Soaked in luxury

Bathrooms are no longer just ordinary, small spaces in a home. They're taking centre stage and becoming sanctuaries of quiet luxury and comfort, writes Abhilasha Ojha

- Abhilasha Ojha

In her book, The Luxury Bathroom: Extraordinary Spaces from the Simple to the Extravagant, author Samantha Nestor calls the bathroom the "new design frontier." To her, it's not just a functional space but a room that is "visually intense, highly inspirational and compelling in an extraordinary way."

Step inside the homes of celebrities — virtually or otherwise — and you'll quickly relate to Nestor's perspective. Reality TV star and art patron Shalini Passi, for instance, treats her bathrooms as an extension of her art collection. Think mosaic walls, sculpture-inspired bathtubs, vintage chandeliers, rare archival prints, and even a video installation by contemporary artist Shilpa Gupta.