In Partnership with Adobe Express

Just over a year ago, one of my reels blew up on Instagram. It took me a few minutes to film the clips and not much longer to edit them together. Within a few days, it had several million views, and I had a spike in new followers like I hadn’t seen for a very long time. This was, of course, my Wes Anderson Bathroom Reel.

In this post, I’m going to share my creative process for designing the space along with the tools I used to create the viral reel. I’ll share my tips for creating a space that you love and creating eye-catching content like this.

The journey started in late 2022 when I began planning the bathroom/shower room renovation. It had remained the same since we moved into the house a few years earlier, while we saved up for creating our dream space. While we’d added a few personal touches with new vinyl and some freestanding shelving, we were eager to strip the space back to the bricks and start fresh with our vision.

 Designing the Bathroom

I started on Pinterest, where I gathered ideas and inspiration. I didn't go in with a concrete plan at the beginning, but instead had a bit of fun pinning a variety of inspiration until I had a clearer idea of the kind of aesthetic I liked. I was drawn to pastel colour palettes and themes, as well as other beautifully designed spaces. 

There’s nothing I love more than a bougie or characterful hotel bathroom - so I knew that this was a vibe that I wanted to aim for. I started saving various hardware and fittings that fitted with the style and loosely planned a colour palette of pastels, pinks, greens and gold. 

 

Creating the Moodboard with Adobe Express

 

To bring my ideas to life, I created a mood board using Adobe Express. This step was crucial for ensuring all the elements worked together harmoniously. There are over 1200 moodboard templates to choose from in Adobe Express, which is a fantastic way to get started. Sometimes, starting from a blank page can be intimidating (especially when it’s a big project like a renovation) but having a template made the whole process super simple to get started with.

 

I love beginning by collecting visual ideas on Pinterest (find my original board here), and then my next step is collating these elements on a mood board is essential to see if everything works together as envisioned. I started from this template in Adobe Express and added my own colour swatches, tiles, gold hardware, and some inspiration photos from Pinterest to tie it all together.

 

While there are plenty of interiors-specific templates, I landed on this one as I loved the focus on photography as well as the paint stroke and cut-out hardware imagery. I knew that this would be useful to showcase my ideas and keep on track with the visual style. I’ve resized my template to A4 so that it’s the right size for printing with most UK home printers, but you can easily resize the template in Express to whatever works best for you.

For a video tutorial on how I create my Bathroom Moodboard with Adobe Express, check out my reel here.

 

Inspirations and Influences

Many might be surprised to learn that much of the inspiration for the bathroom didn’t actually come from a particular Wes Anderson film, but was actually more influenced by the visual aesthetic of the Room 237 bathroom in Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining,” a film that we go back to time and again. While a full-on replica of the iconic mint green bathroom wasn’t something that we were aiming for (although I admire those who have recreated it, like the terrific job done at this Airbnb at Big Bear Lake, CA), I wanted to pay homage through arched shapes, candy-coloured tiles, and symmetry.

This inspiration, combined with my disdain for the "big light," especially first thing in the morning, solidified my desire for wall-mounted lighting. After some searching, I found correctly IP-rated bathroom lighting with fluted glass shades that matched the shower screen perfectly. 

 

I learned so much about bathrooms during my research phase, including all about IP (ingress protection) ratings, which make certain electrical items usable in spaces like bathrooms. Here's a list of the various zones that you should consider when choosing lighting for a bathroom space*.

Bathroom Zones:

• Zone 0: Inside the bath or shower itself. Requires a minimum of IP67.
• Zone 1: Above the bath or shower up to 2.25 meters. Requires a minimum of IP44.
• Zone 2: 0.6 meters outside the bath or shower and the area around the wash basin. Requires a minimum of IP44.
• Zone 3 (Outside Zones): Anywhere outside zones 0, 1, and 2, where no direct water jets are likely. IP20 is generally sufficient.

* This applies in the UK - for those outside of the UK this may differ. I'd always recommend consulting a professional for any electrical work. 

