Bathroom ideas - what should I avoid?

[Reallylongstory]

We’re refurbishing our really old 18th C cottage and I’m struggling with bathroom ideas! Is there anything I should avoid as it will look dated soon. I’m thinking metro tiles, beige travertine etc. although they can look great they’ve been popular for such a long time I should probably steer away from them. I have a bathroom and shower room to do but they’re opposite each other on a corridor so they need to work well together. What’s the mumsnet wisdom on what not to do?

This is always a contentious question 😁

Are you thinking period style or modern?

Period style is unlikely to date (but a bugger to clean). Metro tiles will always be fine in a period style bathroom IMO.

Modern - I'd avoid anything too designer-y like square loos and waterfall taps. Anything weird shaped. Anything made of an unusual material like glass or stone basins, metal bath etc. Copper or brass taps are in at the moment, but I think they will date. (Except again, brass is ok in a period bathroom).

Moroccan patterned tiles are having a moment but may date. Especially those patchwork ones. Wall to wall grey tiling is quite popular but I suspect people will realise it's dismal.

Remember paint is easy to change so neutral tiles and more interesting paint or wallpaper gives flexibility.

We added a mixture of white tiles on the wall next to the bath and wooden panelling elsewhere. We also put in a fake chimney breast with cast iron fireplace with William Morris wallpaper. Ours is 150 years old. I don't think you can go wrong with period features.

Love the idea of a fireplace Andromeida29 but unfortunately both rooms are too small. The shower room is tiny. We have quite a lot of wooden panelling in the utility room and hallway but I hadn’t thought of it in the bathroom.
Minipie I’m thinking modern for the shower room but traditional for the bathroom so maybe marble or marble looking wall tiles across both but a more modern style compact wc and sink in shower room and more traditional style in the bathroom but I’m worried it might look weird. Good advice about the copper and waterfall taps I don’t think they will last in popularity as long as I’d like to bathroom to last.

An avocado suite?

Thanks whiskyowl that’s what is coming out of the shower room. Mmm green bathrooms 😱 I’ve read that pink one are fashionable again but sounds like an early April Fools

Metro tiles look awful so much grout!

Keep it clean and simple, nothing too flash, grey is the new beige - but any bathroom will date and need redoing in 20 years so keep that in mind

I dislike pedestal sinks. I think modern bathrooms are way better than traditional ones. They are luxurious whatever the age of the building. Look at the magazine KBB to find ideas. We have stayed in quite a few old hotels and the nicest ones have chic bathrooms with decent size modern wall hung basins and loos. Big walk in showers and decent sized baths. Chrome taps and a decent thick glass surround for the shower - no thin cheap ones. A good towel rail and under floor heating. I have seen large format tiles, smaller jewel coloured ones and Moroccan style patterns. Take your pick.

Don't forget storage in the bathroom. Cupboards under the sink or on the wall? You can't have too much storage.

Avoid sinks that look great don't work. Those "look like a carved bowl balanced elegantly on a marble surface" jobs might make a good pinterest pic but in reality splash your front with water when you try to use them.

My Dad has a bathroom tap which the end pulls out as a shower hose. This sort of thing:
www.amazon.co.uk/Pullout-Bathroom-Overhead-shower-washing-Sanlingo/dp/B00AOK0KJM?tag=mumsnetforum-21
It's on one of those sinks with the wide sides, and sits on a (big) cupboard. He's had it for about 40 years at the time it was ahead of its time but I think fairly classic, the cupboard has been modernised with a new door.
When eventually I do mine...

Ariela I have one of those in my laundry room, never occurred to me to have one in the bathroom. GENIUS idea!

I have a really small bathroom. When we bought the 1850 cottage thirty years ago it had no inside toilet.😱 you say but it was great because no grant were being given out bar 2 1/2 miles from a centre point in the city...unless it had no bathroom! Reluctanly we had to move the seven foot long Victorian claw footed bath because we couldn't fit a toilet in and we needed all three bedrooms. One bedroom had already had a bit pinched for this " bath" room. I tiled it but we have since had it done and put large white tiles with a row of four coloured tiles around. The shower ( replaced a bath / shower combo for matsui ? Walk in shower) has a second row near the top. I left a wall to paint ( can change colour) and an alcove which has three shelves and we have a laundry box there which house spare toiletries. I have an old towel rail and a couple of basket for rolled up towels in the colours of the tiles.
It looks fresh and clean and easy to keep. The basin / toilet is a
Victorian style.
I have toiletries and knick knacks arranged on the shelves. I know it is a a it twee to have seaside stuff but I have photographs from a famous beach I used to play on as a child and they are in little Victorian seaside hut frames. Little boats the kids collected from Scarborough and pottery fish two of them made at school ( which is what started the theme). I think it looks fresh and arty and I don't care what other people think.
I would say go for easy clean practical first and then anything you fancy. I saw slate used recently in a hotel bathroom and it looked great against white tiles.

We have a large rain fall shower head, and a normal shower head on the shower (you can get more!)

The shower screen is fixed so we have a shower head and bath filler taps in the wall for washing hair, dog and the bath itself.

It's great for the kids in the bath to shower the shampoo out of their hair and older teen to shave her legs when shaving.

We also went for a waterfall tap but is really old fashioned and not a 'new' type. The one I wanted was Neary £500!

We also have a Bluetooth radio system in the room for them to oaky music whilst showering (or ob the loo TMI )

I like the look of lefroy brooks but crazy expensive but good cheaper copies. And I love the look of Hampton marble tiles in fired earth. In fact I basically copied fired earth on the cheap which turned out alright, no one else would really know.

Noloudnoises where did you get your copies of the Hampton marble tiles from? I really like the look of the Fired Earth ones but would definitely prefer cheaper

Erm, I can't remember now but something cheap and gross sounding. Walls and floors or similar? Sorry!

Avoid a black bathroom. Especially a small black bathroom.

We have one (rented house) and it is quite horrible

Avoid chromey type horizontal handles on a sink unit - they need buffing every friggin day from from splashs and mitt prints

I would never have a pop up plug ever again. It jammed within 2 years. Useless. Was from bath store.
I do prefer modern euro style mixer taps. I would never go back to separate hit and cold. Even in the bath.

Showers need to be movable so you can hose your bits, but also children's clothes after an accident...

I quite like a very dark grey floor tile. With light grey grout. Then have light walls. The contrast is nice, and send to make a small space bigger.

Put your shower controller out of reach of the waters reach, so you don't have to buff it every friggin day from watermarks - can you see a theme here!

I agree with many of the comments above. Larger tiles means less grout. Neutral coloured tiles rather than fashion colours. No weird shapes or materials. Classic good quality brassware, Matki or hansgrohe. Simple wall hung vanity units, choose units without handles, no handles to smear or go rusty, I like Duravit or Villeroy & Boch. If floorspace is tight choose a slimmer version go 400 or 500mm deep rather than standard 600mm deep. Classic simple shapes and good quality materials. Give consideration to ease of cleaning.