Bathroom design: natural stone, soft light and a quiet kind of order
The bathroom is one of the smallest rooms in the home, and one of the busiest. It is the first room we meet in the morning and the last at night. It has to stand up to water, steam and the routines of several people, and still feel calm. At SELÈ STUDIO we approach bathroom design as we would any living space: we start with movement and daily use, choose a few good materials, and plan the light and the storage so that surfaces stay clear. That is what a luxury bathroom means to us: not a crowd of objects, but stone, wood and metal fitted together with precision.
This page gathers the decisions that really shape the result: layout, materials, wall-mounted taps and concealed systems, waterproofing and ventilation, lighting and storage.
How do you plan the layout: double vanity, shower or bath?
Before colors and materials comes the layout, meaning where the basin, the toilet and the shower stand. It starts from what already exists: the water points and the drains. In an apartment building, moving a toilet means reconnecting it to the soil stack, so it is a decision to check with a qualified professional at the very start, not after the fact. When the layout is right, everything else falls into place.
The double vanity: when it makes sense
A double vanity changes the morning for a couple who get ready in the same few minutes, and in a main-bedroom bathroom it is almost a given. As a rule of thumb, two separate basins feel comfortable from a width of about 140 cm. Below that, one wide basin with two taps gives the same function without crowding. A wall-hung vanity that does not touch the floor keeps the floor continuous, makes cleaning easier and makes the room read wider.
Shower, bath, or both
Contemporary shower design leans towards the walk-in: a fixed glass panel, no threshold, and a linear drain that lets the same stone run from the floor into the shower. The floor needs a precise fall towards the drain, and that is planned in advance. A bath is right when it genuinely gets used: in a family with young children, or where the bath is an evening ritual. A freestanding tub needs clearance around it, both so the room can breathe and so it can be cleaned around. When there is room for only one, we suggest choosing by your real habits, not by a picture.
Materials: natural stone, porosity and decisions you live with
Natural stone gives a bathroom a depth that is hard to imitate, but it is a living material. Travertine, for example, forms from the deposits of mineral springs, so it has natural pores. In a bathroom a honed (matte) finish is usually preferable to a polished one, especially on a shower floor, where grip matters. Like marble, travertine is sensitive to acids, so it needs sealing and gentle cleaning. These decisions are made before the stone is ordered, not after it is laid.
If you prefer minimal upkeep, you can choose stone-look porcelain tiles or terrazzo and keep natural stone for one statement surface. A rule of thumb that works well: few materials, repeated throughout the room. Wood enters a bathroom carefully: in the cabinetry rather than the splash zones, and only when ventilation is good.
On filling, finish, sealing and care: our complete travertine guide.
Wall-mounted taps and concealed systems
A tap that comes out of the wall frees the counter, makes cleaning easier and gives the basin a clean, precise look, but it demands early planning. Behind a wall-mounted tap is a concealed body, installed inside the wall before the cladding goes on. The spout length has to match the depth of the basin so that water lands in its center and does not splash, and the height above the basin is fixed in advance. Because replacing a concealed body means opening the wall, it is worth choosing quality components and keeping access for maintenance.
The same logic applies to the other concealed systems: a thermostatic in-wall shower mixer with a ceiling rain head and a hand shower, and a wall-hung toilet with a concealed cistern, reached through the flush plate. On finish, brushed metals such as bronze or nickel hide water spots and fingerprints better than polished chrome.
Waterproofing and ventilation: what you don’t see decides everything
These are general notes. The work itself is carried out by qualified professionals and to the requirements of the standard. Waterproofing covers the floor and the walls of the shower area, with particular care at corners, drains and pipe penetrations. A flood test before tiling is common practice, because once the stone is laid, any repair costs many times more. A shower niche, the one that holds the bottles, must also sit inside the waterproof envelope rather than being added later.
Ventilation is the condition for everything else: an extractor that vents outside, sized to the room’s volume, with an overrun timer or a humidity sensor that keeps it running after the shower. In a bathroom without a window it is essential. Humidity that lingers damages wood, grout, the lighting behind the mirror and the stone itself.
