How to get that contemporary bathroom look

Our guide to contemporary design, furniture and accessories to make your bathroom stand out.

On this page: [In practice] [Contemporary colour] [Five great names] [Suites, showers and tubs] [Contemporary bathroom furniture] [Contemporary bathroom accessories]

So - the time has finally come to get rid of that horrible old avocado suite and floral shower curtain. Instead you're planning a gleaming modern bathrooom masterpiece.

But there's a fine line to be trodden here: get it right and you will have created an exciting contemporary room that will enhance your home and give you enjoyment for years. Get it wrong and you'll be lumbered with something only one step away from the stark functionality of an upmarket motorway services.

So what are the secrets to successful contemporary bathroom design?

According to Paola Antonelli of New York's Museum of Modern Art: "Contemporary design is experimental in its use of materials and is often inspired by genuine necessity. Still, it sustains elements of surprise and deep intellectual beauty, because it relies more on invention than on the elaboration of styles."

What that means in practice is that items are designed to get the job done simply and effectively, without fancy bells, whistles or twiddly bits. Dullness is avoided by their originality - perhaps they offer a clever new way to do an old job, or maybe they are made from an unusual material.

In a bathroom, that might mean a sink that consists of a coloured glass bowl instead of the usual ceramic construction, or a shower enclosure left semi-frameless to create a bright and airy space.

Contemporary colour

Think of contemporary design in some rooms, particularly active parts of the house like living rooms and children's play rooms, and you immediately think of bold splashes of bright colour. In contrast, many people's idea of contemporary bathroom decoration fails to extend beyond white, grey and chrome - but there's no reason why a smart, modern bathroom shouldn't also use colour, or even natural wood.

Blue often works well in a bathroom - modern or traditional - and it can work particularly well fading towards certain shades of grey or with some types of metalwork. To prevent the room becoming too stark, mix in some warm pale browns or some well-designed wooden bathroom furniture or flooring. A good rule of thumb is to make the breakdown between the three tones - white / metal, blue and brown - 60 per cent to 30 per cent to 10 per cent.

Of course, there's another influence at work - budget. Contemporary design looks expensive, and its occasional use of unusual materials means that sometimes it can be. But it doesn't have to be. There are many suppliers in the UK offering affordable pieces that can be assembled into a striking and stylish whole. Here is a round-up of some of their best products and brands.

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Five great names to visit

We've been impressed by these merchants or brands, and hope you are too. All links go to external sites and open in another window.

Concept Zen

Stylish, modern bathroom fittings and accessories. The Gedo and Shojo ranges are particularly worth a look.

Pozzi Ginori, at Bathroom Heaven

Bathroom Heaven has a wide range of suites but, for a contemporary look, the Italian designer Pozzi Ginori is hard to beat - try the easy, join or Series 500 ranges.

Wireworks bamboo accessories, at John Lewis

The perfect counterpoint to white and chrome minimalism - a full range of accessories in water-resistant lacquered bamboo.

Architeckt, at Plumbworld

Great savings and a sophisticated minimalist design are the twin attractions of this range.

Home Temptations

Stylish, yes - but human too. Products that look good, don't break the bank and give your bathroom a personal touch.

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Suites, showers and tubs

We mentioned Bathroom Heaven earlier on the page, but they're not the only game in town. Here are a few other retailers of suites who can help when you're looking for that modern touch.

Trueshopping Modern Bathroom suite

Pretty much everything you need to kit out a stylish modern bathroom is included in this suite - an offset quadrant shower enclosure with a thermostatically controlled shower and head, vanity unit and basin, basin tap and toilet. At £499, it's pretty good value too. With any luck, the wallpaper isn't included.

Bohemia suite, from Presley's

Available only at Presley's, the Eago Bohemia consists of a semi-pedestal basin, WC and bidet and comes in regular and 'back to wall' versions. It's crisp, modern and has some unusual lines to it. The regular suite comes in at £899 - knock £200 off for the other version. Also worth a look from the same company are the Bellini and Goya lines.

Screwfix bathroom suites

Screwfix isn't just where you go for very large bags of nails (or bags of very large nails, for that matter). Its crossover into trade supply means you can find just about everything there - including some rather stylish bathroom suites. Pictured is the Mews suite at £629.99, others include the Grove De Luxe and the Strand Clean +.

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Contemporary bathroom furniture

Mezzo Collection at TrueShopping.co.uk

There's probably more wood in this collection than you had in mind, but in fact the Mezzo's mix of beech and frosted glass work very nicely to prevent a bathroom from veering too far towards something you'd see on the Starship Enterprise. It consists of a vanity sink unit, washstand, mixer tap, waste, plug and bottle trap. At the time of writing there's £50 off, to make it a penny the right side of a rather reasonable £300 for the lot.

B&Q bathroom furniture

You know where you are with B&Q. We don't agree with everything it classes as 'contemporary' but there's still plenty of reasonably-priced, attractively modern bathroom furniture to be found there. A lot of it is only available online, too. Pictured is a freestanding circular unit, available in beech or white at £130, basin and fixings not included.

Backlit bathroom mirrors from Screwfix Direct

Screwfix has a wide range of stylish modern bathroom furniture in various finishes, including basins, vanity units, mirrors and cabinets. We've picked out a couple of very nice mirrors, edged with frosted glass and backlit for convenience. The Lupo and the Zino are each just under £110, the main difference being that one is landscape in format and the other portrait. You can also buy heated mirror panels and infrared sensor LED mirrors if you want to get really whizzy.

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Contemporary bathroom accessories

It's the little details that make the difference between and good bathroom and a great one. We've already mentioned Home Temptations, John Lewis and Concept Zen, but here are two more suppliers we think have got the message when it comes to contemporary bathroom accessorising.

Zack Foccio range at Heal's

Heal's is a pretty good stopping point for stylish accessories anywhere in the home, so it's no surprise to find some bathroom goodies there. The five items stocked from the ultra-modern stainless steel Zack Foccio range include a beaker, a soap dish and dispenser, a standing mirror, and a freestanding 'toilet brush butler'. Prices range from seven quid to seventy.

Chrome accessories at ZiggiZiggi

Make your bathroom a perfectly-themed zome with the help of these free-standing accessories from ZiggiZiggi, including tumblers, soap dishes, toilet brushes and jars. Or, if you've had an overdose of the shiny, how about the very stylish matt mocha Petra bathroom set instead?

Some more ideas:

• The Bathroom Design Guide: design ideas
• House Planner: bathroom booklist
• Bathroom Manufacturers Association: frequently-asked bathroom questions
• Bradleys Estate Agents: ultimate bathroom design
• The Bathroom Furniture Guide: design ideas

• Got some great thoughts about contemporary bathroom design that you'd like to share? Why not join our Yahoo Groups forum and discuss them? We'd love to see you there.

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