Design Inspiration: Country & Cottage Style Bathrooms
If you're looking to create a cosy, rustic feel in your old-fashioned or traditional bathroom, then a country or cottage design could be just what you’re looking for.
You could say that the country style is similar to a traditional bathroom. It's true that they share similar features, but country and cottage bathrooms add something a little extra to your home. But how do you go from an old, tired bathroom to a beautiful, rustic country cottage feel? Where do you begin?
Here at Plumbworld, we've compiled some ways to help you create the perfect country style in your bathroom. From beautifully traditional bathroom basins to chic furniture and exquisite and luxurious baths, we’ve picked out some of the best ways to overhaul your bathroom and perfectly capture the charming cottage look in your home.
Read on to find out how to create a country and cottage-style bathroom…
Walls
When it comes to creating a quaint, cottage-like feel in your bathroom, there are many routes you can go down with your walls. What's more, they can be one of the easier elements to recreate and bring into your bathroom! There are some iconic styles you often see when it comes to walls in rustic, country-style bathrooms, and here are some ideas that will create the perfect, cosy cottage feel:
Wood
Wood is often the first thing we think of when it comes to a more traditional countryside bathroom. Its beautiful aesthetic brings a traditional style to any decor. If you're struggling to cover your bathroom in wood, there are simpler options, too:
Wall Panels
Wall panels are perfect for adding some wood panelling to your bathroom walls without the hassle of installation. The oak-effect panels really bring the cottage and country feel to life into your new design, such as our Multipanel Linda Barker Salvaged Plank Elm Bathroom Wall Panel.
Paint
Paint is also an ideal option if you're going for a more minimalistic feel. If you choose to paint your bathroom walls, we suggest keeping to light, airy tones or soothing pastel colours, but whites and creams are also a clear favourite for cottage and country styles.
Read more: How To Fit Bathroom Wall Panels
Floors
Unlike your walls where a simple wood-effect wall panel can come in handy, floors can be a little trickier to navigate as not all homes will have the capacity to have wood flooring in a bathroom. But fear not, there are plenty of other options available if you're looking to create a homely cottage style on your bathroom floors:
Vinyl Flooring
Vinyl flooring can be an excellent option, giving the same visual aesthetic as wood panelling, but without the hassle of installing them! You can also enjoy the freedom of choice with vinyl flooring, from simplistic plain white tiles to contrast with wood furniture, to a checkerboard effect of white and dark tones.
Floor Tiles
An alternative option is to go for brown bathroom floor tiles that can then be laid down to mimic wood panel flooring. Another plus with floor tiles is the capability of underfloor heating which can be conveniently installed underneath, perfect for those colder months when you're in need of a warming touch underfoot!
Taps
When it comes to country and cottage-inspired bathroom taps, think of them as a little touch of elegance for your bathroom project. With a vast collection of taps available, it can be tricky to navigate. That's why we've chosen our favourite taps for both baths and basins for the perfect country feel:
Basin Taps
For basin taps, the choice of either a cross-head or lever handle works with any sink design. Their ceramic touches and beautiful features boast a period style that works perfectly with a country-style bathroom. You can choose from Oxford cross-heads or Winchester lever handles for a modern take on Georgian styling.
Bath Taps
For something a little different, freestanding bath taps can offer a touch of opulence to your bathroom. These taps will typically sit in the middle of the bath, but they can also be located at the end. Their ceramic details and luxurious design will be sure to add a traditional touch to your cottage bathroom space.
Read more: Bathroom Taps Buying Guide
Basins
When it comes to basins for your country bathroom design, there's plenty of choice! With beautiful wall hung basins and classic full pedestal basins, the possibilities are endless.
Pedestal Basins
Simple and classical, pedestal bathroom basins remain popular despite the trend towards more contemporary styles. These traditional basins feature period design details with a single tap hole or a double tap hole, perfect for a cottage look.
Vanity Units
The alternative option (and one that can look more rustic thanks to the use of wood) is to combine your basin with a vanity cabinet. Vanity units come in a range of styles, but traditional and Bayswater are your best choices to get the rustic country look, thanks to their wood-grained textured finish and raised panelling. We also provide a large variety of wood bathroom vanity units that exude traditional style, ideal for your country decor.
Furniture
As we’ve mentioned with the vanity units, a rustic bathroom look is all about wooden furniture and cabinets.
Always look for traditional bathroom furniture with raised panelling. These will be available in colours already, but because it’s wood, there’s no reason why you can’t paint over it or sand the surface down and start over to match your new rustic bathroom decor!
Wood bathroom furniture is available in a number of finishes, with ample traditional detailing on offer. They look great paired with various styles or colours and stand particularly proudly next to something exquisite, like a roll-top bath.
Baths
When it comes to choosing the right bath for your rustic cottage bathroom design, there's a plethora of choices available that will give your cottage-style bathroom the ultimate stand-out feel.
Freestanding Baths
Freestanding baths are often the centre-point of a bathroom and the same goes for traditional freestanding baths. These beautifully eye-catching baths boast character in abundance, creating a luxurious yet classic feel to any bathroom.
A double-ended traditional freestanding bath is also an ideal addition for a country look, even more so if you can paint the main body to match your rustic decor.
Single Ended Bath
If a freestanding bath isn't to your taste, you could use a more standard single ended bath that features a bath panel. With a bath panel, you can easily repaint this to be more rustic. Alternatively, you may want to buy a panel that matches the cottage-style look you’re going for, such as our collection of wood bath panels or Park Lane traditional bath panels.
Read more: The Complete Freestanding Baths Guide
Heating
Finally, your choice of heating for a cosy bathroom can be a traditional-looking column radiator or a towel rail, both providing extra warmth and a cottage style.
Providing a period and rustic look, traditional towel radiators and heated rails combine modern technology with classical style. With their chrome finish, towel rails will work perfectly alongside your taps and shower pipework while towel radiators also bring a smaller column radiator into the structure.
For a full radiator, column radiators (either smaller models or vertical options) will do the job perfectly of providing heat while matching the more period style of cottage decor. Available in a variety of colours and sizes, they can act as a feature piece themselves if you choose the right radiator.
Read more: A Guide to Bathroom Heating
For more bathroom inspiration, take a look at the following posts - Designing a Spa-Style Bathroom - Black Showers and Taps Inspiration - Bathroom Organisation Ideas: Store more in your bathroom.
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