Mirror and lighting: light that flatters the face
Light that comes only from the ceiling casts shadows under the eyes, exactly in front of the mirror. So the light is built in layers: general light recessed in the ceiling, with water-rated fittings in the wet zone; task light for the face, coming from the front or the sides, at face height; and backlighting for the mirror, which adds a soft halo and brings out the texture of the stone behind it. A warm tone of around 2700–3000 K and a high color rendering index (CRI 90 or above) keep skin tones true. Dimming and a low strip of light under the wall-hung vanity let you walk in at night without switching on the whole room. The electrical plan and the position of fittings in wet zones are done with a licensed electrician.
More on lighting the whole home: layered and concealed lighting.
Storage that keeps the counter clear
A clear counter is not luck, it is planning. Start with an inventory: what is used every day, what once a week, and what is stock. Drawers beat doors, because you see everything from above and can divide them inside. A socket inside a drawer, planned with an electrician, lets the hairdryer and the electric toothbrush stay plugged in and out of sight. Other options: a recessed niche in the shower, a tall cabinet for towels and cleaning products, and a mirror with a cabinet behind it when more space is needed. Handleless fronts, with push-to-open or a finger groove, keep the line quiet.
What makes a spa-style bathroom
The feeling of a spa does not come from accessories. It comes from one material that continues without interruption, from low, warm light, quiet lines and a floor that feels good underfoot. Underfloor heating and a heated towel rail complete it in winter. In a spa-style bathroom, everything that does not need to be seen is closed away.
From the project: a travertine and walnut bathroom
In this bathroom, in a private residence, the double vanity was designed as a single block of travertine with two basins carved into it. Above it, two tall, narrow backlit mirrors and brushed-bronze wall taps; below it, walnut drawers floating above a terrazzo floor. Stone, wood and metal, and one soft light. See the full project.
What bathroom design includes
- A first meeting and a measured survey of the space
- A layout plan: basins, shower, bath and toilet
- Selection of materials, sanitaryware and taps
- Lighting design and electrical points
- Joinery design: the vanity, cabinets and niches
- 3D renders so you can see the room before it is built
- Working drawings for the trades
- On-site support during the build
The bathroom is usually part of a wider plan. When you design the whole home, materials and light carry naturally from room to room.
Frequently asked questions
What needs to be decided before a bathroom renovation starts?
Everything that goes inside the walls and the floor: the position of the drains and the toilet, the concealed bodies of the taps and the shower, the niches, the electrical and lighting points, the extractor and the waterproof envelope. Once the walls are closed and the cladding is on, changing any of these means taking things apart. That is why it is worth finishing the design before work on site begins.
What should I know before choosing wall-mounted taps?
A wall-mounted tap relies on a concealed body installed inside the wall before cladding, so it is chosen at the planning stage. The spout length must match the basin depth so water does not splash, and the height above the basin is fixed in advance. Choose quality components, because replacing a concealed body means opening the wall.
How wide should a double vanity be?
As a rule of thumb, two separate basins are comfortable from about 140 cm, so each person has their own work area. Narrower than that, one wide basin with two taps gives the same comfort without crowding. The right width also depends on door openings, the shower and the clearance left in front of the vanity.
Shower or bath — which is better?
It depends on your habits. A walk-in shower with no threshold and a linear drain saves space and keeps the floor continuous. A bath suits a family with young children or anyone who likes to unwind in water, and a freestanding tub needs clearance around it. When there is room for only one, choose by how you actually live, not by a picture.
What lighting works best for a bathroom mirror?
Light from the front or the sides at face height, not only from the ceiling, which casts shadows. Mirror backlighting adds soft light and atmosphere. A warm tone of about 2700–3000 K and a high color rendering index (CRI 90 or above) keep skin tones natural, and dimming allows a gentle night light.
Planning a new bathroom?
Tell us about the space, who uses it, and how you would like to feel in it in the morning. We will get back to you to arrange a first meeting.