From decorative tiles to maximalist wallpaper, our latest lookbook explores bathrooms where striking patterned surfaces are paired with bold colours to make a statement.
Offering an alternative to the trend for minimalist or colour-blocked bathrooms, this approach uses a mix of different tones and motifs to create a multi-layered aesthetic.
Patterned surfaces can be created with wallpapers, ceramic tiles, marble or paint effects.
Block colours, in either matching or contrasting hues, are then used to offer a visual counterpoint.
The most eye-catching examples have the feel of a boutique hotel, with colour and pattern across almost every surface. But the effect can also be applied with restraint to suit a more pared-back home setting.
We’ve rounded up eight examples, from a hotel bathroom with marble-effect walls to a family washroom featuring two different applications of mosaic tiles.
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring minimalist kitchens and converted-barn interiors.
Hotel Saint Vincent, USA, by Lambert McGuire Design
A selection of guest rooms in this hotel in New Orleans feature psychedelic marbled wallpaper.
Other surfaces in the room match a red shade that can be picked out of the marble pattern. These include the square wall tiles, the mosaic flooring, the mirror frame and the architrave paintwork.
Find out more about Hotel Saint Vincent ›
Tsubo House, UK, by Fraher & Findlay
Graphic floor tiles feature throughout this renovated south London home, with a mix of both contemporary and classic designs.
For the family bathroom, architects Fraher & Findlay and their clients, the designers behind Studio XAG, selected a monochromatic tile that offers a 3D optical illusion. These are paired with a deep shade of green.
Find out more about Tsubo House ›
City Beach Residence, Australia, by Design Theory
Mosaic tiles were chosen for the bathroom of this renovated home in Perth, designed by Design Theory, to reference the property’s mid-century heritage.
The bath features an irregular pattern, created in shades of red, grey and pastel pink, contrasting with the mint-green tone of the surrounding walls.
Find out more about City Beach Residence ›
Maroma, Mexico, by Tara Bernerd
Ceramicist José Noé Suro created the hand-crafted tiles that feature throughout the rooms of this hotel in Riviera Maya.
Tiles chosen for the bathrooms include a mix of square and octagonal shapes, which create a two-tone pattern. A contrasting shade of forest green colours the lower walls, topped by delicate painted motifs.
Vermelho, Portugal, by Christian Louboutin and Madalena Caiado
Christian Louboutin‘s first hospitality project is named after the French designer’s signature colour, Vermelho, which is Portuguese for red.
One of the bathrooms in the 13-room hotel uses this colour to great effect. Two varieties of Alentejo tile feature alongside one another, offering a playful mix of geometric and organic patterns.
Find out more about Vermelho ›
Hotel Rosalie, France, by Marion Mailaender
Colour can be found on the ceilings rather than the walls in this 60-room hotel in Paris, styled by French interior designer Marion Mailaender.
This allows extra emphasis to the wall tiles, which form stripes of nude and soft pink, and the dotted sink counters made from terrazzo-style recycled plastic.
Find out more about Hotel Rosalie ›
Ember Locke, UK, by Atelier Ochre and House of Dré
Striped shower curtains in humbug-style shades of brown provide a subtle addition of pattern in the bathrooms of this aparthotel located in London‘s Kensington neighbourhood.
The rest of the interior design palette includes peach-painted walls and pale-toned tiles.
Find out more about Ember Locke ›
Louisville Road, UK, by 2LG Studio
Design duo 2LG Studio created a surprising colour effect in the bathroom of this renovated London house by combining subtly patterned marble tiles with baby-blue mosaic tiles.
The same shade features on the bathroom fittings, while the sink counter brings a pop of red to the room.
Find out more about Louisville Road ›
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring minimalist kitchens and converted-barn interiors.
