We discover how colour and texture is playing an every greater role in bathroom furniture choice, enabling designers to be creative

Adding to PJH furniture in the Bathrooms to Love brand is Align, a modular handless design available in three colours and a fluted texture.

Forget white, high gloss furniture for style-led bathroom schemes, as Instagram and Pinterest savvy consumers are all about colours and textures.

These span earthy tones through to soft pastels and bold splashes of dark jewels, with a choice of silky matt, ribbed and even textured woodgrain finishes.

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This move towards colour and texture was identified at the start of the year by industry experts as one of the trends to watch for bathroom design in 2023.

And it is coming to fruition, as sales director of Hib Ashley Chilver comments: “Our data suggests that consumers are more likely inclined to choose a textured or coloured finish as opposed to white.”

Playful with design

This move towards colour and texture for bathroom furniture plays into the hands of designers.

Part of the Nuie brand, from Roxor Group, is the Lunar furniture range which offers a variety of wall-hung and floorstanding units. It is available in a choice of five satin colours.

Sales and marketing director at RAK Ceramics UK Ben Bryden explains: “The movement towards more colourful bathroom design has had a really big influence on the furniture sector.

“This is where designers can get playful with the use of colour, introducing bold touches along with tactile textured finishes that make the bathroom an individual space.”

And it provides stand out for independent bathroom showrooms, as head of marketing at Roxor Group Jon Walker adds: “Offering on-trend colours and textures gives independent retailers an advantage by allowing them to refresh their showroom and keep up with the latest design trends.

“This not only attracts more customers but also enables them to offer a range of options that complement each customer’s personal style.”

Whole house styling

With an influx of matt finishes, pink, green and blues and reeded or woodgrain furniture, which is also popular in the kitchen, does this mean a whole house look?

Arabella joins the Original Fitted collection, from Utopia, and is a slab door with an integrated, recessed pull handle in a choice of four finishes – Matt White, Matt Black, Brushed Nickel and Brass.

Jon Walker of Roxor Group replies: “Yes, there is a growing demand for a cohesive look throughout the entire house when it comes to colour and finish choices for furniture in the kitchen and bathroom.

“In fact, we often observe that a particular colours and finish choices for furniture in the kitchen and bathroom.

“For instance blue and green kitchens are just as popular as blue and green bathoroms. This trend of having a consistent colour scheme throughout the home is becoming increasingly popular.”

Genesis fitted bathroom furniture, from HiB, is available in wall-hung or freestanding models with pre-assembled carcases, designed to save on installation time.

And Ben Bryden of RAK Ceramics UK, agrees, particularly if the bathroom is an ensuite, as he explains: “Making sure a house works as a whole is always more visually appealing and there is now much more a demand for a cohesive feel throughout the home.

“This makes sense with the continuing move towards open plan living, but is also true for the bathroom to a certain extent, when it is accessed via the master bedroom.

“Soft colours in bathroom furniture are making this cohesive whole house look quite easy to achieve.”

Storage choice

Alongside the incorporation of colour and texture into the bathroom has been consumer demand for a greater variety of storage.

The Keuco Stageline unit is available in a choice of widths and four colour options and can be fitted with single or double flush-mounted or round countertop basins.

Vanities are still taking centre stage, reflected by the likes of Alape which has recently introduced a choice of washstands for 2023, but they are being joined by tall units, freestanding pieces and open shelving.

Ashley Chilver of HiB states: “Vanities are hugely popular, but the scope for design and configurations has grown considerably.

“Customers are looking for a mixture of storage types, different finishes and choice of handles and brassware to complement other aspects of the space.”

And Ben Bryden is even more expressive when he reports: “Vanities and tall units certainly still have a huge role to pay in adding much needed storage to the bathroom.

“The benefit of this type of furniture is that they utilise otherwise wasted space, making them particularly useful in the smaller setting.

“We are seeing more in the way of freestanding pieces now, too, along with open storage solutions that mimic the look of a hotel bathroom.”

One to watch

With coloured bathroom storage featuring in three out of the top five most viewed bathroom stories on http://kandbnews.co.uk in 2022, it’s popularity is far from waning.

RAK-Resort furniture, from RAK Ceramics, is now available in a floorstanding format and can be specified in three widths – 500, 600 and 650mm – each with two drawers.

In fact, with the likes of brassware specialist Hansgrohe making its move into the furniture sector at ISH 2023, it’s sure to be a sector to watch.

Ben Bryden of RAK Ceramics points to the advantage of single sourcing a bathroom project, stating: “Being able to choose a complete bathroom solution from one manufacturer, and even often from a single range, as it possible with RAK Ceramics, making it easier for designers to create a holistic space.”

But whether sourced from a single supplier or with manufacturers brought together to create a personalised scheme, furniture will remain at the forefront of design.

Furniture product manager of Bathrooms to Love, at PJH, Julie Lockwood concludes: “The bathroom sector is fast-moving and key product category for the bathroom industry.

“It’s influence on bathroom product design cannot be emphasised enough, and in order to keep ahead and satisfy evolving consumer demands, a regular supply of new and exciting designs and innovations need to keep up with the momentum.”