Styled for the Rich.

It appears that the financial crisis has not affected the demand for exquisite en suite bathrooms, states Karen Howes, London based interior designer. She knows about the most indulgent bathrooms because she designs them, complete with heated floors, under lit and scented double ended baths, and aquarium features throughout. There is nothing that she hasn’t seen after working with members of the “rich list”.  There is no stopping the positive direction of bathroom design now. Baths can made from pure glass, brightened with underwater lighting focused on a barrage of hydro jets.

We now have  the option of steam showers, complete wet rooms, enclosures with body jets and even outdoor showers. New to the market are rain forest showers which emit different smells and have lights that change colour according to temperature. Lavender scented showers coupled with purple mood lighting are now very possible.

“The bathroom is where we spend our private time, where we treat ourselves and get the day into gear” states Karen. We now have bathrooms which burst with natural materials such as wood, bamboo and stone. Others work to complete that contemporary chemistry style look with cabinets fronted in frosted glass, straight lined shower enclosures, and white as the base colour scheme. “A good budget to start with is £20,000 to include everything. After this, the sky is most definitely the limit. It’s the territory where TVs in the wall come into play.”

“Bathrooms are even used as high security panic rooms, to which the rich can retreat to if they are under threat. One such billionaire had a private exit installed in his personal bathroom in case he needed to escape at short notice” says Karen.

If your looking at redesigning your bathroom in the near future, you really are now spoilt for choice. With so many luxuries now very accessible, it’s not just the rich and famous that can enjoy an exotic hotel style bathroom.