Part 3- Designing Your Bathroom Like a Professional: Insider Tips to Create a Designer Look

Project: Westview Residence. Matching the floor tile to the countertop vanity marble (in the depths of winter!)

Selecting the right materials for your bathroom sets the foundation for a space that’s both beautiful and durable. Since bathrooms are high-moisture environments, it’s essential to choose surfaces that can withstand humidity, resist wear, and contribute to the overall aesthetic.

Project: House on the Hill, children’s bathroom. Black hexagonal porcelain floor tiles.

1. Porcelain and Ceramic Tiles: Durable and Versatile

Why choose porcelain or ceramic? Porcelain and ceramic tiles are both resilient, water-resistant options available in a vast array of colours, textures, and patterns. Porcelain, in particular, is highly dense, making it suitable for both floors and high-traffic areas, as well as areas that receive frequent moisture.

REMEMBER! You don’t have to tile every wall in your bathroom. Fully tiled bathrooms can often feel cold and clinical, with too many hard surfaces creating an uninviting atmosphere. Instead, consider limiting tiles to areas prone to moisture, like inside the shower or around the bathtub, while opting for a painted finish or moisture-resistant MDF panelling elsewhere. These softer, textured surfaces add warmth and depth, balancing out the room and giving it a more comfortable, refined look.

Ideal Use: Floors, showers, and splash zones where durability and moisture resistance are key.

Project: Blossom Drive. Marble floor & wall tiles in the shower.

2. Natural Stone Tiles: Luxury and Timelessness

Why choose natural stone? Materials like marble add a sense of luxury with their rich textures and natural veining. Stone can make a powerful design statement, but it does require sealing to prevent water absorption and staining.

Ideal Use: Everywhere : )

3. Tadelakt: Seamless and Water-Resistant Moroccan Plaster

Why choose Tadelakt? Tadelakt is a traditional Moroccan lime plaster technique, ideal for wet areas due to its waterproof properties. When applied by an experienced artisan, it creates a seamless, grout-free surface with a velvety, stone-like texture. Sealed with olive oil soap, Tadelakt is highly mould-resistant and has a beautiful, subtle sheen that evokes a spa-like ambiance. I’m really looking forward to using this in a future project.

Ideal Use: Showers, bathtub surrounds, vanity backsplashes, or feature walls where seamless, organic finishes are preferred.

4. Regular Paint in Dry Zones: Flexible and Refreshing

Why choose regular paint? In completely dry zones within a bathroom, such as far from the shower or bath, regular high-quality interior paint can add warmth and personality. This is a more budget-friendly and flexible approach that lets you easily switch colours and adapt your bathroom design over time.

Ideal Use: Feature walls or decorative areas that stay dry.

Project: Country Abode, Primary ensuite. Where handmade shower wall tiles meets panelling seamlessly.

6. Moisture-Resistant MDF Panelling: Texture and Warmth

Why choose Moisture-Resistant MDF Panelling? Moisture-resistant MDF panels are excellent for adding texture and character without the hard, clinical feel that fully tiled walls can sometimes create. I am allllll about panelling…stay still for a minute and I’ll have you panelled. I would panel walls and ceilings if I had my way- it adds so much character.

Ideal Use: Wall sections away from direct water exposure, creating visual interest and architectural detail.

Project: The Residence, Guest W.C. Dramatic wallpaper above half-height panelling on the walls.

7. Wallpaper: Stylish and Impactful for Low-Moisture Areas

Why choose wallpaper? Wallpaper can add a vibrant, custom look to bathrooms that don’t require the moisture resistance needed in high-use spaces. Perfect for guest bathrooms or a guest W.C. without showers, wallpaper offers the opportunity to introduce bold patterns, textures, or even delicate metallic finishes that would otherwise be challenging to achieve.

Ideal Use: Guest W.C. where moisture exposure is minimal, creating a dramatic or refined statement.

Sorry Joe! I just get carried away. There’s just too much to say and so little time. I hope I haven’t lost anyone along the way!! I’ll be wrapping up now…

I hope these insights have given you a solid foundation for creating a luxurious and enduring space. Selecting the right finishes, from high-quality tiles and natural stones to innovative options like Tadelakt and moisture-resistant panelling, is key to designing a bathroom that’s both functional and beautiful.

Next up, we’ll dive into selecting the perfect paint colours, followed by those all-important finishing touches to complete your designer bathroom.