Ideas for interior design of a bathhouse: tips and recommendations.

Recommendations for choosing finishing materials

The interior decoration of a bathhouse requires attention, because not all finishing materials can withstand the harsh conditions of this room. Building materials for interior decoration should be:

• Moisture-resistant. First of all, this concerns the decoration of the walls in the steam room and washroom.
• Heat-resistant. Mainly for the inside of the sauna, but it is also quite hot around the stove in the dressing room.
• Hygienic. The walls and floor should be easy to clean before and after the procedures.

The photo shows an example of interior wood bathhouse finishing

• Durable. Bathhouse finishing materials should not deteriorate under the influence of high temperature or humidity, or become covered with fungus and mold.
• Environmentally friendly. Any chemicals are actively released under the influence of hot air. In order not to poison yourself and your loved ones, choose environmentally friendly natural raw materials.
• Safe. When in a hot zone – a steam room – the possibility of burns should be excluded, in the shower – the possibility of falls.

Of course, all the listed points differ for each individual room of the bathhouse: in a steam room, resistance to high temperatures is more important, in a shower or pool – water resistance. The rest room has the fewest requirements for the interior decoration of the bathhouse.

Features of room decoration

To make the interior of the bathhouse stylish and durable, let’s look at the conditions in each of the zones and their requirements for wall, floor and ceiling cladding.

See the recommendations for planning a summer cottage.

Steam room

The interior decoration of a Russian bathhouse begins with the main room – the steam room. To understand which arrangement option is suitable, consider the usage scenarios:

1. Heating. The ratio of temperature and humidity depends on the type – in Russian it is ~70 degrees Celsius and 90% humidity, in Finnish – up to 110C with humidity up to 15%. One way or another, unsuitable materials will melt or emit caustic substances.
2. Rest. Sitting or lying on a shelf, you can sometimes touch the wall, so the environment must be safe.
3. Steaming. Firstly, the process of treatment with a broom takes place side by side with high humidity. Secondly, both participants (the bather and the rester) must be comfortable (lying and standing).

Based on this, we will make a list of what should not be in the interior of a modern bath:

• Metal. It heats up a lot, you can burn yourself (the exception is the stove).
• Plastic. It can melt, emit chemicals.
• Wallpaper. They simply won’t stand up to moisture.
• MDF panels. They don’t like high humidity.
• Laminate. It also swells from water and releases harmful substances.

What can be used inside?

Natural wood

The main advantage of wood is that there are no foreign resins or glue in production. In addition, wood creates coziness and gives the steam room an indescribable aroma. Another plus is the wide range of prices depending on the type of wood and the method of its processing: therefore, everyone will find a finish to suit their taste and wallet.

Types of wood materials:

1. Lining. The main advantages: ease of installation and relative cheapness. The tongue and groove structure is attached to a special sheathing, so it does not impose any requirements on the base – it will stand equally well on both timber and concrete blocks.
2. Block house. The easiest way to create an imitation of the classic Russian style is with this option. Blockhouse is thicker than lining, which provides more reliable insulation. There are 4 ways to process the board – B, C are considered rough and are not suitable for finishing in a bathhouse. A is already a fine finish without knots, Extra is an ideal smooth surface, high-quality raw materials without cracks, knots. Both are suitable for a steam room.
3. Imitation of timber. Flat, thick, durable boards. They are inexpensive, are also installed on the lathing, provide excellent heat and sound insulation.

The “no finishing” option is available for log baths – logs look quite decorative, but require additional protection from the inside.

Wood processing involves protection from moisture, fire, insects, fungus. For work, it is better to choose special compositions for baths and saunas: they protect wood elements from aggressive effects, while not clogging pores and not damaging the structure of the wood. Due to the fact that the finish “breathes”, a favorable microclimate will be maintained in the bath.

There is no single answer to the question of which wood is better to use. Some people prefer conifers, because the resin released during heating is good for the health of the respiratory tract. Some vote for more reliable deciduous trees – for example, oak. However, such a design of walls and floors will cost a pretty penny. The most popular wood is: larch, spruce, cedar.

See photos of steam rooms inside:

The photo shows the walls being finished with imitation timber

Stone

In this category, we will consider both natural or artificial stone (brick), and ordinary ceramic tiles.

Advantages of the material: decorative appearance, practicality, durability, hygiene, resistance to rotting, fire.

Disadvantage – temperature. Stone remains cold for a long time, warms up slowly and also cools down slowly after gaining a degree. Accordingly, it will be impossible to lean on the wall due to low temperature, or too high. The same applies to the floor. Therefore, stone cladding is used near the stove, capturing the wall opposite the seating areas. Stoves are also often made of stone, brick or porcelain stoneware.

