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Summer isn’t quite here yet but this is certainly the right time to rethink the spaces of your holiday home, beginning with one of the most important rooms in the house: the bathroom.
In a seaside home, the bathroom should be more than just a functional space; it should be a haven of relaxation, a place that exudes freshness, lifts the spirits and makes us feel great, getting us in just the right mood to enjoy our holidays.
Whether you want to refurbish a bathroom or design it from scratch, in this article you will find plenty of ideas, inspiration and practical tips to give your seaside home a unique feel, in keeping with the surroundings and perfectly attuned to the needs of those who live by the sea all year round, or even for just a few weeks a year.
Ready to take a deep dive into the colours, accessories and decorations that mirror the positive and relaxing vibes of the sea? Let’s get started!!
When it comes to furnishing the bathroom of your seaside house, one of the first things to settle on is the colour. The infinite shades of dark and light blue – from turquoise to cerulean – immediately bring to mind the sea and evoke a sensation of freshness and relaxation.
If you love the Mediterranean look, you can take your inspiration from the famous “Santorini style”, where the white surfaces of the houses made from local stone merge with the deep blue of the sky and the sea to create bright, welcoming and airy atmospheres perfectly in keeping with the concept of the seaside apartment.
But the bathroom of your holiday home needn’t necessarily be blue or turquoise: neutral and natural colours – like sand, beige, ivory and taupe – are perfect for bathrooms with a more conservative, elegant and relaxing vibe. If your bathroom is already furnished in shades of white or pale wood, you can add hints of colour with decorative tiles, shelves, rugs or accessories like towel rails and poufs to create a marine style.
If you don’t like blue or turquoise, the lighter and more delicate tones of azure, aquamarine and aqua green are also excellent choices. They are also ideal for small bathrooms because they reflect the light
But the seaside also means sun! So it’s a thumbs up also for warm and vibrant colours like yellow, orange and red, original and alternative shades for furnishing the bathroom of your seaside home that bring to mind warm summer sunsets.
If you want a bathroom in coastal or marine shabby chic style choose light or bleached finishes, while for a more modern and minimalist feel go for stone- or concrete-effect furnishings, ideally in tones of dark grey or sand like the finish on the washbasin unit and splash-guard of this Arcom bathroom composition, which recreates an elegant fine-grain stone effect.
The coverings and materials you choose for your summer home have a very important role to play. Humidity, salt and sand are all factors to take into account if you live by the sea. For this reason it is crucial to choose surfaces that are decorative but, above all, resistant, capable of both elevating the bathroom but also standing the test of time.
Sound like a tricky compromise?
Don’t worry, striking a balance between aesthetics and functionality is far from impossible.
In terms of bathroom coverings, one of the most popular and versatile solutions is ceramic or porcelain stoneware tiles, genuine must-haves in any seaside bathroom. Resistant, impermeable and available in lots of finishes, they go with any style: from wood-effect versions, ideal for warm bathrooms inspired by nature, through to stone- or concrete-effect tiles, perfect for those that love a more minimalist and contemporary aesthetic.
If you prefer more decorative tiles, in typical Mediterranean style, go for those inspired by the hand-painted Italian ceramics of Vietri sul Mare, which evoke the charm of the Amalfi coast or, alternatively, Portuguese azulejos.
With their printed graphics, tiles and maiolica effects are always very popular. Just as alluring are mosaic coverings in nautical tones and 3D tiles with wave patterns that bring to mind the tides of the sea.
You can use these solutions to highlight the washbasin wall or the wall of the shower and create an eye-catching focal point in the bathroom.
If you like this style but aren’t actually that keen on tiles themselves, you can opt for more modern (and practical) solutions like maiolica-inspired wallpaper, which, as well as being fresh and stylish, is also certainly more economical than ceramics.
With motifs inspired by the sea, botanical patterns or Mediterranean-style geometrics, it’s an attractive alternative to tiles. For humid environments, you can also get hold of impermeable wallpaper, which is specifically designed to resist steam and condensation, and is therefore ideal for bathroom walls, particularly in seaside homes.
