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Bathroom design has changed significantly over the last decade. What was once a purely functional space has become one of the most considered rooms in the home, a place people invest in for both comfort and resale value.
At Inline Design Studio, we've been designing bathrooms in Devon since 1987. We've seen plenty of trends come and go, and we have a view on which of the current ones are worth embracing and which are better left to the design press.
What's Trending in 2026
Warm, earthy tones are firmly in. The cool greys and pure whites that dominated bathroom design for most of the last decade are giving way to warmer neutrals, greiges, terracottas, soft greens, and natural stone finishes that reference Devon's landscape rather than working against it.
Freestanding baths continue to be aspirational, and the designs have matured, away from the novelty statement piece and towards shapes that feel genuinely elegant and are more practical than earlier iterations.
Large-format tiles with minimal grout lines create a sense of space and cleanliness that works particularly well in smaller bathrooms.
Smart storage has become a priority. Vanity units with considered internal organisation, recessed niching in showers and baths, and towel storage that doesn't feel like an afterthought, these are the details that make a bathroom feel properly designed.
The Principles That Don't Change
Trends aside, the things that make a bathroom genuinely good to use don't change much from year to year. Adequate lighting, task lighting around mirrors, ambient lighting for relaxation, and ideally a degree of control over the balance between them. Enough storage so the surfaces aren't constantly cluttered. Waterproofing done properly, so water doesn't find its way into places it shouldn't over time.
The layout matters enormously. Where the door opens relative to the shower, the height of taps relative to the basin, the position of the toilet relative to everything else, these things sound like details but they determine how comfortable the room is to use every single day.
We design with daily life in mind, not just the photograph.
Devon Light and Devon Materials
One of the things that sets Inline apart is our designer Claire's deep understanding of light and materials in the Devon context. “The light here is different, softer, warmer, more varied, and that affects how materials look at different times of day and in different seasons.
We love incorporating natural stone, wood accents, and earthy finishes that connect the interior to the landscape outside. It's not about being rustic, contemporary bathrooms can use these materials in very clean, refined ways. It's about creating spaces that feel genuinely rooted in where they are.”
If you're planning a new bathroom in Devon, come into our Newton Abbot showroom. Bring ideas, or come with a blank slate, either way, we'll enjoy the conversation.
