At some point in our social media evolution taking pictures of Instagramable bathrooms started to make sense. Good lighting, great pastels, and interesting faucets began cropping up as #goals when talking about interiors and the home. And rightly so (perhaps); our bathrooms have lived too long in the shadows.
Because bathrooms are more than just the places we go to de-muck. They are the site of ice-cold shower routines that jolt us out of slumber and revive us for the day. The place where hot baths are taken to soothe our world-weary bodies. The room where overspilling baskets and shelves of products lay in wait to make us feel better, look better, channel our best selves — and take that through the day.
When Silvia Plath said “There must be quite a few things a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them”, she was also speaking to the nature of bathrooms as a safe space to feel reborn, relaxed and away from the stressors of life.
How we choose to decorate our bathrooms can be perfunctory — a little white here, a little toweling there — but when you start thinking creativity it can also become one more sanctuary within the home.
We looked at what’s on HomeHero’s London doorstep by way of bathroom inspiration and discovered these gems in some of the City’s restaurants. Impractical, a little over the top, but something to influence your next refurb…
Sketch
Known as one of the best date spots in London, Sketch is up there in the Instagramable bathroom stakes thanks to its futurist egg toilets. Framed by its multi-coloured glass ceiling, the 11 cubicles make for the perfect moonscape backdrop for a great shot.
Inspiration to take home: Mimilaist white tones offset by a neon bathroom light.
Restaurant Ours
This South Kensington restaurant is best known for the fleet of celebrities who flock there — from the Kardashian clan to Johnny Depp — as well as instagramable foliage all around the restaurant. The bathroom itself takes advantage of millennial pink and cleverly placed House of Hackney wallpaper on the ceilings and doors to channel a bit of magic.
Inspiration to take home: The wallpaper.
Annabel’s
Private members’ club Annabel’s went through an image overhaul at a cool £55 million and they obviously spared no expense on the Instagramable bathrooms. Gold taps? Check. Pink marble everywhere? Check. And lastly…Four million pieces of mosaic glass tiles adorning the floors, walls and ceilings of the men’s and women’s bathrooms, all featuring bespoke panels decorated with animal print and florals.
Inspiration to take home: Flower posies in bathrooms.
Nopi
Yotam Ottolenghi’s Nopi is all about the Instagramable bathroom (sorry, food). But, no really, it’s heaven in here, all mirrors and concealed doors, easy to get lost in, and pretty enough to want to linger. It’s a rather intimate affair around the sinks but that’s the price for good design.
Inspiration to take home: Clever mirror design.
Park Chinois
One thing London’s Mayfair restaurants do well is designing Instagramable bathrooms that feel like the VIP rooms of nightclubs. Park Chinois is no exception, with slabs of marble, faux candlelight, and gold dragon taps to match the oriental wallpaper.
Inspiration to take home: Folded handtowels and dim lighting.
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