As you will have understood by now, there is no shortage of alternatives so don’t ever rule out your favourite style!
The material you choose for the floor is also of crucial importance. Wood, for example, remains one of the most popular materials for its warmth and ability to make spaces more welcoming. This also applies to the bathroom, but it is important to choose your wood carefully. Only some types, like teak which is naturally water-resistant, are suitable for particularly humid environments. Once again, another excellent alternative is wood-effect porcelain stoneware tiles which faithfully reproduce the grain of wood while at the same time providing guarantees in terms of durability, resistance and easy maintenance.
Meanwhile, those who prefer seamless surfaces can plump for impermeable and joint-free resin coverings which, aside from their modern look, are also easy to clean and don’t retain sand and humidity.
Another reliable material for the bathrooms of seaside homes is glass. Perfect for shower enclosures, shelves, wall units and dividing walls, it reflects the light, reduces the sensation of clutter, and gives the space a tidy, airy feel.
Finally, don’t underestimate the importance of choosing the right materials for your taps, fittings and accessories. In a setting like a seaside home, it is always preferable to opt for products in stainless steel, a material that is highly resistant to corrosion, rusting and the formation of stains caused by salt. It may seem strange but despite being indoors the bathroom is also exposed to the effects of sea air, especially if it is frequently ventilated. Additionally, if your house is very close to the sea, the salty air can easily come through open windows or penetrate wet clothes or towels that have been left to dry. Over time, the salty microelements in the air are deposited on the surfaces and risk damaging the materials
Nautical style is timeless, both in fashion and interior design. And in summer homes it can be interpreted in lots of different ways.
One of its most classic guises is the striped pattern: white and blue, white and red, or white and light blue are perfect for towels, rugs, linen and even for the bathroom curtains. This motif immediately brings to mind the sea without the need for any major style details. The key is not to overdo it and run the risk of pushing the boat out too far.
Curtains are in fact one of the elements that most help to create the atmosphere of the bathroom, particularly in a house in which natural light is one of the standout features. The best option is to choose light, breathable fabrics like natural linen, cotton or hemp, which allow the air and, more importantly, the light to filter through, while guaranteeing your privacy. The best colours? White, ivory, sand or – for the more daring among you – stripes, thin and paired with white in a direct tribute to the nautical aesthetic.
Rugs made from natural materials like nautical rope, hemp, woven straw or jute also reinforce the maritime vibe. With their coarse fibres and neutral tones, they evoke the world of sailing boats and golden beaches. They are perfect both as bathmats and decorative rugs to position in front of or under the washbasin unit.
As for decorative accessories, prioritise simple but highly evocative elements: nautical rope, pickled wood, matt ceramics or natural objects like branches smoothed by the sea, which can be easily obtained during a walk along the shore. These little decorative details add authenticity and charm to the bathroom without weighing it down.
Then of course there are shells, absolutely imperative for a nautical-style bathroom. Large shells can be arranged on a shelf, on the top of the bathroom unit or along the edges of the bath.
Smaller shells are perfect for a DIY project: arrange them in a large transparent vase, add a little sand and place it on a shelf or on the washbasin for a simple but effective marine-inspired detail.
You must also weigh your desire to create a relaxing space that recalls the colours, materials and atmospheres of the sea against practical considerations. For this reason, every choice – from furniture to accessories – must be shaped and made with an eye on style but also everyday practicality.
Wall-mounted units remain one of the best solutions for the bathrooms of seaside homes: as well as giving the space an airy and modern feel, they also make it easier to clean the room, in particular the floor.
Beyond linear designs, you can also go for curved furniture, with soft lines that recall the undulating waves of the sea.
When it comes to selecting your washbasin there are plenty of different options to choose from based on your style and the amount of space available. Countertop basins, particularly in ceramic or stone, evoke a more natural and contemporary style and are therefore ideal for the bathrooms of seaside homes. They are also perfect in the colours of the sea.
