How to create a hotel-style bathroom at home

It’s something of a truism that people hanker after what they can’t have. When they’re at a hotel, they want to feel as if they’re at home – and when they’re staying put, they begin to dream about a holiday.

Given this quirk of human nature, it’s unsurprising that commercial interiors are increasingly informed by residential interiors – and vice-versa. In terms of residential design, bathrooms are the area of the home where this cross-pollination of ideas is most evident.

The founder of online interior design service Milray Park, Sally Bevan, says clients want to replicate the same emotions evoked by a luxurious hotel.

“The beautiful finishes, fluffy towels, heated flooring and use of beautiful bath products – it’s no wonder we want to bring this feeling home,” she says.

High-profile projects such as acclaimed designer India Mahdavi’s dusty-pink fitout of London restaurant Sketch kicked off the trend, she says.

“[It’s] hard not to have seen an image of it these few last years – it has been shared and shared again.

“It also has a pretty remarkable bathroom that sets the scene for a lot of selfies, making a private area (notably) public.”

The basis of the “home as hotel” aesthetic is a luxurious combination of materials including composite stone, timber and metallic elements, often incorporating a moody colour palette such as graphite mixed black with lighter grey tones.

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Former ballet dancer Belinda Try founded Apaiser, a company that specialises in composite marble baths, basins and shower bases, after renovating her house in Melbourne.

Marble off-cuts are ground into a powder, mixed with polymer resins, and moulded into bathwares that are better able to withstand soap, shampoo and conditioner residue.

“I really wanted to create a spa-like environment in our bathroom,” she said. “I searched and searched and searched for what I wanted, and in the end I just couldn’t find it.

“It was about bringing a natural material into the bathroom.”

Lighting is another important element. Try recommends task-based lighting around the vanity that can be used for shaving and applying make-up, with a host of options, including recessed downlights or a backlit mirror.

This can then be combined with ambient lighting options such as wall sconces or dimmer switches. “You really do require different lighting for different times of the day – it’s something that needs to be planned.”

Finishing touches, such as fresh towels, potted plants, scented candles and storage to hide clutter, complete the look. “Making things easy for the everyday is a big part of creating that luxe feeling each day,” Bevan says.