Retro style is a very abstract concept. When we say that an object or phenomenon belongs to the retro style, it means that they are related to the past. But is it possible to name the "retro" dresses that you wore in the last decade or objects of the everyday life of the nobility of the 17th century? The opinions of experts in the field of fashion and design on this subject differ. According to the most popular point of view, the retro includes recognizable trends of fashion and style of the late 19th - early 20th century. All that is older is antiques, and all that is younger is vintage.
Speaking about the bathroom, decorated in a retro style, we will keep in mind precisely this time period. In this article we will tell you about the characteristic features of the retro style and how to equip a modern bathroom, preserving the spirit of antiquity.
Features of the style
For the interior in the retro style is characterized by the use of a large number of things from past eras. It does not have to be real antiques taken from grandmother's chests( although they are certainly welcome), because we do not need to collect a museum of historical artifacts. What we need is modern furniture, plumbing and accessories, stylized in the old days.
Preference should be given to interior items and decoration made of natural materials or metal. Things are welcome from wood, genuine leather. Among metals, give preference to cast iron, brass, bronze, copper. You should avoid things with chrome plated.
As for the decorative elements, they are present in the retro-bathroom in a much lesser degree than in the classical 19 th century interior. The abundant curls and floral ornaments gave way to strict geometry. Drawings in the form of bands, rhombuses or a checkerboard in retro style are quite popular. This does not mean that the decor in the retro interior is completely missing: almost mandatory elements are mirrors in classic, magnificent frames and chandeliers with crystal pendants.
The color solution of the room
The retro style is dominated by soft, muted tones, but it should not be exclusively a brown-gray-beige color scheme( after all, artificial colors were already invented).However, bright saturated colors are rarely found in the decoration of walls or floors. As a rule, bright colors are used for this - white, milky, beige, coffee, light lemon. Also popular is the combination of light walls and dark floor, for example the contrast of white and black.
Bright colors in retro style are used as furniture and accessories. The mahogany pillars, turquoise pouffes or yellow lamps bring animation to the discreet interior.
Bath
The central place in the bathroom, furnished in retro style, of course, is occupied by the font itself. Her choice should be given special attention. Below we will consider the characteristic features of a retro bath.
Distinctive features of
Centuries ago, the bathtub still had classical outlines and rather small dimensions. Therefore, if you decide to decorate a bathroom in the spirit of antiquity, you will have to forget about the huge, square or corner plumbing fixtures. The bath should be oval or slightly irregular in shape. No corners or straight lines: the font should have smooth, rounded outlines.
In the retro-interior, a detached bath looks harmonious, since built-in models of sanitary ware are a sign of our days. The bath must be installed on decorative feet - in the form of lions' paws or neat curls.
Some fans of retro-style manage to find authentic old baths. Since such exhibits are usually not less than 50 years old, they are not intended to be connected to modern communications. Before installing such a bath in the apartment, it will have to be modernized.
Materials
In the time span in question, the plumbing was mainly made of cast iron, so the most correct solution would be to purchase a bath from this material. The problem is that modern cast iron baths are not at all similar to the authentic ones that our ancestors used. Of course, fashion for retro-style reached the manufacturers of sanitary ware. Therefore, on sale are cast-iron baths, stylized with antique fonts: an unusual shape, with a brass coating or colored enamel. But there are quite a lot of such products.
Another possible option is an acrylic bath. It is considered more budgetary, since it is much easier to work with light, plastic acrylic than with massive cast iron. Acrylic can be given any shape, so manufacturers make acrylic bathtubs that exactly match old patterns. Baths made of acrylic can be decorated by spraying under the metal or trimmed with wood. The performance characteristics of acrylic sanitary ware are at the highest level, so comfort from taking a bath will be provided.
Popular manufacturers
Kohler
This is a large American corporation that was founded in the 19th century. It produces baths not only from modern materials, but also from the traditional for the style of retro cast iron. Baths, invented by designers and designers of the company, combine the spirit of antiquity and the latest manufacturing techniques.
Imperial Bathrooms
This English company has real fans of antiquity. They are doing a great job, completely recreating the samples of old sanitary ware, which have survived in palaces and museums. In the collections of this company you can find baths identical to those that stood in the homes of noble Englishmen in the era of Queen Victoria or King Edward.
Elegansa
German company, which is still little known to our customer. Its products characterize the present European quality in everything from enamel coating to accessories. The company produces original baths of cast iron. The model range is very diverse: retro baths on legs or resting on a solid base, white or with a metallized coating - lovers of retro style will have plenty to choose from.
Mixer
The basic requirement for the mixer for a retro bath is that it should harmonize with it in style. Therefore, you need to forget about massive, chrome-plated mixers with a long spout. Our choice is miniature teardrop-shaped valves with valve control. The color of the mixer should be combined with the decorative elements on the font itself( for example, with support legs). Preference should be given to models with a deposition under aged metal, for example, copper or brass. Shower heads should be a classic sample: in shape they resemble old handsets.
Furniture
When decorating a bathroom in retro style, you should prefer natural materials not only in decoration, but also in the furnishing. For the retro-style is characterized by elegant wooden furniture. This is not a large chest of drawers, countertops and storage cabinets for storing laundry, but small light tables, tables, amusing stools. Small pot-bellied pedestals and chests on the legs will perfectly fit into the interior "under the old days".Furniture can have a natural wooden texture or be painted in bright, bright colors.
Mirror
Mirror is an indispensable element of any bathroom, and not only designed for antiquity. In the retro-bathroom you should purchase large mirrors, inserted in wooden or metal frames.
Ram is given special importance: it is desirable that they were openwork, with floral ornaments or curls - the same ones that can be found in the classic interior in the Baroque or Rococo style.
Accessories
In the decorative design of the retro bathroom, you can safely use genuine antiques that have no practical value, but are only needed to form a common style. For example, candlesticks, porcelain figurines, paintings and posters. All sorts of hooks, soap holders, towel holders and other things can be either old or retro styled. For the best of chic you can put on the elegant table a real retro phone or a desk lamp from an antique store.
Design Tips
- When choosing the finishing materials for a bathroom in a retro style, you should give preference to everything natural. If the wooden finish is too expensive for you, then take a closer look at the finishing materials that imitate the real tree. A classic solution, which looks harmoniously in almost any interior, is ceramic tiles.
- Trying to recreate the antique interior, you do not need to ignore the achievements of technology, sacrificing your own comfort in the name of aesthetics, otherwise the bathroom will be beautiful, but completely unsuited to the needs of the family. Modern, quality sanitary ware, handrails and headrests, hydromassage panels - this is what makes our life more pleasant and convenient.
- To create a harmonious interior, not only the bathtub, but all the rest of the sanitary equipment - a sink, toilet bowl, bidet, etc.must be sustained in retro style. Select the appropriate parts for the selected style. So, it is necessary to refuse from the lever mixers and to choose valve "lambs".