Comeback for colored porcelain in the bathroom

You may remember when you were younger and would go and wash your hands before dinner when you were visiting your grandparents. It was not uncommon to find a colored washbasin, sometimes even with a matching bathtub or toilet! Colored porcelain washbasins seem to have lain dormant and bided their time before making a comeback two generations later.

Where did the color go?

Many people today are looking for "retro" interior design details, at flea markets, second-hand and other places. Often people are looking for interior design details with personality, something that stands out in the crowd and can lift an otherwise everyday room. At the end of the 20th century, many people instead went for the minimalist and timeless direction in their design choices, which made white porcelain the obvious choice. White gives a feeling of space, light, purity and a generally fresh environment.

The white trend was not only aesthetically pleasing – it was also practical. Manufacturers were able to simplify production, reduce inventory and reduce prices by focusing on a single colour instead of several different variants. The few coloured washbasins that were still produced rose sharply in price compared to their white counterparts and were phased out.

Many other factors also contributed to the phase-out, including resale value, environmental and health regulations and an increasingly international market with global standards.

Coloured porcelain on the way back

Many design trends are cyclical and return at regular intervals. Coloured porcelain, specifically, fits quite well into the times with a return to more personality, factories increasingly moving “home” to Sweden again, and people increasingly renovating for themselves and long-term living.

After a long period of stripped-down design, clean, straight surfaces and easy-to-sell minimalism, it is natural that many people turn it around when choosing to renovate. You want something that suits you and not renovate to resell. As we read in Houzz's large survey, more and more people are choosing to renovate to stay in their houses instead of constantly chasing resale value. This also means that many people dare to make more interesting design decisions in their homes.

The premium segment is driving the trend

Many premium manufacturers, such as Duravit and Villeroy & Bosch, have already started to offer porcelain in different colors, where matte deep colors such as anthracite, blue and green are especially popular. This in interesting combinations with natural materials such as wood, stone, brass and copper will become increasingly common in today's and tomorrow's Swedish bathrooms.