Material and colour combinations for increasingly bespoke bathrooms

(February 2026) | According to colour designer Francesca Valan: “Everyone has a special, personal relationship with colour that must be understood and nurtured to promote wellbeing within a space.” Colour is not merely decorative, she continues. “It can create balance, modulate the perception of space and accompany our daily rituals. Materials, finishes and hues define the emotional comfort of the bathroom, a space experienced visually, tactually and sensorially.” In this respect, the choice of coherent and stimulating colour and material combinations is not just a matter of aesthetics but one of sustainability: spaces that communicate well-being have greater longevity as the people who live there remain satisfied with their choices for a much longer period of time.

From the general to the particular

The 2026 sanitaryware collections offer fresh potential for customisation by proposing colour and material combinations conceived as integral elements of the design process. Depending on spatial constraints and individual preferences, these combinations can be chosen according to three different approaches, from the simplicity of uniform colours through to more complex and visually striking designs.

The first approach involves selecting a sanitaryware collection in a single colour and pairing it with contrasting floor and wall finishes to create a balanced yet visually distinctive result. The second exploits the contrast between the washbasin and the vanity top: choosing two different colours or materials highlights the geometry of the basin and introduces a design cue that can be echoed by other accessories. The third and most sophisticated approach involves choosing washbasins or bathtubs that themselves feature combinations of colours or textures. In this case, each element acts as a focal point, contributing to the overall identity of the bathroom.

These three solutions demonstrate how a project can evolve from a general design concept to carefully design details, offering designers and users practical ideas for personalising a space with coherence, elegance and formal clarity.

Details that create an atmosphere

The sanitary fixtures themselves are complemented by a series of essential furnishing elements such as taps, vanity units, storage elements, towel rails, mirrors and shelves. Visual relationships, material continuity and controlled contrasts between these elements all play a vital role in defining the overall design.

Designers can opt for bold colour choices, such as furniture doors that coordinate or contrast with the sanitary fixtures, to create a coherent chromatic language. Alternatively, subtler pairings such as taps with handles and spouts made of different materials add a note of originality and personality without disrupting the overall harmony.

In this way, details help to create a balanced, functional and aesthetically refined bathroom, where even the smallest elements coordinate with the rest of the space and contribute to the overall sensory and architectural quality of the project.