The Latest and Greatest Bathroom Design Trends

For every home and budget, there’s a suitable style that can transform the bathroom. Don’t worry about keeping up with all the trends—that’s simply impossible. Designing a bathroom around every major current trend will only result in you having to change the entire look again in a few years. Instead, use the current trends as a guide to make an informed decision about what to include in your remodel. Trends come and go, but using one or two to build around will lead to a beautiful space. Even just a few additions and subtractions can make a world of difference. Use these bathroom design trends to breathe life into your design.

Innovative Shower Stalls

Roomy walk-in shower stalls have dominated bathrooms for a while now—they’re nothing new. However, the style and functionality of shower stalls has evolved to look more inviting and less utilitarian. Shower stalls are now available in an array of sizes, designs, hardware selections, and configurations. Black matte and lacquer are timeless finishes that will never go out of favor with designers and homeowners. Glass stalls and doors offer a touch of class and sophistication. Incorporating different glass colors, patterns, and designs will change the look and feel of any bathroom.

Technology

Our last sanctuary from technology is finally being overrun. Technology is sneaking its way into all aspects of daily life, and even the bathroom can no longer avoid it—so get on board. Plus, the average age of first-time home buyers is around 28 years old, and they want tech throughout their homes. Heated floor systems and under-the-counter appliances and electrical outlets are good trends to embrace. Smart controls allow the user to turn on the shower and set the temperature with the touch of a button. These products make the space more comfortable, and they’ll increase the value of your home.

Free-Standing Tubs

What’s old is new again. Even though smart technology is popping up everywhere, there will always be room for old-school trends. The popularity of walk-in shower stalls has forced this new trend, in a way: if a homeowner wants to have relaxing soak, for example, they’ll need to add a tub. A free-standing tub gives an old-world look in a modern world, and a porcelain tub with brass feet harkens back to rustic bathhouses of the Old West. The sweeping curves of a bathtub make it look more like a sculpture in the room than a practical tool.

Single-Material Rooms

This trend from the 1980s is making a strong comeback. For this trend, only one material is used to cover the bathroom from floor to ceiling, even the walls. When done right, this trend can turn the bathroom into a special place in the house. Homeowners usually prefer tile for bathrooms due to their moisture-resistance, but detailed mosaics are popular now as well—they would incorporate particularly well with this trend. Wood would work great in a sauna, too.

Biophilic Designs

Nature-lovers are embracing this trend, as it lets them feel closer to nature. The biophilic design movement believes we have been cut off from the natural world and that we innately desire to reconnect with it, even if we’ve forgotten it. This new design concept brings the tranquility of nature into man-made structures by incorporating them into the design. Start by adding as many live plants to your bathroom as possible. Install heavy-duty shelf brackets and shelves to accommodate the weight of potted plants, if necessary. Wallpaper printed with images of nature, along with the potted plants, can make the bathroom feel like a rain forest.

Terrazzo

Terrazzo is an Italian style of tile made of bits of marble and glass, which are embedded in colored concrete and given a polished finish. You can find terrazzo in St. Peter’s Basilica and at Mount Vernon, so it’s not new by any stretch, but homeowners have recently rediscovered it. The nature of terrazzo means that it comes in an almost infinite number of styles and colors. It will also create a beautiful, elegant texture on any surface. Use it for shower stalls, floors, countertops, and backsplash. The only limit on terrazzo as a design material is your imagination.

Console-Style Vanities

If your bathroom is short on space, make it long on style. As opposed to massive vanities, the new trend is console-style vanities: think of a sink sitting on top of a cart. These are generally little more than two or four legs supporting a sink, with a lower shelf for storage. Smaller bathrooms will look larger and less cluttered with a smaller vanity instead of a larger, more traditional one. This style is also perfect for powder rooms. Incorporating this look requires keeping only the necessities in the bathroom and reducing clutter. Using a console will also expose the plumbing, so you’ll want to put an attractive finish on it and keep it clean.

Gold and Brass Fixtures

Brass and gold fixtures are back! They’re taking over all the fixtures and exposed plumbing in bathrooms, pushing brushed nickel out the door; Polished, matte, spun, and satin gold finishes are popping up once again. Homeowners are embracing the warm tones that gold and brass accents give to bathrooms. Gold lighting and mirrors usually accompany the fixtures to spread the warmth around the room so that it’s not specific to one corner.

Industrial Sinks and Vanities

With all the funky wooden accents, metal finishes, and wild tile patterns, the industrial trend is a fun one. Don’t pass off the trend as more hipster weirdness—it has a sleek, modern, and edgy look ideal for smaller urban spaces. Furthermore, embracing the industrial trend gives you the opportunity to put old, discarded items to use. Reclaiming and reusing everything isn’t just a trend anymore—it’s here to stay, and it’s rewarding as well. Plus, whatever you choose to refurbish is probably of better quality than anything you could buy in a store. Reusing items such as old sinks and bathtubs brings a wonderful design element that can’t be manufactured.