With the beginning of a whole new decade comes a time of transformation for trends within most, if not all, areas of design across the globe. While it may not be considered the most fashionable sector within the design world, washroom trends do constantly change as the years go by and new innovations are created. This is particularly important to consider when re-designing elements of spaces that are included within certain industries.
Many schools take great pride in the philosophies behind their ideas, and how these ideas influence the ways they teach the next generation of bright young students. With its focus on student performance and wellbeing, the educational sector is one area where considering fluctuating trends and changing times becomes especially important! Education should always be forward-thinking and incorporate new innovations. It’s essential that educational organisations are constantly striving to keep up to date with new trends and design ideas if they want to continue to nurture talent and skill effectively.
Any student’s learning environment plays a huge role in how they behave at school, as it’s where they spend the majority of their time. The environments they spend their time in also undoubtedly has a significant impact on their attitudes towards learning! It’s therefore essential that no part of a school is overlooked. That’s right, even the washrooms… Here are the latest trends we’ve picked up on for exciting new educational washroom refurbishment trends for 2020.
Incorporating Nature
Incorporating elements of nature is one particular trend that 2020 is happily welcoming into the interior refurbishment industry. Humans simply weren’t designed to spend all day cooped up inside, away from the natural world and all of its inspirational energy. No matter how industrial or minimalistic your new washroom vision may be, it’s important to remind ourselves of the natural world wherever we can. This is a great way to refresh the mind, making students ready to return back to the classroom for more learning.
While lots of natural lighting is generally considered a solution to this within the interior industry, it’s obviously not so popular within washrooms due to privacy reasons. However, there are creative ways of getting around this. Using high placed windows is one way to let some light in. Utilising opacity-reducing techniques on windows, while still letting that much-needed natural light in, will also work here.
Plants are yet another natural solution that are not always considered to be functional or particularly necessary additions to a washroom. However, the popularity of hanging fixtures has grown exponentially recently, especially plants. If you don’t want to bring plants into the washroom, you could also incorporate green as a key shade throughout the space to evoke a natural vibe.
Unique Tiling
While tiling may not be a commonplace sight within educational washrooms, designers are looking forwards and considering new ways to add inspirational design touches to their spaces. Tiling has always been a traditional element within washroom design, and the range of tiles available today gives a vast array of options that can be utilised to suit any environment. Due to its popularity within home interiors, tiling may have the added benefit of making students feel more at home in their educational settings.
Some examples of unique tiling solutions we’ve seen lately include geometric shapes, bright pops of colour and strategically placed designs. Whichever tiling design you choose, you can always be sure it will add to the overall aesthetic qualities of the washroom. Tiles are considered a great way to pull everything together. Bring in a colour that you’ve used elsewhere within the washroom, or create interesting patterns that will inspire students.
Wooden & Textural Imitations
In keeping with the trend that involves incorporating nature wherever possible, imitation wooden fixtures are becoming increasingly popular. While keeping surfaces smooth will always remain an important requirement for public restrooms, sleek surfaces can imitate natural textures exceptionally well.
In particular, we’re seeing an abundance of wooden-like surfaces used within educational washrooms. The addition of textural elements can be used in creative ways to split up certain areas, or to simply add a new dimension to what was otherwise an uninspired, flat-looking space. Other textures can also be added through the use of creative wallpapers that imitate stone, metals and a range of other different finishes. Educational washrooms don’t have to be overly uniform and uninspired!
Sleek Intrigue
While some bathrooms are kept sparkly white in order to retain the illusion of fresh sanitation, times are changing and so are our spaces! Darker bathrooms are becoming much more commonplace within the educational sector, as white can sometimes involve intensive upkeep due to graffiti or natural wear and tear. Ensuring that new refurbishments last for years to come is important, so longevity is always something to consider when redesigning an educational bathroom.
Using black or dark grey partitions or flooring solutions will also bring a sleek, modern look to any educational washroom. The implementation of such contemporary ideas doesn’t have to be limited to the backdrop, either. New faucets are utilising modern, matte black or innovative finishes that easily add interest to any washroom.
Bright Colours
We know – this one’s not a new one! The importance of strategically placing bright pops of colour throughout many various interior refurbishment projects has been well understood within the industry for many years now. The importance of refreshing the mind using creative design techniques shouldn’t be overlooked, even in washrooms. Add a bit of personality to what would otherwise be a dull space by partitioning off cubicles with vibrant shades that represent your school or organisation.
Using colour schemes that relate to your educational institution has the added bonus of instilling a sense of belonging amongst students. If they feel more in tune with their environment, they are more likely to engage with it and perform at their best. There’s no use designing an innovative, new space that doesn’t make students feel as though they fit in there – that will only ostracise them. Using relatable colours is a great way to overcome any mixed emotions that also may arise as the result of changes to what was otherwise a familiar environment.
Simplified & Sterile
The efficiency of bathrooms and how they will be cleaned is always a consideration when it comes to refurbishing educational washrooms. As these types of facilities are frequently used by many different people, cleanliness and function is always at the heart of many of the design decisions involved in refurbishing educational washrooms.
Here’s one example of how innovative design is changing bathroom trends – smoother, curved toilets without any ridges where germs can hide are becoming popular in these areas. Other fixtures are becoming less structured and more streamlined. Mirrors with rounded edges are now increasingly popular, while the removal of sharp corners also improves the safety of a space to some extent.
There you have it; the next big trends in educational washroom refurbishment for the year 2020!
- Incorporating Nature
Bringing nature into the washroom is a key trend that’s expected to stay. Natural lighting, with privacy windows, and incorporating hanging plants, natural textures, or the colour green, can be useful here. - Unique Tiling
The range of tiling solutions available today gives us endless opportunities to play around with tiling ideas within educational washroom settings, creating inspiring restrooms. - Wooden & Textural Imitations
While the smoothness of educational bathrooms is important due to hygiene reasons, imitation surfaces allow us to incorporate more creative elements. - Sleek Intrigue
White and silver is the traditional colour for most bathroom fixtures. However, new ideas have given rise to the popularity of sleek, matte finishes and darker shades of porcelain. - Bright Colours
As is common throughout many refurbishment projects, particularly within education, bright colours shouldn’t be something to shy away from in the washrooms. - Simplified & Sterile
Educational bathrooms should be simple and easy to clean due to their frequency of use. Curved corners, innovative bathroom fixtures and smooth surfaces ensure everything remains hygienic.
If you’re interested in learning more about how you can transform the washrooms within you or your organisation’s educational setting, consider getting in touch with Brookhouse UK. As the leading specialists in educational refurbishment throughout London and the surrounding areas, their unceasing devotion to their trade and the level of passion they infuse within their work is exceptional. With an army of loyal clients behind them, they’re responsible for updating some of the most important spaces in the educational sector today.
Always looking above and beyond just the classroom, their level of expertise in fitting out specialised areas such as washrooms and even tech facilities is unrivalled. They are known for their dedication to providing their clients with only the best service possible, and working closely with them in order to achieve the exact results required by each institution.
Innovation is always kept at the forefront of their design solutions, ensuring you are provided with the most up to date and contemporary refurbishment available. Their enthusiasm towards staying on top of trends is something that continuously inspires them to design amazing new spaces that will last for years to come. Futureproofing your environment is something they’re always focusing on, from considering space utilisation techniques to their expansive range of knowledge concerning what works within the industry, as well as what doesn’t.
You can contact Brookhouse UK today for a free, no-obligation quote on their innovative educational washroom refurbishment services. They have experience in catering for a range of educational organisations, from small private centres to worldwide academy trusts. No task is too small or big when it comes to re-designing the future!