Homes: bold in the bathroom

A slash of brilliant yellow (Babouche by Farrow & Ball) behind the bath emphasises the height of this bathroom, and contrasts with the bright blue curtain. A slatted bench (try Fired Earth) gives the owners of this house somewhere to sit and chat at the end of the day, while their two children play in the bath Photograph: Rachel Whiting for the Guardian

With its plum walls, red lino and ornate, claw-foot tub, this bathroom is a boudoir-ish space in which to soak, with no white tiles in sight. It’s in a former industrial building-turned-house, home to a pair of flea market-mad owners. Photograph: Rachael Smith for the Guardian

A small cavity between this bathroom and a child’s bedroom has been turned into a shallow cabinet used for toiletries. Spraying the doors (in Farrow & Ball’s Arsenic) rather than painting them ensures a super-smooth finish. Photograph: Rachel Whiting for the Guardian

This bathroom is all about pastel colours (pale blue and eau de nil), painted floorboards and vintage accessories. The tub, from Albion Baths, is painted in Vert de Terre, the floor and walls in Light Blue, both from Farrow & Ball. The decorative posts on the walls were used for oyster fishing in the Mediterranean, bought at Ardingly antiques market Photograph: Dave Morris for the Guardian

Canvases and flowers break up the bathroom’s expanse of white tiles. Towels, stored in built-in alcove shelves, are easy to grab. Photograph: Rachael Smith for the Guardian