Wash list: eight new looks for the bathroom

1. LIGHT IT UP

There are many ways to upgrade a bathroom. Lighting is a good place to start. While task lighting is a morning essential for ablutions you also need ambient light to make the space feel inviting, for when you want to unwind by taking a bath. This range is part of a collaboration between two Italian fashion houses, Scavolini x Diesel Living which launched just before Christmas, and includes on-trend circular mirrors that are ambiently back-lit, a decorative trope that makes both you and the room look good. These are set into smoked glass panels set atop blacked vanity units. You can expect to pay in the region of €11,500 for each unit pictured and the range can be ordered from Dublin-based Vita Italiana or UK-based CPHart. Vitaitaliana.ie; cphart.co.uk

2. MODESTY SHINES THROUGH

Bathrooms are best if they are also filled with natural light but one also needs to be able to factor in privacy, which can be introduced through opaque glass in windows, while plantation shutters and blinds that you pull up rather than down will shield your modesty while also letting light through. This shower room in a London mews house, by Rigby & Rigby,  has looked east to Japan for window treatments.  The dulled brass shower fittings by The Watermark Collection London range  include a wall-mounted shower set, €1,012;  a thermostatic shower valve with Cross handles, €1,923; a deluge showerhead, €855 nad a a ceiling mounted shower arm €297.

3. WARM FEELINGS

Like kitchens the modern bathroom should be an extension of your home's overall personality rather than a sterile service space. A really easy way to add warmth is to add house plants, the kind that love humid conditions and an easy chair, that you use to drape clothes on while you bath or as a receptacle for books. Open shelving also helps to soften the space, as this Lume vanity unit, from Italian firm Mastella and available to order from Bathhouse in Monkstown illustrates. The unit, which includes a ceramic worktop and integrated deep basin, as well as drawers and open shelving costs about €1,850 while the framed LED mirror with shelf costs €850. bathhouse.ie

4. WIDEPREAD SHOWERS

Supersize your shower so it can accommodate two. This set-up can replace a bath and allows both parties to have space for their own toiletries, especially if you invest in a long and back-lit niche as is pictured. This room for his and hers produces something that came up as an issue in research, explains Merlyn's Charlene McDonagh of Kilkenny's Merlyn Shower. The twin shower wall, pictured features two Merlyn 10 series walls, whose standard 900mm size, €1, 820, and Truestone double shower tray, €1,749 each creates the sleek look of a wet-room, a total of €3,568, excluding the tiling and hardware. merlynshowering.com

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5. TEXTURAL HEALING

A bathroom can be a very sensory space, especially if you amp up the texture quota on all of its surfaces. There are lots of options when it comes to wall and floor tiles as well as unhoned stone finishes that feel wonderful underfoot, especially if you can indulge in underfloor heating or electric heating mats. But for textured furniture head to Versatile Bathrooms and Tiles in Navan where GB Group, a new Italian brand, has come up with a simple solution. As well as several gloss and matte colour finishes, its vanities also come in six different texture options, including one that emulates the look of a Chanel classic handbag. The top here is made from a wood effect high pressure laminate. The vanity, mirror, glass basin and countertop pictured retails at about €3,300. versatilebathrooms.ie

6.SUPER STORAGE

Storage is key to keeping a bathroom looking uncluttered. Sonas has introduced a new range of sink and drawer storage units that are wall-hung to make small bathrooms appear more spacious. Brava is a two-drawer unit that includes the white Idea sink, pictured, that comes in several finishes including a slick smoky matt and the natural beige, pictured. The top undersink drawer includes an internal organiser that is perfect for storing make-up, moisturisers and cotton pads. The 46cm wide design comes in three sizes; the small, which measures 60cm across costs from €680 while the large, which measures 100cm across costs from €999. sonasbathrooms.com

7. SINK OR SWIM

In a guest WC you can bring in colour and pattern through your use of paint, tiles and wallpaper but if you want to dip your toe into the maximalism trend you can add pattern through your choice of sink. The London Basin Company sells a wide selection of porcelain basins that will help you customise your space. The exterior of this Adriana design features an emerald green and deep blue pattern that draws inspiration from traditional oriental designs while the interior of the basin, while mainly white, has light touches of gold and pops of red in spherical shapes. This basin, excluding tap, costs about €813, ex delivery and VAT. londonbasincompany.com

8. SIMPLE UPDATES

If your bathroom needs a complete makeover there are several simple ways to update it so that it will be easy to clean, durable and on trend, says Gwen Kenny of Divine Design. In this short-term let apartment she laid the tiles in a landscape formation to add to the feeling of space, while the chevron tile panel in the shower brings the eye up, breaking up the plain semi textured tiles and adding a feature, she explains.

The fixed glass panel is easy to clean and its simplicity adds to the feeling of space while stopping the floor getting sprayed. Fun details like this towel hook, which she found in Home Sense, bring in personality. The fit out, including tiles, sanitary ware, and shower ware will cost approximately, €5,000, excluding labour. divinedesign.ie; homesense.ie