Each year brings with it the latest bathroom trends, some completely new and revolutionary, others a twist on existing styles. This year is no different, with bathroom trends ranging from wholesale updates on traditional styles to new technology that can make showering and bathing more enjoyable, more ecologically friendly, safer and even healthier. We’ve picked out the most exciting 2017 bathroom trends and what’s coming up for 2018 and beyond.
Update over renovate
Marketing research and insight firm Mintel has recently released their study into bathroom trends and one crucial bit of information gleamed from it is that, on the whole, UK homeowners are choosing to update their homes rather than move to new ones. Mintel puts this trend down to the uncertainty over finances brought on by Brexit, which also means that homeowners are choosing to refresh their bathrooms with smaller touches, rather than wholesale redecorating projects. Choosing neutral colours for your bathroom make this easy by just swapping out your accessories (towels, shower curtain, etc.) for a different colour scheme.
Read our Top tips for bathroom decorating to help you along the way.
Feature heads
In previous years, the bathtub has been the feature of the bathroom, especially if you’re the proud owner of a grand free-standing roll-top bath. But mirroring our movement towards more frequent showering (13% of us shower now more often, according to Mintel), shower heads are becoming the centrepiece of the bathroom, so say goodbye to boring models and look for something new and impressive, like a home-spa ready Deluge shower head.
Future-proofing
The completely connected smart home used to be the stuff of science fiction, but we’re already at the point where your security system, central heating and TV can all talk to each other via Nest, Ring and home assistants such as Amazon Echo or If This Then That. Your bathroom is the next step, with digital showers and music-playing, self-cleaning toilets only the tip of the iceberg. Wireless shower controllers mean you can turn your shower on and set the temperature before you even get out of bed (provided you’re within 10 metres), while the showers of the near future look set to be so advanced that they’ll use facial recognition software to recognise who you are and set the shower to your preferred settings.
Even more advanced are the developments predicted in Mintel’s report. Google has already filed patents that suggest your bathroom could become the first point in diagnosing health problems. Mirrors will be able to detect changes in your pallor, toilets will be able to diagnose internal problems from your bowel movements and heart rate. And all of this can be connected to your relevant medical professional to alert them as soon as the technology detects a problem.
When we say future-proofing, we don’t just mean having the latest tech in your bathroom. It also can cover those who are redesigning their bathrooms with their own futures in mind. Wet rooms and enclosure-free and walk-in showers were a popular style trend in 2017 that also double up as conveniently accessible options for people with reduced mobility as they grow older. The Mira Flight Safe range of anti-slip shower trays were developed to allow people to stay in their own homes for longer and this year won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation.
Easy being green
The increase in people showering goes hand-in-hand with Mintel’s discovery that more toilets on the market have smaller tanks or dual flush controls; we’re becoming far more conscious of the amount of water we use, both from an ecological and economical point of view. But while we might not mind reducing the flush on our toilet, it’s a very different matter when it comes to showering. The Mira Agile Eco can help reduce the amount of water by up to 50 per cent, without losing that glorious pressure that we all crave when we step into the shower.
Take a look at last year’s bathroom trends and see the enduring styles that have carried through to 2017.