Words: Adam Wollerton

A brand recently asked me: “What do you do with special finishes? How do you match them all in a bathroom design?” We had a long chat about it and the short answer is, I don’t.

And this got me thinking, are clients really asking for this, or is it something as designers we look for? Rather than seeing the process of bathroom design as choosing items of a finish, as a designer, I step back and view the overall concept. Metallic finishes shouldn’t be seen as just nickel or bronze, but as ‘families of tone’ – warmer metals like bronze, nickel, and brass can work harmoniously together, and so can cooler tones of gun metals, black chrome, matt black, chrome.

My approach is never to find one finish that matches across all brands. It’s almost impossible as all manufacturers appear to have their own take on what these finishes should look like. For example, nickel versus brushed stainless steel.

We see bronzes that lean towards a deep brass tone, and then we have options that I would consider more copper or brushed red gold. So, how can we be expected to match a shower screen, to brassware, to accessories, and to mirrors?

Remember: concept is key. I look at the concept I am trying to create and allow for depths of tone. The bronze of the shower can be deeper than the brassware. Just as a vanity unit in a stone colourway can be a lighter or darker shade than the tiles in the design. We aren’t looking for the block colour finish of one tone carried around a space; we want waves of texture and depth, encouraging clients’ eyes to find gentle complements, rather than exact matches.

Seeing a bathroom design as a concept, rather than a shopping list where “we’ve chosen nickel so everything must be nickel”, allows you freedom to layer, adding texture and depth to your designs. It makes the space tactile. I advise you to make choices and suggestions with intent.

I don’t often hear clients asking for all their items to match. I feel that as designers we’ve fallen a little into this trap – after all, we know what’s out there, clients only get glimpses into our industry. That said, if you do find yourself in that situation, you should have the confidence to say “matchy-matchy isn’t the only choice.”

Instead, talk about concept. Show them how differing shades of tone, texture and finish add depth and are often softer to look at – your design becomes tactile, it lives and breathes. Let’s move away from a matchy-matchy mentality and embrace all the finishes that brands offer us. Be brave, and guide clients to see the benefit of what layering can do. Specify an earthen toned shower screen to bring out the warmth of the brassware; or a shower screen with a chrome top bar to create the illusion of frameless, so works best in a smaller space; or this vanity unit may not be exactly the same blue as the tiles, but you’ve introduced a fluted texture to add relief.

So, do you experience ‘matchy-matchy’ clients? And do you mix metals, finishes, and tones?