The retro bathroom trend making an unlikely comeback

Millennials are reviving the hue once thought to knock thousands off house prices – this time without the lurid toilets and baths of the 70s

To the boomers who hoped (prayed, even) that avocado bathroom suites had been firmly flushed out, a new report suggests quite the opposite.
Proving that almost everything comes back around, 27 per cent of 25 to 34-year-olds picked out the much-maligned shade of green when asked which colour they would most like to use in a bathroom upgrade. This is compared to less than 1 in 20 over-55s, who clearly can’t stomach the hue a second time around, despite a report seven years ago claiming that the retro style of bathroom would wipe £5,000 off the value of a home.
The good news is that this doesn’t necessarily signal a throwback to the lurid toilets with matching basins and baths which were popular in the 1970s. “Millennials are seeking a green that reflects peace and nature in the bathroom to give that feel of serenity to help relax after a busy day,” says Tim Richards, head of bathrooms at Wickes, who commissioned the trend report.
Sam Palmer, founder of Broken Bog, which specialises in replacements for coloured bathrooms, and sister company The Bold Bathroom Company, which produces coloured sanitaryware made in Stoke-on-Trent, catered to the trend the first time around. He sells sets in turquoise and mint green as well as avocado, and fondly describes the latter as “a surprisingly nice colour when you see it in the flesh”. He believes its bad reputation was due to an over-application: “In those days everything was avocado: the tiles, accessories, toilet roll holder, soap dish, and in worst cases, the shag-pile carpet. Once that’s been there for 20 years, it starts to look tired and that’s the image people have.”
Those ahead of the curve are creating green-centric spaces which have nothing de trop or old-fashioned about them. Here’s how to get the look.  
“Since 2017, the use of colour in bathrooms has exploded, whether through the use of tiles, wallpaper, paint and even painted baths and vanity units,” remarks Barrie Cutchie, design director at luxury brand BC Designs. He believes coloured sanitaryware will be big in 2025, as renovators seek to harmonise and limit the number colours used across a space. But that doesn’t mean going down the matchy-matchy retro route of 50 years ago. 
“I’m seeing people opting for a fresher look, with patterned wallpapers, brighter tiles, and not so heavy on one colour,” says Palmer. A case in point is the yellow-green (over-ripened-avocado?) used by revered interior designer Beata Heuman in this London home. It coordinates with the tiles behind it, but the simple white sink provides a sharp palate cleanser.
The success of decor always comes down to context. In 2021, Cutchie supplied boutique hotel chain The Pig with 14 stately, freestanding Senator bathtubs in a bespoke avocado shade for its outpost in the South Downs. Far from looking nostalgic, each blends into its rustic, wood-panelled surroundings more elegantly than a white counterpart would. 
“These imposing tubs resemble works of art and choosing a coloured version only adds to the impact,” says Cutchie, who believes the demand for earth tones such as avocado, beige, and light brown will grow. “These colours blend naturally with organic materials like wood and natural stone, infusing warmth and comfort into the bathroom to create a relaxing and rejuvenating atmosphere”, which is exactly what the millennials ordered.
All-white bathrooms can feel cold and clinical. When interiors editor turned hotelier Alex Bagner was masterminding the look and feel of The Rose in Deal, Kent, “it was all about colour and fun and moving away from the beige monotony that we found had taken over boutique hotels,” she says. She knew she’d hit the jackpot when combing Mongers, a reclamation yard in Norfolk, and seeing “cute, pop-coloured basins and tubs in avocado and flamingo pink just sitting there – it was so obvious. White just suddenly looked so sterile.” 
With a coordinating loo, the bright duo add interest to an otherwise neutral space (painted in Farrow & Ball’s Strong White). “I love the combination of the paint, retro rattan furniture, green sanitaryware, lots of plants and streaming sunshine that comes in every evening,” she says. And guests do too, frequently Instagramming the memorable spot which welcomed them to rise and shine. 
Of course going for green doesn’t mean having to hunt down pre-loved sinks. In this Victorian house in Hackney, which was overhauled by the architecture practice Bradley Van Der Straeten, the bathroom is a fresh, zingy green affair through a commitment to lime-coloured tiles and paintwork. 
Jessica Williamson, the firm’s associate and head of interiors, settled on the tiles first then drenched the space – ceilings, radiator and skirting boards included – in complementing Euphorbia by Paint & Paper Library. Thanks to white grouting, taps, loo, towel rails, shower tray (you get the idea…) there’s a crispness to the south-facing room (the soft floor is dark-green vinyl, which helps to ground it). Williamson enjoys the play in texture between the sheen of tiles and the flatness of the matte paint. “Because it’s on all the surfaces, you sort of get absorbed into it,” she says.
When stylist and photographer Scarlett Lewis was renovating her 1950s home in Malmesbury and knocking the small WC through to the main bathroom, there was no question of chucking out the original green sanitaryware. “It was always important to keep as many of the existing features as possible. I also loved the idea of a coloured bathroom and had always imagined having pink bathroom walls, which happens to go well with the green,” she explains. 
While the basin and bathtub were in fine condition, a replacement was needed for the 60-something-year-old loo. Research led Lewis to the aforementioned Bold Bathroom Company, who sent out ceramic samples to help find the perfect colour match (“Like a child in a sweet shop!” is how she describes her visit to the company’s warehouse in Hampshire). So far, so retro. 
The key to stop feeling like she’s going back in time, says Lewis, are the “non-bathroomy” touches, such as an oil painting by her late grandmother, a rush rug, a vintage stool, terracotta pots filled with ferns, and ceramics. These details add texture and warmth, and help to make the bathroom feel less dated. She’s now a colour convert: “I can’t imagine ever having white sanitaryware again and I’m wishing for a yellow loo in our downstairs bathroom one day soon.”
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