5 Ways to work the round trend in your bathroom!
For those of you who have not picked up on the fact that we are moving towards two bathroom renovations in a couple months here at Seasons HQ, be warned! There will be plenty of bathroom eye candy over multiple posts in the coming weeks, as I will seek to inspire you as well as motivate myself about the whole process.
What's the plan? My beloved home office will soon be turned into a new family bathroom. And our current family bathroom and ensuite will be joined up to make space for a proper (larger) ensuite. So, obviously, I am spending more time browsing tiles and shower enclosures and bathtubs and playing with ideas on design, but this area is all new to me.
For example, I had no idea that you need a wall hung frame for a wall hung toilet seat. It's obvious you would need one, but I had not thought of it. You can therefore understand how stressed I am about the whole thing. Happy days. The good thing is that as I was researching bathrooms, I came across a great trend which I will share with you: Everything round in bathrooms!
1/ Round Mirrors
I personally love the idea of a round mirror (90-100cm) but obviously if you are thinking of getting one, know that they are not usually bathroom specific which means that you will rarely find one that looks as good as the below and be heated. And you want the mirror to be heated so that it does not mist up once you're in the bath or shower. If, however, you don't mind a bit of wiping and you have a good ventilation system, read on!
Another thing to consider with round mirror styling is that you will need a shelf below unless you have plenty of space on the basin or the vanity unit/ counter. For example in the photo below I am not very keen on having a little shelf just under the mirror (which I find old fashioned). I feel it spoils the eclectic look but I get why it's handy and many will still choose one. For a similar strap mirror, try this one from HAY.
Italian sanitary ware maker Cielo have come up with this clever mirror box (below), the Catini Round Box, designed by Andrea Parisio and Giuseppe Pezzano, which you can fill up with black and white beauty products (apologies, I am all Chanel today for some reason, I blame a book by Megan Hess that arrived on my desk this morning).
Above: Strap Mirror - Ø 70 cm - Hay, £169, Madeindesign; On Interior Mirror Brass, Trouva, £180; Heart of House Holt Deep Round Wall Mirror - Oak Effect, Argos, £49.99. Below: Antiqued Gold Pendant Mirrors £135-350 Graham and Green.
2/ Round Wash bowls
Wash basins take a lot during their lifetime, so they need to be well built to withstand everything, from plain hand washing to draining away coloured water when your angel gets crafty, to mild chemicals when you wash delicate clothes in it.
Wash bowls sit on top of a counter and that's great as you can fit on top of a bathroom specific vanity OR (come one be creative!!!) on top of a not-bathroom-specific cabinet, even on vintage pieces. If you decide to indeed use a non-bathroom specific cabinet, remember to use maybe a glass top or treat any natural wood top with good quality varnish to help it sustain any water marks.
The elegant Nuvo solid surface stone resin round countertop basin 450 below (£195), from Lusso Stone, is bang on trend and I would gladly combine it with one of their black mixer taps, here, for added impact.
Below: This is the Rapolano Washbowl from Glass Design. Their bowls and basins are made in Tuscany, a few short miles away from the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci. His fascination with technology and love of craftmanship seem to inhabit the factory, and are reflected in this unique range. Available from CP Hart, £910.
The Starck 1 collection for Duravit (below) is a streamlined ceramic and wood masterpiece. Since its launch in 1994, all products in the range + ceramic, furniture, baths and accessories + are hand-crafted using the same methods, consistently boasting Starck's hallmark of precise quality. £295, CP Hart.
Inspired by the spirit of Eastern thinking and the concept of a floating universe as an incitement to living Olympia Ceramica introduced the UKIYO-E, a round counter top basin with overflow. It comes in many different colours but this combination with a bright white wall tap below is my favourite. Eur262 on Archiproducts.
Meaning 'drop' in Italian, Goccia by Gessi (below) was inspired by the fluid and natural shapes of water. The eye-catching collection of brass and sanitaryware was designed for Gessi by renowned sculptor, Prospero Rasulo, and fuses the finest Italian craftsmanship with sleek, minimalist elements. Available in polished or brushed chrome finish, but I personally prefer the more contemporary black or white. Around £1,083 CP Hart
And if you want to move away from traditional basins and muted colours why not try a hand finished porcelain wash bowl from the London Basin Company? Below, a multi-coloured basin displaying a striking rich design on a soft white background. A bold modern interpretation of traditional Asian patterns, Melody (£760) is vibrant and intriguing, with golden accents to add sparkle.
3/ Round Bathtubs
This is a difficult shape for bathtubs as it requires extra space, thus restricting its use in the traditionally small ensuite bathrooms. Don't despair, however, as many round bathtubs come in very compact sizes. Queue the soak tubs.
This is the freestanding Origin bath tub by Seung-Yong Song (2016, below) for Spanish manufacturer Inbani comes in their own patented Ceramilux or in marble. With a diameter of just over one meter it is perfect for soaking without taking too much of your precious space. This is one babe you'll want to put in the corner!
If cast iron is your preferred material, this JIG Drum Round Cast Iron Bath, (1325x520mm), is available in 13 colours for £2,165 from Victoria Plumbing.
For laid-back luxury try the round Lusso Stone Durastone® Notion bath. This one has sexy curves but needs more space as it's under 1.4m in diameter which makes it also perfect for sharing! The bath comes fitted with a standard UK push button Chrome waste kit. Manufactured using Lusso's unique rigid pure white stone resin composite giving it a superb single piece look
And if you thought that these beautiful round baths only come in white, think again. The Mini Red Ferrari corner round bathtub by another classic Italian manufacturer, Glass Design, indeed comes in the colour favoured by the Italian sports car maker and is a fusion between shower and mini-spa.
4/ Round free-standing washbasins
Perfect for cloakrooms but also great in pairs, these free standing washbasins will add character to your bathroom in no time.
HANDMADE, by Falper, the collection designed by Michael Schmidt in 2014 shows delicate and feminine forms.
Wire by Hidra Ceramica (below) is not a one-piece freestanding washbasin, but a combination of two elements: the basin, that can be used as a countertop basin aswell, and the column, made up from a circular array of18 steel rods that gives the optical illusion of a meshwork.
This is the ARO Round pedestal Krion® washbasin by Systempool.
5/ Round mosaic tiles
This is one I am totalling swooning over but my better half is a fan of large tiles (plus I have concerns about how easy these are to clean) so not one I will personally be looking to add to our new bathrooms but you never know!
