If last year showed us anything about bathroom design, it's that people are being bolder than ever with these small spaces in the home. But while surprisingly vibrant and colorful schemes were a definite trend on one side of the spectrum, one the other, minimalist, pared-back bathrooms were also making waves, ensuring these rooms became spa-like retreats.
In case you’re planning on giving your bathroom an overhaul in 2023, we've pulled together a list of 10 of the very best bathrooms we've featured on Livingetc in the past year, representing the most design-forward bathroom trends and creative ideas we've seen. Which is your favorite?
Aditi is a homes writer and editor with several years of experience. Her articles, backed by expert insights, offer suggestions aimed at helping readers make the best home design choices
1. This colorfully luxe bathroom in Ireland
If it's an eye-catchingly colorful bathroom you desire, consider one that is equipped with heavily-veined marble, deep-toned tiles, and mood lighting. ‘This is a project that is all about opulence, depth, richness, and detail,’ says Róisín Lafferty, founder of Kingston Lafferty Design. This bathroom sums up this approach perfectly.
What's particularly interesting is the seam of lights below the stone sink that highlight the bottle green tiles and how the proportions of the small space have been maximized through mirrors.
2. This elegant bijou space in a New York apartment
There's nothing more impressive than a beautifully-designed, guest powder bathroom, that instantly puts visitors at ease, and also defines your style.
In this home designed by Studio DB, the powder bathroom is adorned with Gucci’s green heron print wallpaper, inspired by Gucci's AW19 ready-to-wear collection.
Along with the statement-making wallpaper, the ceiling, doors, radiator, baseboard, and trim are painted in Benjamin Moore’s Winchester Sage to match, while the vanity and backsplash are in Calacatta Monet marble from ABC Stone. On the floor, the designers selected the Willow Square Popham Tile from Ann Sacks.
3. This textural, teal fantasy
2022 was the year of the monochromatic room, as color drenching took over as the quintessential interior design trend. This small bathroom designed by Smac Studio is a luxurious take on the look, combining Verde Alpi marble for the vanity with a Venetian plaster finish in a matching teal.
The resulting bathroom is almost cave-like, while capturing a feeling of water reflecting around the room. Regardless, it's an enticing jewel-box bathroom that's sure to wow every guest that uses it.
4. This bathroom filled with luxurious materials
There's nothing quite as charming and eternally elegant than marble bathrooms. The stone has a quintessential style and a timeless quality to it.
Take this bathroom by architect Oshir Asaban for instance. The large-scale stone tiles and floor slabs have a lilac undertone and dramatic veining, introducing drama into this space. Adding to the luxe feel of this modern bathroom are the brass fixtures alongside inlays in the bathroom niches.
5. This modern twist on a traditional space
A dramatic bathroom takes pride of place in this period space. 'Finding the right balance and letting both the past and present be elevated from their contrasted surroundings was a challenge,' says Colleen Healey, founder of her eponymous architecture firm.
In this space, frameless glass and sleek tiled surfaces are contrasted with the original mantle, clawfoot tub, and soft wooden shutters on the windows. A wonderful mix of old and new prevails for a transitional style bathroom with wow-factor.
6. This LA home melds color and texture seamlessly
Since featuring this LA home by Hollis Jordyn Design, we've been drawing bathroom color ideas from this stylish pink space.
The bathroom has the serenity of a spa, thanks to the variegated pink tiles, creating a softness and natural quality to this color which might otherwise feel a little artificial. The tiles are from Zia Tile, while the bulb sconce lights were found at Anthropologie.
7. This minimalist, spa-like bathroom in Austin
Want the spa bathroom look? Take a leaf out of this design from a home in Texas. The bathroom has a zen-like calm, much like the rest of the house. A muted palette takes over, and the floor-to-ceiling windows allow natural light to seep in through the day.
'If you want a spa-like bathroom, make sure you have some warmth such as wood or natural stone,' says Sara Cukerbaum from SLIC Design. 'This space features wood paneling around the space, and the rest of the room is covered in large format stone tiles. Most spa-like spaces show real restraint, highlighting the ways minimalism can be warm and inviting.'
8. A bold marble bathroom in Washington DC
A mural right outside leads into an equally dramatic, luxury bathroom, that showcases richly veined marble, enhanced with brass fittings.
'Not every small space needs to be white to make it feel bigger and brighter,' says Nicholas Potts, founder of Nicholas G Potts architecture studio. 'The giant pattern of the Calacatta Viola marble used in the bathroom adds character to the space. The surfaces of the walls, rather than the corners, draw attention, and although you of course know that the room is small, the corners recede and your perception of the room being small disappears. The marble takes on an extra depth which is reinforced by the high gloss of the surfaces and the treatment of the lavatory alcove with mirrors.'
9. This chic bathroom with laidback Californian style
Since bringing in plenty of sunlight into this Seattle home was the client's main ask, the bathroom was designed as such, with a clever small bathroom layout idea the key to making this design work. 'We placed the vanity along the same wall as the windows, allowing for a more generous vanity and sink area, also allowing natural light to stream through in the morning,' says designer Lisa Staton. 'The double vanity allows for a mirror over the second sink, while small café curtains maintain privacy.'
Along with charming design additions, the bathroom's practicality was also improved with custom steel cabinets placed between the sinks for bathroom essentials.
10. A comforting yet vivid home in Hollywood hills
Bathroom wallpaper can really elevate the look of a room. Take this space for instance, created by LALA Reimagined for a Hollywood home. 'We used the wallpaper mural to create contrast in the room,' says Azar Fattahi, co-founder of LALA Reimagined. 'The tiny mosaic tiles vs vast mural make for the perfect visual.'
The wallpaper by Gucci and all the fixtures and fitting from Waterworks create a smart vibe. The freestanding towel rail is a vital part of what the designers wanted to bring to this home – a feeling of being inside a wonderful bijou hotel.
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