Surface Trends To Look Out For!
Ahsan Ansari, Niels Schoenfelder and Nishita Kamdar share striking coverings that will turn your bathroom into a hip and stylish space.
TREND 1: Reflective Walls
Powder rooms give you a chance to experiment. And architect Ahsan Ansari did just that! “I used mirror tile on the walls; it is a non-reflective surface so you can only see your silhouette. We created a wooden frame without a glass as the mirror, where we added a line in Urdu, penned by Javed Akhtar, that read ‘Aap yahan? Aur aap bhi?’. We added a real one behind the door, just incase a guest needed it. To complement the patterns created by the reflection, the basin counter top and floor was treated in a simple black and white print” shares Ahsan.
Images: Courtesy Ahsan Ansari, Clay Architecture & Interiors. www.clay.net.in
TREND 2: Coloured Flooring
Time to ditch the regular and go for unusual textures. Niels Schoenfelder of Mancini Enterprise used an epoxy coating on a smooth cement screed to create this wow flooring providing a smooth, durable surface. “Since epoxy is slip, stain and shock resistant, and less abrasive than materials like concrete, it’s a great pick for a bathroom. It is essentially like paint, so you can choose any colour you like. It comes in different thicknesses or viscosities…some is self-levelling so you can get a perfectly levelled floor. It’s like a pancake mix which when poured in a pan levels itself out and becomes very smooth. The good thing is that it can almost go on any surface so the whole bathroom including the ceiling, walls and inbuilt joinery can be done in the same finish. Although it’s a nightmare to use, as it’s very sticky, it has an amazing effect at the end. Full control over colour is obviously an interesting thing: While for tiles you have to choose from what’s given by the supplier, with epoxy you can really tweak from a range of colours – it is a nice way to invent gloss or matte colour spaces, where you have a surprising density of atmosphere as all surfaces can be the same finish,” explains Neils.
Image: Courtesy Niels Schoenfelder, Mancini Enterprise. www.mancini-design.com
TREND 3: Cladded Ceilings
Do you have a high ceiling in your bathroom? If yes then this is the trend to follow…! Choosing a material like wood with rafters is a trendy way to add something different to the space, as Nishita Kamdar has done in this concrete-laden bathroom. “Wooden ceilings need good ventilation in the form of natural windows or exhaust fans, to help pull out all the humidity and moisture created in the bathroom. This aids in cleaning and maintain your ceiling easily. If you want to play around with materials for a false ceiling, acrylic, tiles, barrisol ceilings and even frosted glass are great options to work with. Gypsum is best avoided due to its quick absorption of moisture. Acrylics allow you to create patterns and play around with lights. Be careful if using tiles, as there could be a danger of them falling out in the long run if not installed properly,” shares Nishita.
Image: Courtesy Nishita Kamdar, Studio Nishita Kamdar. www.studionishitakamdar.com
Text: Compiled by The Blue Pencil Design Company