The period look has long been a popular interior design trend, and the style continues to be all the rage as Britons seek to add historical touches to their home. The bathroom is one area where this trend is really beginning to take off – read on for a guide to adding some period style to this space.
A freestanding bath
Nothing oozes period glamour quite like a freestanding bath, and there is a wide range available nowadays. Traditionally, freestanding baths would have been made from metals like copper or steel, and it is possible to install this sort of tub today, although cheaper and more lightweight options are available, too. Acrylic is commonly used as a material now, and opting for a bath made from the material can mean less outlay.
Freestanding baths are available in a variety of styles, from traditional roll-top models with clawed feet to more modern alternatives that have contemporary supporting metal legs or even a solid wooden base. There’s also scope to vary the bath’s shape, as you’ll find both curved and rectangular-shaped models to choose from.
Traditional taps
To add a classic touch to the bathroom, you might decide to install some traditional taps, either to finish off a period-style suite or to add appeal to some basic fittings. You might decide to stay completely sympathetic to a period theme and go for bronze taps with enamel inlays, or for a more contemporary take on the classic look, you could pick out some traditionally-styled taps made from a modern material like chrome.
As well as installing traditional taps to the hand basin and to the bath, you could add a combined shower and tap mixer system to the bath. This sort of combination is in-keeping with the traditional bathroom, as showers have been fitted over the bath for decades.
Wooden elements
In Victorian properties, wood was a common feature in many areas of the house, including the bathroom. Dark wooden panelling on the walls and treated wooden floorboards were commonplace, and you can create a throwback to this style by adding wooden elements to your own bathroom. Dark, rich woods like mahogany have been used throughout the ages, but there’s no reason you shouldn’t update the trend by choosing a lighter wood if you’re concerned that a dark option will make the space feel enclosed.
Keeping the floorboards on show is one way to give a nod to the trend, while installing a wooden vanity unit with the sink built in can be another way of creating a period look in the bathroom.
Monochrome styling
Another popular trend in bygone bathrooms was a monochrome colour scheme, dictated largely by commonly-seen black and white floor tiles. Checkerboard-style tiles were all the rage during Victorian times, with some households also adding monochrome tiling on the walls too.
If you want to keep the walls white, you could add a touch of black with the odd tile here and there, or simply add black accessories like an ornate mirror with a black frame, a black blind and soft furnishings like towels and a rug.
For a modern twist, you could complement the monochrome theme with highly-polished metal accessories, like a gleaming towel rail, toilet roll holder and soap dispenser. This should give the space a little bit of timeless appeal.
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