This is the defining bathroom trend of 2024

Colorful sanitary ware will conjure up shocking images of sickly avocado sinks and biting salmon bathtubs for many of us; This is the legacy of the typical colored bathroom suites of the 1970s. In the 1990s, bathroom trends were full of cool neutrals, minimalist finishes and angular edges; Retro pastels and bright tones were official out of.

But the cyclical nature of trends means vintage styles are becoming desirable again in the minds of younger shoppers. In fact, according to a Wickes report, 30% of homeowners between the ages of 18 and 34 say they would choose green – particularly avocado hues – if given the opportunity to upgrade their bathroom.

Google searches for “colored bathroom suites” alone have more than doubled in the UK in the last 12 months, suggesting there is a desire to restore kitschy bathrooms to all their glory.

Country life Ben Kendrick, director of Houses & Gardens, comments on this rise in anti-minimalist bathroom design: “Bathrooms are no longer just a functional, if not forgotten, room in country houses – and more and more are being considered seriously and comprehensively as furnished spaces .

“Coloured sanitary ware is one way to capture this, and we are seeing a revival in both contemporary styles – with boldly colored sets and even taps – and more traditional styles in deep turquoise or sage pink.

“Bathrooms that take on a more homely look and feature bold colors, fabrics, wallpaper, pictures, shelves and decorative accessories are also trendy, creating comfortable spaces in which we want to spend more time. They look more like a bedroom or are cozy.” This all picks up on the trend of designing the home as a vessel for personality and individual style.

Joanna Burgess – interior designer and founder of The Curious House – transformed her bathroom into an emporium with a reupholstered vintage armchair and artistic details on the mantel and walls. Her bathroom—a silky-smooth tub with feet from The Water Monopoly—is painted the same soothing sage as the rest of the room, providing a haunting, aquatic wash of color.

In fact, avocado isn’t the only route to green sanitary ware. If Joanna’s sage bathtub is too polished for real nostalgia, a mint sink – just like The Rose, a hotel and restaurant in Deal – paired with plaster pink and bamboo creates a glamorous, Palm Royale-inspired scheme.

Sophie Robinson, interior design expert and queen of personality-driven interiors, has also dabbled in colorful sanitary ware in her East Sussex home. Matching the sink and toilet in a playful piglet pink, this shade can be seen throughout the rest of the house in combination with mustard and cobalt. The result is a well-thought-out, holistic bathroom – and not a secondary room.

Country Life / Brent Darby

For those who aren’t quite ready for full-color sanitary ware—or have banned sorbet tones from their bathrooms for good—white porcelain pairs beautifully with light colors. Several of Burlington’s iconic tubs can be enhanced with acrylic-based paints and primers.

Caroline Oleron, a florist from West Sussex, transformed the outside of her claw-foot bathtub a bright teal, inspired by a trip to Morocco. The white roll top inside underlines the design and creates a traditional country house atmosphere.

The clawfoot bathtub stands next to the window in the blue bathroom

Cathy Pyle

Sophie Robinson followed suit alongside her pink loo, painting the outside of her tub with the red-hot Farrow & Ball blazer and complementing this with the accompanying improvisational wallpaper from Ottoline de Vries. Hanging a vintage oil painting turns the bathroom into a recreation room.

Brent Darby / Country Life

The Pig – home to some of our favorite country hotel breaks – nails the premise of its South Downs home by combining its controversial avocado bath with a stormy blue surround and a plush velvet ottoman to add texture and warmth. The decadently framed artwork above—an ostentatious touch for most of us, best for a living space—will add a shameless touch to an otherwise plain bathroom.