Washing room

Since the steam room and washing room perform completely different functions, the finishing of the bathhouse inside these rooms differs radically.

There is no hot air in the shower, but there is water – therefore the floor must be non-slip, the walls and ceiling – moisture-proof.

Based on this, one of the reliable methods today is tiles. They serve for a long time, are absolutely not afraid of water, and thanks to a large selection of shapes, colors and sizes, you can easily create your own unique bathhouse design.

Any material you like is suitable for decorating the walls: light-dark, small-large, glossy-matte. The floor must have an anti-slip coating, which provides the best grip of the soles with the floor during water procedures, eliminating falls and injuries.

Another material that meets all the requirements in the bathhouse is glass blocks. They are good because they replace both a building and finishing material. For example, glass blocks can be used to build partitions between the shower and the relaxation room in the bathhouse. But do not use glass bricks in the steam room! The maximum operating temperature is 45-55 degrees.

Heat-resistant glass is also often used for doors in a steam room or shower.

Antechamber

The antechamber has the fewest requirements for finishing solutions: here you can proceed from the issue of bathhouse design and do something original or focus on saving the budget, abandoning unusual solutions in favor of the existing foundation.

In many ways, the choice of materials depends on the functionality of the room and its size: for example, in a spacious room there is enough space for a table with a bench or sofa and a TV, a sleeping area, a kitchen. Therefore, the room can be divided into parts: in the recreation area, create comfort due to wood, and in the changing room near the steam room or shower, give preference to practical tiles or plastic panels.

The photo shows an example of the interior of a bathhouse inside a log house

If the area is compact, intended only for storage, and there is almost no furniture planned in it except for shelves, choose tiles or PVC panels. They are easy to clean, they are not afraid of water and allow you to leave the steam room or shower wet, without worrying about the finish.

The photo shows a dressing room tiled

A symbiosis of several materials is often used: in the area of the stove, the wall is lined with stone or brick, and in the “living” space with benches or a tea table – with cozy wood. By the way, the advantage of the dressing room is that the wood can be covered with paint, which allows you to get interesting color combinations.

Want to save money and effort? Take a closer look at ordinary plywood! With the help of sheet material, you can quickly and easily give the room a finished look. The warm texture of the wood looks cozy even in this form.

What style to decorate?

Many people think that wood is only a rustic Russian style and it is impossible to make a wooden bathhouse modern. But depending on the type, wood looks different: therefore, it can be used in different stylistic directions.

The classic version is 100% wooden finishing from clapboard or false beams. Rustic – using logs and slabs for decoration. More modern – boards of different colors on the walls are combined with tiles on the floor.

The fashionable method resembles a Scandinavian sauna: Functional minimalism consists of limited use of wood and careful combination with other textures – stone, marble. Pay special attention to lighting – instead of wooden sconces there are hidden strips.

If you take rough beams as a basis and complement the interior, for example, with skin or horns – the decor will be “hunting”, in the style of a chalet.

In ultra-modern versions, wood is completely replaced with stone and tiles. The space is complemented with stylish paintings and other interesting details. It looks stylish, but it is better to use such a room as a wet sauna than a hot bathhouse.

Russian design never goes out of fashion: if you are drawn to log houses, tubs, large stoves, towels and other elements, recreate them in your bathhouse. In such a traditional finish, even tea from a samovar will taste better, not to mention SPA procedures.

The photo shows a traditional bathhouse design inside

Design ideas

We talked a lot about wooden details, but did not take into account one unusual idea for a bathhouse – an interior made of saw cuts! Assembling a mosaic of wooden elements is certainly more difficult than nailing clapboard. But such a design looks much more original. Cross-cuts are used separately or alternated with longitudinal ones – slabs.

The second option will appeal to lovers of oriental motifs in bathhouse design. It is not necessary to build a hamam on the site so that the room “smells” of the charm of Turkey or Morocco – it is enough to take a small mosaic or ordinary tiles with various patterns as a basis. It is convenient to decorate showers, but it can also be used in steam rooms.

Installation of the heater also requires a design approach – firstly, it is necessary to protect wooden walls from excessive heating. For this, the space near the stove is made of stone or tiles. Secondly, it is important to protect visitors: build a fence around the system so that no one accidentally touches the hot surface with their foot or hand.

Reworking a well-known saying, we can say – if you love to wash in the bathhouse, you should love to choose the finishing. Now you know how to make the bathhouse serve you and your guests for many years to come!