If, on the other hand, your priority is practicality, you are better off going with washbasins built into the countertop. Like this washbasin with a warm and enveloping sand-coloured finish whose opaqueness is reminiscent of a stone that has been smoothed by the water.
The presence of storage units is essential for keeping the bathroom neat and tidy, particularly when space is at a premium: shelves and units make full use of the wall area without taking up any space on the floor.
The open shelves in your seaside home bathroom should ideally be made from bleached wood or metal painted in the colours of the sea.
Meanwhile, closed storage solutions, like wall units, are vital for protecting towels and bathroom products from humidity but also from the usual dust, which by the sea is also mixed with sand.
The mirror also plays a key role: large, bright, perhaps in an original raindrop shape (like our Ba-Bà model) or a soft round design, it helps amplify the light and adds character to the space.
Choose wall-mounted models also for the sanitary fittings: they are practical to clean, optimise the space and make it easier to clean the floor – no small matter when it comes to dealing with the problem of sand.
Finally, if you love a bathtub you are well within your rights to have one fitted but, in a seaside home, a walk-in shower is a far more practical option. There are a wide variety of models and types available, including space-saving showers, which are perfect for small bathrooms.
Generally speaking, in a seaside home, a shower is more in keeping with a dynamic and simple holiday lifestyle. After a day of exposure to the sun, sand and salt at the beach, in the evening what you need is a practical space where you can quickly freshen up. Choosing a shower also means paying closer attention to water consumption and sustainability, increasingly relevant issues also when it comes to furnishing the bathroom.
Holiday homes aren’t usually particularly spacious and it is quite common for them to have a small bathroom. Whether it is a second home or you are renting it for the summer, the goal is the same: to create a comfortable, functional and pleasant environment even in reduced spaces.
In these cases, the order of the day is optimisation.
The first step to optimising the space of a small holiday home bathroom is to opt for light and luminous colours. Forget about sea blue and go for a nautical palette of more delicate hues: white, sand, light blue, powder blue or aqua green are ideal for smaller bathrooms because they reflect natural light and visibly lighten the volume of the room.
From an architectural point of view, it is openings like windows or skylights that make the real difference. Light is essential for making a room seem bigger. The point is that in holiday homes we don’t always have this luxury: often the bathroom is windowless and in this case the absence of natural light calls for targeted design solutions. To make up for the lack of natural light, it is very important to choose a good artificial lighting system.
Another furnishing solution for a small bathroom is to put up large mirrors, even joining them seamlessly together to make everything appear larger and deeper. The bathroom furnishings must of course be tailored to the space: wall-mounted units and compact sanitary fittings are ideal as they create a sense of airiness without weighing down the compositions. To make the most of every corner of the room, use the full vertical space of the walls, with solutions like shelves and wall units (of reduced depth), and take advantage of alcoves.
If possible – and where your space allows it – in small bathrooms it is always better to use sliding doors for both the entrance and the shower. A little detail that might help you to acquire a couple of very valuable extra centimetres. And finally, don’t forget about glass, another material you can use to make the bathroom seem bigger.
Furnishing your seaside home is all about creating that relaxed, bright and natural atmosphere that we automatically associate with the sea. As we have seen, after carefully selecting your palette – shades of blue, sand, white and pale wood – the next step is to choose materials that are resistant to humidity and salt, easy maintenance coverings, and functional furnishings that guarantee everyday practicality without compromising on style.
Whether it is small or more spacious, every detail of your seaside home’s bathroom can help to create a personal, welcoming and relaxing space that will get you in the holiday mood. The key thing is to choose furnishings that interpret the nautical style without going overboard: clean lines, natural finishes, technical materials and a design based on wellbeing and simplicity.
If you’re looking for ideas for redecorating the bathroom of your seaside home, or you just want to add a little nautical style to your city dwelling, check out the Arcom bathroom furniture collections on the website and find the right solution for you.
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