Bathrooms often get overlooked. They’re usually designed for efficiency: bright lights, quick routines, a place to start and end the day. But they deserve more attention. When done well, a bathroom can feel like the calmest room in the house. A small escape that smells faintly of soap, steam and quiet.
A Room, Not a Room of Necessity
The shift begins when you stop treating it as a purely functional space. Hang art on the walls, not the generic bathroom kind, but the sort of pieces you'd happily live with elsewhere. Vintage landscapes, small sketches or framed photographs instantly soften the space. An antique mirror does something similar, and more. The old glass catches the light differently than anything new does, slightly clouded in places, and it gives the room a second layer of depth rather than just a reflection. Just make sure frames and glass can handle a bit of humidity, moisture is unforgiving, but the effect is worth it.
Texture and Colour
Cold tiles and chrome rarely create a sense of sanctuary. Choose materials that feel warmer, like wood, stone or textured walls that catch the light differently throughout the day. Even wallpaper can work if you’re brave enough — a soft botanical print or something with a fabric-like finish.
Colour changes everything. Muted greens and off-whites make a bathroom feel calm, while deeper tones such as ochre, slate or tobacco make it quietly cocooning. The goal isn’t perfection, just a feeling that someone truly lives here.
The Little Things
Bathrooms become interesting once they stop feeling purely functional. Add a small rug, a vintage vase with a few stems from the garden, or an old glass jar filled with bath salts. A bobbin stool tucked into the corner earns its keep too, somewhere to drop a towel or the clothes you stepped out of, and far nicer to look at than a hook on the back of the door. Choose towels that feel soft rather than pristine, and soap that smells like somewhere you'd like to be. Plants work wonders too, ferns, ivy, anything that enjoys a bit of steam. Small touches like these bring personality to the space.
Light That Flatters
Lighting makes or breaks a bathroom. When we redid ours in Rotterdam, we realised how unkind most overhead bulbs are: too harsh, too cold, too honest. We replaced them with wall lights on a dimmer, which completely changed the atmosphere. The light now feels warm and flattering. You can still brighten it when needed, but most of the time it sits at a gentle glow that makes the whole space exhale.
A Quiet Kind of Luxury
This isn’t about grandeur, but about softness. A bathroom that feels like a place to linger rather than rush through. A room filled with warmth, art, scent and light that flatters instead of exposes.
At Hazel & Morris, we love creating rooms like this — spaces that hold their own kind of calm, layered with texture and personality, with just enough imperfection to feel real.
An antique French faux bamboo mirror with original glass. The turned wood frame — carved to mimic bamboo joints — is characteristic of the late 19th century, a period when this style was widely popular in French domestic interiors. The wood has developed a warm patina over time, and the original glass carries a deep age to it: heavily foxed, to remind you of its history — but still perfectly functional as a mirror.
Carefully sourced and well preserved.
Suitable for hallways, bathrooms, or above a console.
Full measurements:
59cm height
48cm width
Inside mirror:
40cm height
29cm width
Please note: as with all antique items, small variations and imperfections are part of the charm and authenticity of the piece.