What's Your Bathroom Personality?
Your bathroom style reveals more than just your decorating tastes
Janet Dunn
5 May 2017
Houzz Australia Contributor. Former NZ House&Garden writer and stylist, and avid interior design enthusiast. Ex-restaurateur and caterer, with a Professional Certificate in Gastronomy, University of Adelaide.
Houzz Australia Contributor. Former NZ House&Garden writer and stylist, and avid... More
In the private spaces of our homes, we can revel in the sides of ourselves that we don’t always put on display. The bathroom is where we can let go of our public persona and get back to basics. Peruse these distinctive bathrooms and choose the one you’d most like to spend time in. See what it suggests about your personality and some tips to get the look.
The naked truth
While the kitchen is often spoken of as ‘the hub of the house’, the expression could be applied just as aptly to the bathroom. It’s where we literally let it all hang out and come face to face with our most intimate selves. The place where we choose to spend time preparing to meet the world is revealing in more ways than one.
While the kitchen is often spoken of as ‘the hub of the house’, the expression could be applied just as aptly to the bathroom. It’s where we literally let it all hang out and come face to face with our most intimate selves. The place where we choose to spend time preparing to meet the world is revealing in more ways than one.
1. World of White
White is an enduring candidate for bathroom palettes. Surrounding ourselves in white surfaces makes us feel clean and fresh, and an all-white space can be calming to the senses.
Love this bathroom?
You’re fastidious almost to a fault, self-disciplined and well-organised. Not prone to impulsive behaviour, you prefer a cautious and sensible approach. You value efficiency highly in those around you and may be a little demanding of others.
White is an enduring candidate for bathroom palettes. Surrounding ourselves in white surfaces makes us feel clean and fresh, and an all-white space can be calming to the senses.
Love this bathroom?
You’re fastidious almost to a fault, self-disciplined and well-organised. Not prone to impulsive behaviour, you prefer a cautious and sensible approach. You value efficiency highly in those around you and may be a little demanding of others.
Get the look: Successfully combining white elements isn’t as easy as it looks. Read some tips on getting the right white for your intended space. Steer clear of a clinical look by texturising the space – a snowy white sheepskin draped on a velvet chair, a white marble vanity top, accessories in glass and crystal. Add the sensory element of aroma to enrich the ambience of an all-white bathroom, with lusciously-scented bath products.
2. Colour Chameleon
Our moods are intricately related to colours. A morning session in a bathroom that is drab and functional or safely bland can leave us so uninspired as to affect how we approach the day. On the other hand, a dose of vibrant colour is a wonderful wake-up call.
Love this bathroom?
Purple lovers are imaginative, intuitive and intense. Above all, they like to be noticed for their individuality. They are compassionate free spirits who can appear introverted, but they’re really only thinking deeply.
Our moods are intricately related to colours. A morning session in a bathroom that is drab and functional or safely bland can leave us so uninspired as to affect how we approach the day. On the other hand, a dose of vibrant colour is a wonderful wake-up call.
Love this bathroom?
Purple lovers are imaginative, intuitive and intense. Above all, they like to be noticed for their individuality. They are compassionate free spirits who can appear introverted, but they’re really only thinking deeply.
Get the look: Introducing a strong colour doesn’t mean you are locked into it forever. Before you commit to expanses of permanent boldly coloured surfaces and fixtures, try painting a wall and adding accessories. A new coat of paint and an accessory swap means the whole look can be changed inexpensively.
Colour consultant Jacquelene Symond advises that too much colour in a small space can risk overload. In this compact bathroom, there isn’t a lot of wall, so the fresh minty green doesn’t overwhelm and is subtly picked up in coloured grout and a patterned blind, and accented with pale timber. (And don’t you love the ‘Winged Victory’ tapware?)
Colour consultant Jacquelene Symond advises that too much colour in a small space can risk overload. In this compact bathroom, there isn’t a lot of wall, so the fresh minty green doesn’t overwhelm and is subtly picked up in coloured grout and a patterned blind, and accented with pale timber. (And don’t you love the ‘Winged Victory’ tapware?)