 

Photoshop Room Mockup & Tile Plan

 

Using Adobe Photoshop, I created a mockup and tile plan for the bathroom. Our tiler was impressed that I had chosen a tile that fit perfectly in full rows within the space with no half tiles or parts of the design cut off. Was this sheer good luck, or was it all down to my meticulous planning? I’ll let you decide ;)

I started with a rough sketch using Procreate on my iPad and then, once I’d narrowed down the hardware and fittings, added them to the next draft of the mockup on Photoshop. I tried to work to scale—again, working out how many rows of tiles would fit. This detailed planning made the installation process smoother and ensured that the final result was exactly as envisioned. 

The Installation Process

 

Our fitter had initially estimated 1-2 weeks for installation, but this was before he’d seen our choice of very narrow wall tiles. Between tiling, and a few other delays due to items having to be replaced or sourced again, the whole process took around 3 weeks of work.

Creating My Viral Reel with Adobe Express

The bathroom had only been finished a few days and already felt like something from the Grand Budapest Hotel. I spotted this beautifully shot but hilariously accurate Wes Anderson parody reel by Ava Williams and decided to make my own version. I used similar shots to her “dollhouse” style upward pans as well as static shots to show the space.

 

I created graphic typography slides to pair with my video clips using accent pink and green colours from the bathroom design using Adobe Express. Wes Anderson is well known for his love of Futura (which features heavily within some of his early works such as "Rushmore" and "The Royal Tenenbaums") so using this was crucial for that unmistakable Wes Anderson vibe. Futura is not only a staple in Anderson’s films but also a brand font for me, which made it a natural choice for my project.

My Tips for a Successful Bathroom Renovation

Make a Detailed Visual Plan

Share it with your contractor to ensure everyone is on the same page. Our fitter said that this was the first pink bathroom he’d ever fitted (which was a surprise to me, but I guess not everyone is on the same page when it comes to colourful interiors!) so it was important that I was able to share my vision with him at the start. I love Adobe Photoshop for visualising room mockups, but Adobe Express is also a great way to dip your toe into creating visuals like mood boards. Adobe Express is free to sign up—check it out here. If you sign up using my affiliate link above, I get a small kickback as a thank you for your support.

Give Yourself Time to Reflect: Before you start the installation or ordering process, try printing out your moodboard and put it somewhere you’ll see it every day. Do you still love it a month later? Tiling & fitting bathroom hardware is a semi-long-term commitment and can be expensive, so it’s a good idea to make sure you’re happy before you go ahead.

Be Ready for Changes: Expect some things to change during the process. The mirror I originally ordered arrived broken, prompting me to keep looking. I found this beauty from West Elm which has storage and is even more beautiful and functional than the first one. It was definitely more of an investment piece, but the storage is invaluable and keeps our daily essentials tucked away tidily.

Budget for Contingencies: Following on from my last point, it’s important to have a budget for unexpected changes or issues, like having to return and re-order items that don’t work in the space.

Addressing Concerns

Some people advised against creating such an "extra" and colourful space due to potential resale issues down the line. But with no plans to move any time soon, we decided that it was more important for the space to reflect our personality and tastes. We didn’t want our home decor or environment to be dictated by what might please a potential buyer years in the future! This is our home now, and we want it to be a space that we love and enjoying living in.

My Tips for Creating Viral Content

Here are a few things that worked for me:

Be Quick Off the Mark: This trend was popular for several weeks. Posting early helped me gain early traction. A follow-up reel in a similar style didn’t get as much attention.

Focus on Visual Styles and Aesthetics: The unmistakable shots and style made my video stand out. Look for unique colour palettes and typefaces that differentiate your content. Create a brand library in Adobe Express so that to keep your content visually consistent. 

Final Thoughts

One year later, my Wes Anderson bathroom still brings me joy every day. As of today, the reel that I made has had 4.5 million views, and I’m still fairly stunned that so many people have seen inside the bathroom of my home! The design process was a creative journey, and seeing the final result, loved by so many, has been incredibly rewarding. If you’re considering a bold design choice, my advice would be to go for it. It’s your space, after all. Almost 14 months on, I can confirm I have no regrets!

Thanks again to Adobe Express for sponsoring this post. If you want to have a go at creating your own interiors mood boards, don’t forget to sign up to Adobe Express for free today and check out the template I created here.

Links in italic are affiliate links.