No segment of the home building industry changes faster than bathroom design trends. Each year or even season brings new ideas, materials and finishes and nowhere is it more visible than in the European bathroom design. Let’s review the most important elements of European bathroom design and see how they fit in the modern coastal bathrooms in South Florida.
Tile
Large scale tile are the most requested item when it comes to floor and wall materials. They allow for a more seamless installation and for creating an illusion of a continuous surface resembling of natural stone slabs or concrete. From the practical standpoint, the fewer the grout lines, the less grout exposure to water, dirt and mildew.
Another trend we see in European bathroom design are simple bathrooms with very neutral tile accented with small areas of decorative tile, especially in South Florida spec homes. It’s a nice trend towards understated look rather than over the top finishes Florida is known for.
Cabinetry
European bathroom design favors wall mounted bathroom vanities and modular bathroom storage furniture. They are very popular with homeowners in Palm Beach County. Wall mounted cabinets give the feeling of lightness that works great in large master bathrooms but especially in small bathrooms even though those vanities offer less storage. The finishes vary from classic white (in either high gloss or low sheen), to light and dark woods with exposed grain.
Countertops and Sinks
A lot of European bathroom vanities offer seamless counters with integrated sinks. It’s a favorite option of mine as it accomplishes the following design objectives: seamless counters offer perfect fit (no need to template a custom material and no need to wait for fabrication), integrated sinks guarantee easy cleaning with no sealer lines where mildew tends to develop. Also worth noting is the popularity of off center sink placement in single sink vanities.
Plumbing fixtures and hardware
In high end European bathrooms you will most likely see polished nickel or brushed nickel as well as matte brass and black matte finishes in faucets and other fixtures. Single lever faucets and wall mounted faucets can give any bathroom a sophisticated European look. Wall mounted toilets with concealed water tanks and integrated wall flush controls are very much en vogue. Japanese style toilets by Toto (or regular toilets with washlet seats, which are much less expensive, such as by Duravit) are quickly becoming a must in high end European bathroom designs.
Lighting
Of course no European style bathroom would be complete without stylish lighting designed for both function and good looks.