3. Industrial Revolution
Market demand for concrete in domestic spaces – partly a response to the rise of industrial style as a major trend – means lots of options. Choose from a spectrum of tints, smooth, grainy or pebbled textures, with a rustic patina, high-gloss finish or a waxed satiny gleam, even inlaid with brass or timber strips. On-site pouring is no longer necessary and staining is minimised by factory sealants. Fake it with no-fuss concrete-look tiles.
Love this bathroom?
You’re a no-nonsense, hands-on type who gets down and dirty in physical jobs such as heavy gardening and building stone walls. Then you like to clean up in a rugged rustic bathroom like this. Chances are you’re into extreme sports and survival competitions. You think scented bath oils are just plain wrong and love the smell of concrete in the morning.
Market demand for concrete in domestic spaces – partly a response to the rise of industrial style as a major trend – means lots of options. Choose from a spectrum of tints, smooth, grainy or pebbled textures, with a rustic patina, high-gloss finish or a waxed satiny gleam, even inlaid with brass or timber strips. On-site pouring is no longer necessary and staining is minimised by factory sealants. Fake it with no-fuss concrete-look tiles.
Love this bathroom?
You’re a no-nonsense, hands-on type who gets down and dirty in physical jobs such as heavy gardening and building stone walls. Then you like to clean up in a rugged rustic bathroom like this. Chances are you’re into extreme sports and survival competitions. You think scented bath oils are just plain wrong and love the smell of concrete in the morning.
contramark.com
Get the look: If the previous bathroom is a step too far, rock the industrial look with a softer approach. This interesting bathroom takes the chill off with warm exposed brick, potted greenery, brass tapware and patterned encaustic concrete floor tiles and backsplash. Still too cold looking? Add thick fleecy towels and throw down a cosy rug.
4. Romantic Retreat
Withdrawing into a space where all is peaceful and beautiful should be something we enjoy every day, even briefly. Using bathroom time to relax, refresh and reclaim our equilibrium is a daily antidote for damaging stress. Indulge yourself by making yours a delightful pleasure palace.
Love this bathroom?
Bet you’re feminine from top to toe. If this bathroom appeals, you are loving and generous, nurturing, romantic and sensual. On the flip side, you sometimes regress to being immature and petulant.
Withdrawing into a space where all is peaceful and beautiful should be something we enjoy every day, even briefly. Using bathroom time to relax, refresh and reclaim our equilibrium is a daily antidote for damaging stress. Indulge yourself by making yours a delightful pleasure palace.
Love this bathroom?
Bet you’re feminine from top to toe. If this bathroom appeals, you are loving and generous, nurturing, romantic and sensual. On the flip side, you sometimes regress to being immature and petulant.
Get the look: Make your fantasy retreat all about the senses. Bring in the voluptuous curves of a shapely claw-footed tub and a bergère-style chair. Gold-toned tapware and muted mood lighting from a chandelier give a soft glow. Add your favourite music, uplifting scented candles and bath products as well as a velvety rug to welcome your feet when you step from the tub.
How to bathe like a Parisian
How to bathe like a Parisian
5. Green Scene
Our enthusiasm for greening up our homes has never been keener. Pantone came to the party this year by selecting ‘Greenery’ as its 2017 winning colour. It seems we can’t bring enough of the green stuff inside. Create a lush personal rainforest or woodland in the bathroom and reap the benefits of having nature close at hand every day.
Love this bathroom?
Anyone with the heart of a gardener, even if the ‘garden’ is a handful of houseplants. You’re patient, kind and well-balanced. If you chose this bathroom, love flows through your veins, and your love of plants extends to pets, children, family and friends. You have energy and enthusiasm to spare.
