A bathroom creates a sanctuary of privacy and relaxation. The littlest details are those that make the greatest impact. Many people appreciate amenities in their bathrooms that include an excellent showerhead with variable settings, fresh towels every day, accent lighting over the sink, storage space for toiletries, and sundries that make getting up and getting ready for the day ahead more pleasurable. Bathrooms are second only to kitchens in popularity when it comes to design. Whether you’re redecorating or remodeling an existing bathroom, consider the following styles you can incorporate into the look of your bathroom.

Bathroom Style Considerations

A minimalistic modern bathroom filled with stone and wood.

Image via Unsplash by rarchitecture_melbourne

Before exploring the types of bathroom styles that exist, think about features that matter the most to you.

  • In terms of color, do you lean toward white or a light color for bathrooms? If you prefer light colors, you’ll want to look for fixtures and accessories that complement your chosen color palette and contribute to a clean, fresh, and relaxed look.
  • Do you favor classic bathroom materials, such as white Italian marble for vanity tops, white subway tiles, or vintage pedestal sinks and fixtures?
  • Will you incorporate furniture from other rooms into your bathroom design? If you have a large bathroom, adding a chair or bench is always useful. A nightstand with a drawer and shelf can enhance storage for supplies.

Ask yourself what elements appeal most to you. What can you include in your bathroom design that fits and functions well in the space while also adding a touch of warmth, convenience, and comfort?

Classic Elegance

A sleak and modern double vanity with a full wall marble backsplash.

Image via Unsplash by mackiec

Classic bathroom design favors a formal, timeless look supported by strong details. Elements of the classic bathroom style include stone, wood, and tile. Bathroom fixtures are decorative and reflect graceful shapes and clean lines that lead to an overall feeling of refined elegance.

Use the following techniques to convey a classic bathroom style in your bathroom design:

  • Favor solid colors over patterns in your decorating scheme. You can select bold or subdued colors. Use one color throughout or add a secondary color to accent and create contrast with your overall bathroom decor.
  • Achieve symmetry in your bathroom design with the principle of pairing. Pairs of objects create a feeling of balance and order within the space.
  • Think classic shapes with your bathroom accessories. Cylinders, urns, and rectangles offer bold visual profiles that can bring together elements, such as a bathroom sink, within your bathroom decor into a cohesive whole.
  • Incorporate timeless wood types such as mahogany, maple, oak, and walnut into the cabinetry to emphasize sophisticated refinement and elegance. Use dark stains and paint treatments to bring out the depth of character inherent in these woods.
  • Select mirrors with ornate frames that represent art and beauty in their design.

Country 

Two Mason jars filled with cotton swabs on a shelf with a succulent plant.

Image via Unsplash by jentheodore

You don’t have to own a home in the country to create a country or farmhouse bathroom that exudes casual country coziness. The following items can help you pull off the country style within your bathroom decor:

  • Choose cabinets in light, grained, painted, or distressed wood designs.
  • Incorporate florals, stripes, or plaid fabrics into your window treatments or shower curtains.
  • Create texture and add visual interest to your bathroom’s walls with beadboard paneling or wainscoting.
  • Convey a sense of charm and nostalgia with vintage bathroom fixtures. For example, a pedestal sink with antique metal fixtures evokes a feeling of history that you can see and appreciate each time you step into your bathroom.
  • Use accessories to your best advantage. For example, use an antique milk glass sugar canister or old canning jars to hold cotton balls in the medicine cabinet. Place wicker baskets strategically around the bathroom space and fill them with freshly laundered bath towels to reiterate the feeling of country coziness.

Eclectic

A modern bathroom accented with electric blue features.

Image via Unsplash by chastityco

The eclectic bathroom style emphasizes combining colors, materials, and patterns to make a creative design style. Consider the following techniques for achieving this style within your bathroom design:

  • Blend materials from different periods to create visual interest.
  • To avoid a haphazard placement of objects within your bathroom design, aim for repetition in colors, shapes, and textures to create visual cohesiveness.
  • Offset bold patterns, such as geometric prints and stripes in painting and wallpaper, with single objects of monochromatic color to avoid design clashes.
  • Focus on the details. An antique mirror with a gilded frame or a wire mesh basket to hold rolls of toilet paper can add character to your bathroom.
  • Juxtapose wooden cabinetry with sleek faucet fixtures and lighting to create a play between texture and form.

Modern Refinement

A modern marble style bathtub with a classic roman relief image on the back wall.

Image via Unsplash by sidekix

The modern bathroom style is suited to new-home constructions, but it can work for older homes as well. To achieve a modern refined style for your bathroom, you want accessories and fixtures that are sleek and understated. Materials such as glass and chrome promote light and a feeling of openness within a bathroom design.

Create a feeling of modern refinement within your bathroom by keeping in mind the following suggestions:

  • Curb clutter in the bathroom by using containers and storage vessels. Use clear glass jars for display and organization within your bathroom.
  • Keep color schemes simple. Use monochromatic colors in your decorating.
  • Opt for faucets, fixtures, and materials such as stainless steel, brass, gold, and plastic featuring strong lines and simple geometric shapes.
  • Use lighting to create a feeling of openness within your bathroom space. If you have a window in your bathroom, use simple window treatments that allow the maximum amount of light to enter the room. Add task lighting by installing lighting fixtures over vanity tops and sinks.
  • If you’re incorporating wood pieces into the bathroom design, de-emphasize the details in the wood to maintain a clean, sophisticated look.
  • Welcome eco-friendly materials into the bathroom, such as bamboo and cork.

What’s your bathroom style? The answer is as personal to you as your fingerprints. Regardless of what design aesthetic you want to convey, the professionals of Allied Plumbing & Heating Supply Co. can help you find the right faucets, sinks, and bathtubs to complement your desired bathroom style. Visit our showroom at 6949 W. Irving Park Road in Chicago, email us, or call us at 773-777-2670.