Chic and Timeless? Serene and Soothing? Bathroom Aesthetics Start Here

While it’s understandable, it can also create problems for your customers and employees. They view the restroom as part of the bigger picture in evaluating your organization, and if their experience is disappointing, they take note. Fortunately, it’s easier than you may think to extend the positive experience you’ve worked hard to create for your facility to the private areas.

Research shows that ninety-five percent of consumers will avoid an establishment if its restrooms are dirty. Your first emphasis should be on making sure your restroom is clean, fresh and welcoming. Start with the basics: clean surfaces, well-stocked toilet paper, hand towels and soap; attractively styled hand soap dispensers and air fresheners; properly functioning sinks and toilets. From there, you can set your sights on elevating your restroom to create an aesthetically soothing, positive experience for customers and employees that sets your brand apart.

More and more businesses are turning to residential design and aesthetic trends to provide inspiration for their spaces. Keep in mind that your creative vision for your restroom can be derailed by the use of poor quality hygiene products – and one of the easiest ways to elevate your style is in the details. Little touches, like stylish dispensers containing cleansing soaps and moisturizing lotions, sleek trash cans and toilet paper holders, and more can go a long way in sending the right message.

For example, product lines like Branch & Vine offer chic options for these critical accessories, providing a great choice for businesses and offices that want to blend a higher quality product with a more sophisticated, home-like appeal. Let’s take a look at the trends that are influencing restroom design.

Natural Materials and Textures

Warm, earthy tones and a big dose of “bringing the outdoors in” are setting the style for bathroom upgrades. Natural, organic materials like bamboo and textured tile, stone, lava rock and wood are making neutral spaces warmer and cultivating a clean — but not clinical — look and feel. The outdoor feel extends to color as well – earthy greens and watery blues are perfect here, as are whites and grays. A passive air freshener using unique scented gypsum beads creates a sophisticated, layered look and feel with the resin base and tinted and frosted translucent body. It all helps to add calming aromatherapy to the environment. Serene and soothing? Absolutely!

Spa Aesthetics

Spas are designed to create a calm, tranquil oasis … a place where patrons can breathe easily while they take a moment to themselves. The hallmark of the spa trend is white minimalism – white walls and tile paired with natural materials like wood and stone, and uncluttered accessories. Gold accents add a touch of luxury. Remember that the devil is in the details – don’t forget to incorporate finishing touches like a soap dispenser in a warm amber, enthroned upon a minimalist stand in warm bamboo or black lava rock.

A Pop of Color

While moody dark tones and stark black and whites will always be considered classics, consider a pop of bright jewel tones or patterns, whether for an accent wall or the entire facility. And if bright colors don’t quite fit, try a warmer tone like beige, tan or terracotta. “I think gray will become more like a color where it is used selectively, and beige will be the new neutral,” says designer Rosanna Bassford. Commercial bathroom designers are keeping pace with demand and interest for company bathrooms to be not just fresh and clean, but stylistic too. Accessories like bamboo and grey-toned resin toilet paper dispensers are chic additions that visitors to your bathroom will take note of time and time again.

Statement Style

For a dramatic look, consider a bold statement design that incorporates finishes like marble to create a feeling of opulence. Black, gray and white marble paired in contrast to one another build a visual and tactile texture. Matte black finishes are also growing in popularity – it’s bold and powerful and have the added benefit of not showing dirt. Choose accessories like trash cans and paper towel dispensers in a marble finish to blend style with smooth functionality and ensure hygiene is never compromised.

Industrial Chic

The minimalist trend has been on the scene for a while now and it shows no sign of slowing down. Minimalist fixtures in black, gold and copper add an industrial look and pair well with simpler tiling, keeping the focus on the fixtures themselves. The clean-but-chic black and white contrast – think black hexagon tile floors paired with white subway tile walls – is the hallmark of industrial cool; another take is a gray stone floor with warm wood-tone walls. Clean fixtures in metallics – reminiscent of exposed pipes – and pendant lights or sconces complete the look.

Smart Restrooms

Perhaps the trend that has brought about the most important transformation in business restrooms is the use of smart technology. Now more than ever hygiene is the gold standard. In fact, 84 percent of Americans want touchless fixtures installed in public restrooms so they can avoid touching levers, handles, buttons and other surfaces that others have touched. Consumers look for touchless soap and paper towel dispensers, sanitization stations, lights and automatic flushers to enhance their hygiene. Intelligent engineering helps reduce waste, like z-fold towels in combination with dispensers that distribute one towel per pull. Hotels and restaurants in particular are adding smart features to improve customer experience, and the trend has spread to spas, sports facilities, retail outlets and more.

Stylish bathroom accessories can include practical details too, like theft-deterrent features to keep your new air fresheners and soap exactly where you want them. Choosing a professional partner who oversees your restroom supplies means regularly scheduled visits so that soaps, lotions, towels and toilet paper are well-stocked – and within easy reach for employees and visitors alike.

To learn how to transform your business’ restroom into a clean, appealing spot both customers and employees will appreciate, contact Cintas today.