Our enthusiasm for greening up our homes has never been keener. Pantone came to the party this year by selecting ‘Greenery’ as its 2017 winning colour. It seems we can’t bring enough of the green stuff inside. Create a lush personal rainforest or woodland in the bathroom and reap the benefits of having nature close at hand every day.
Love this bathroom?
Anyone with the heart of a gardener, even if the ‘garden’ is a handful of houseplants. You’re patient, kind and well-balanced. If you chose this bathroom, love flows through your veins, and your love of plants extends to pets, children, family and friends. You have energy and enthusiasm to spare.
Get the look: As well as bringing the outside in, taking the inside out is gaining converts. In a small closed internal bathroom, a skylight instead of a roof will bathe the space in light and keep a collection of potted plants thriving. A courtyard too small for outdoor sitting could become an extension of your bathroom, walled off and planted with flourishing greenery and connected by a large glass wall or bi-fold doors.
Showers that bring the outside In
Showers that bring the outside In
6. Resort Report
Holidays in fabulous resorts and memories of mind-blowing bathrooms often linger long after we return to reality. Replicating elements of the bliss we experienced is a way of reliving those good times. Keep the things you loved in mind for a bathroom makeover when you get home – you can get the resort look and feel, if not the staff to keep it clean.
Love this bathroom?
If you are attracted to this bathroom for its cool grey elegance, you are probably an undemonstrative, composed and practical type who craves stability and shies away from attention. A committed and loyal hard worker, you may appear detached and can be indecisive.
Holidays in fabulous resorts and memories of mind-blowing bathrooms often linger long after we return to reality. Replicating elements of the bliss we experienced is a way of reliving those good times. Keep the things you loved in mind for a bathroom makeover when you get home – you can get the resort look and feel, if not the staff to keep it clean.
Love this bathroom?
If you are attracted to this bathroom for its cool grey elegance, you are probably an undemonstrative, composed and practical type who craves stability and shies away from attention. A committed and loyal hard worker, you may appear detached and can be indecisive.
Get the look: Nothing says ‘peel me a pomegranate and ring room service’ more than a sunken tub. These last words in hedonism visually enlarge space, open up a window view and make you feel like Cleopatra. Take note that these tubs are not for bathrooms used by children or those with mobility issues.
Hotel-style bathrooms to make you swoon
Hotel-style bathrooms to make you swoon
7. Funny Business
If you can’t express your sense of humour in the privacy of the bathroom, then where? A little levity first thing in the morning might be just what you need to get you off to a cheerful start.
Love this bathroom?
You are creative and confident, with an off-beat sense of humour and a laid-back view on life, which makes you a popular at parties. Some may see your eccentricities as childish.
If you can’t express your sense of humour in the privacy of the bathroom, then where? A little levity first thing in the morning might be just what you need to get you off to a cheerful start.
Love this bathroom?
You are creative and confident, with an off-beat sense of humour and a laid-back view on life, which makes you a popular at parties. Some may see your eccentricities as childish.
Get the look: The hallmark of bathroom humour is its surprise value. Avoid hackneyed signs about putting the seat down, or dreadful toilet puns. Get inspired by urban street art – quirky vibrant graffiti is coming inside and brings a sense of play to bath time. Put your creative side to work with graffiti tiles or wallpaper, framed humour or your own brushwork.
TELL US
Is one of these bathrooms on your wish list? Tell us why in the Comments section.
MORE
11 Head-Turning Eclectic Bathrooms That Dare to be Different
TELL US
Is one of these bathrooms on your wish list? Tell us why in the Comments section.
MORE
11 Head-Turning Eclectic Bathrooms That Dare to be Different
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Well, I think I'll take these 'personality types' as seriously as the horoscopes in my local newspaper - both making me laugh a little :)
The first bathroom to take my breath away was industrial number 3 - followed closely by number 6 and all it's green glory, and while I'm right into all the gardening and stone wall building I can get my hands on, my idea of extreme sports and survival competitions is limited to being the first one to my coffee machine in the mornings!
lovely design...i love it ;)