washbasins slot into an all-in-one unit that also includes a mirror, taps and towel hanging, with a heated towel rail in between. While specially designed bathroom furniture tends to be expensive, a similar look could easily be obtained by wall-mounting a couple of basins with elegant, exposed chrome bottle traps, teamed with good-looking mixer taps and a simple mirrored cupboard (crucial for concealing clutter) above each one. Don’t expect your heated towel rail to provide storage for all your towels – buy a new set of thick, white ones (go on, you know you deserve it) and take the time to fold them neatly on a simple shelf.

Lighting is important, too. Ideally, aim for a scheme that can turn from bright and functional to subtly languorous at the flick of a switch. Aim for working lights for bath, shower and basin areas – perhaps inset down lights in the ceiling – plus ambient lighting in the form of wall and ceiling lights, on a dimmer if possible.

One of the most eye-catching elements is the stunning egg-shaped bath, uplit with floor-inset LED lights to emphasise its curves. Here’s a great bathroom design tip: splash out on a glamorous bath and place it in a focal point. Keep the rest simple and the wow-factor of that single item will make the whole room feel amazing.

Finally, as a backdrop you can’t beat the dark, dramatic nature of the large-format porcelain tiles, used on walls and floor, with an unusual printed finish. Cheaper and lighter in weight than stone, porcelain tiles are ideal for use with underfloor heating. Available in many sizes and styles, they can also be teamed with painted walls.

Retro splash

Hotel Tresanton, St Mawes, Cornwall

Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach to the design of its bathrooms, the gorgeous Hotel Tresanton in St Mawes, Cornwall, has opted for a chic, individual approach. In this elegant room, Roman-style mosaic tiles set the scene, combined with generously sized, Victorian-style fittings, plus sleek and functional modern accessories. They’re not what you might expect to find together, but they work like a dream. Mosaic is a fab choice for a bathroom, but tends to be pricey when used in any quantity. If you’re on a limited budget, restrict it to eye-catching splashbacks and borders. Coordinate with larger tiles and paintwork that match well – the secret to the success of the Tresanton’s bathroom is its cool colour combination, with a cleverly restricted palette of delicious cream and sea green.

The oversized wall-hung basin here is perfect: there’s plenty of room either side of the taps for your toothbrush and soap. You could try hunting for something similar at reclamation yards, though it might take a while for the perfect piece to turn up. Alternatively, plenty of manufacturers have ranges of classic sanitary ware in similar styles. The key is to get the brassware right. Here, old-fashioned basin taps and a ‘telephone’ style bath/shower mixer provide just the right feel of authenticity. Striking a different note, this bathroom also includes ultra-modern, angular chrome and leather stools. Functional and good-looking, they coordinate brilliantly and add an interesting, contemporary touch. Emulate this look easily by adding your choice of contemporary accessories, whether it’s a stool or a soap dish, a scented candle or a storage pot. Finally, for timeless luxury, why not have your initials embroidered on your towels? It costs just a few pounds yet the effect is swish and enviably sumptuous.

Back