An expression of individuality: black is always a cool choice

With the trend towards matt finishes, a neutral colour that was long limited to high gloss is gaining depth and topicality again: black. Nothing looks more upmarket or provides such an ideal background for colourful highlights. What’s more, black goes well with white too – a simple fact that means this on-trend colour isn’t just compatible with modern architecture and puristic styling, it’s easy to implement in bathroom design and looks extremely elegant too. As a result, the current interior design trend towards black, which is taking hold all the way into the bathroom and looks fantastic with the popular concrete and metal look, is extremely appealing – and not just for men.

What a statement: a black bathroom! It seems as if the on-trend white-on-white look (not to be confused with conventional bathrooms tiled in monotonous white, simply for lack of a better idea) is facing serious competition in the form of black-on-black – paired, of course, with highlights in white, gold or other snazzy colours. While individual components have always been chosen in black occasionally, it can now happily be used for several elements in the modern lifestyle bathroom. Although black can look decidedly cosy when used as the dominant colour in combination with wood, the black lifestyle bathroom has nothing to do with the cosy, Scandinavian-style ambience that has seemed to pervade every area of interior design over the last few years. On the contrary: it’s not about lightness, it’s about a sophisticated lifestyle.

A counter-trend to Scandinavian design

The trend comes from the interiors sector and is finding a growing number of fans in the bathroom too, because black looks upmarket, elegant and modern all at once. Mixed with white, black or particularly trendy green marble and leather, black is a tasteful classic, whereas when it’s combined with painted metal furniture, wood and concrete it’s an ideal companion for the industrial style. And thanks to the perfection of new production processes, even fittings manufacturers can accommodate demand and are now offering a choice of dark shades that ranges all the way to deep black. From black shower enclosures and black bathroom furniture to floor-standing washstands in black enamelled steel, almost every bathroom product is now available in this classic “non-colour”. And the addition of a few splashes of colour – the bolder the better – sets the black bathroom off to perfection. Just like white, black is available in a vast array of different nuances. But even a design in one consistent shade of black can be given a certain je ne sais quoi by combining matt and glossy surfaces. And by the way: the simple charms of black don’t only appeal to men – the very deliberate distinction to the light colours favoured by the mainstream is something any fan of black will appreciate. Because for some people, the lightness of the Scandinavian style, no matter how coolly it’s implemented, eventually becomes unbearable. And a black lifestyle bathroom – in combination with white, with bold splashes of colour or pure – is guaranteed to heal aesthetic anguish.

From the washbasin to stylish accessories: an upmarket look for the black bathroom

But black doesn’t look cool and clean per se, as numerous examples of natural wood furniture and surprisingly cosy interior designs in black go to show. In fact, it can even be a great choice for a quaint country style. The kitchen isn’t the only setting where cheerful black furniture fronts can conjure a cosy atmosphere out of a crisp, clean look. As a result, black has long ceased to be an inside tip for interior designers and ambitious bathroom planners in search of a versatile colour option. From country style all the way to elegant, the possibilities for interpreting this on-trend colour are virtually endless – which is why you won’t have to go far to find it in the product portfolios of the major sanitaryware brands, who offer a wide range of corresponding finishes for almost every collection – from matt black to black oak to high gloss black.

Even the most puristic design looks refined in black

Reducing the complex world to fundamental, manageable structures is a tried-and-tested survival strategy that can provide aesthetic orientation as well. This puristic concept finds expression in a clear, straightforward interior design of the kind that can be ideally implemented with black standalone furniture or washbasins. Bathtubs or washbasins made of steel enamel provide a very special foundation for the dark colour. And metal accessories in general – like a towel rack casually leaned against the wall – are a must-have in any black-based bathroom. Just a few fascinating accents like an attractive lamp or a surface that gleams like piano gloss can transform any garage, former factory or loft with a view of the park into the kind of luxurious bathroom ambience that many people with an urban lifestyle dream of. Because wherever they are, they like to combine practicality with comfort and convenience – and are reluctant to tolerate restrictions in the form of technical obstacles.