24 Bathroom Styles to Refresh Your Space

A bathroom, especially your primary bathroom, is much more than just a simple washroom. It’s a place of refreshment and renewal. It’s a sanctuary of sorts away from everyday life stressors, a haven that is far from the chaos of the everyday grind, and a place to reinvigorate yourself and relax. A bathroom is a place where you can really unwind. You can take a soothing hot shower, hot bubble bath, and cleanse yourself of the daily grime and dirt.

Bathrooms are very important, as is your chosen bathroom style. The goal is to get an area that is tastefully decorated in colors, materials, ornaments, and textures that reflect your individual personality and bring out relaxed and happy feelings.

No matter if you want a sleek and modern bathroom style or you want a more rustic farmhouse look, there is a bathroom style for you. You can read on to learn about the most popular bathroom styles and types to figure out which one is great for you.

There are several popular bathroom styles available, and it’s easy to customize one to match your home’s decor. Comfort Suite – Bathroom by Nishimuraya Kinosake Onsen / CC BY 2.0

1. Asian Style Bathroom

Asian bathroom styles are usually sparingly adorned to help maximize the open space, light, and air. Fresh green plants usually accentuate the bathroom space and give you nice bursts of color and contrast. These pretty bathroom styles typically feature a range of beiges, soft browns, and cream coloring. They may feature polished wood accents and flooring, tile, or marble to finish it off.

2. Beach Style Bathroom

Cool shades of aqua and watery blue get used to create a relaxing and calming effect. It’s common to have decorative ornamentation throughout this bathroom style that incorporates seashells, jute fabrics, ocean-themed art, sand, and a variety of complementary coloring. Adding crisp bright white accents can give the space a burst of vitality and highlight the subdued and cool green and blue tones.

3. Contemporary Style Bathroom

The contemporary bathroom design is very popular, and it includes clutter-free expanses of space with clean lines with minimalist wall and shelf adornment. You should see a lot of polished hardwood, a simple and clean color palette, and metal accents with the contemporary style.

You can create visual contrast by using dark and light elements together. At the heart of this styling is simplicity, and you should focus on the smaller details. Look for high-quality accents and door pulls and knobs that feature brushed and muted metals in addition to a sleek shower and flooring and countertops made from durable tile, stone, or wood.

4. Craftsman-Style Bathroom

Craftsman styling puts a very large emphasis on handcrafted and artisanal wood period pieces that come with high levels of accents and details. The cabinetry in this bathroom style is a great example of the gorgeous intricate detailing that this style enhances and amplifies. Durability and quality are the two hallmarks of this style. The design components tend to be very high quality  and can include glass, granite, and metal detailing.

5. Eclectic Style Bathroom

Eclectic bathroom styles, as the name suggests, have a little bit of everything incorporated. You’ll get a carefully curated collection of design elements in the decor for this style. You should expect the unexpected like a fleur-de-lis pattern in a bright and cheerful yellow or a sparkling crystal chandelier that has gold patina accents. A mix of materials, textures, and finishes with unusual color choices define this style.

6. Farmhouse Style Bathroom

Even though the farmhouse kitchen style is very popular, the whole farmhouse aesthetic is catching on. Part country and part rustic with a dash of modern hints, this bathroom style is packed with small, unique detailing. One huge design element is a sliding bar door on a track. This style also usually has higher ceilings with open beans, a lot of glass, white, and contrasting details, and generous amounts of highly polished wood.

7. Industrial Style Bathroom

Very similar to modern bathroom styles, this particular style is all about bold colors, minimalism, high contrast pairings and an emphasis on simplicity and cool sleekness. White accents, mixed woods, and marble countertops are all very common design elements to incorporate. For example, a crisp white subway tiling running around the bathroom and darker brown wood on the trim create a stunning contrast. You finish the look by putting a warmer colored wood floor in.

The industrial style is very popular, and it can give the room a very masculine appearance with dark colors and sleek lines. LTD Magazine March/April 2017 – Micro Apartment by Rooky Yootz / CC BY 2.0

8. Mediterranean Bathroom

Mediterranean bathroom styles are one that features a lot of opulent detailing. On the walls and floors, it’s common to see woven rugs in rich colors. You should install natural colored tile with stunning metal detailing and rich, dark brown wood. Lighting, textures, and a decent amount of bold contrasting colors define this bathroom style. The overall feel and look of this style choice is distinct, and it’s common to have European and Greek undertones running throughout the space.

9. Mid Century Bathroom

Mid century bathroom styles use a lot of vintage furniture with the Eames style and a lot of ornamentation like larger mirrors in unique shapes and brushed gold metals. Kitschy Vintage details with very fun coloring are critical elements of this particular bathroom style. You should try to use your colors as a punchy accent to add visual appeal and contrast if you can. It’s possible to create a serene feel by adding swaths of crisp, fresh white.

10. Modern Style Bathroom

Modern bathroom design styles are strong, bold, and simple with straight and clean lines and no clutter. The modern style gets defined by straight lines in any room in your home, and you see them in sinks, countertops, and the artwork on the wall. It’s common to use top-quality materials like porcelain, stone, marble, and teak. It’s also common to incorporate pops of color from fresh greenery and art.

11. Rustic Style Bathroom

The rustic bathroom style is very similar to the craftsman style and the country farmhouse design aesthetic. Rustic styling always has an abundance of wood with an emphasis on organic and raw finishes. Craftsmanship is a huge part of this decor, and one of the main goals of this construction type is durability. You should use hardy materials with a lot of artisan, hardcrafted touches that are simplistic and top quality with the design.

12. Scandinavian Bathroom

Scandinavian bathroom styles are all about elegance, simplicity, and functionality. It places a heavy emphasis on clean lines with a very easygoing, casual feel that is very uncomplicated. Light and dark colors get used in a complementary way to unify your design elements and create a cohesive look. It’s free of adornments, clutter, and excessive items, it looks very similar to the contemporary bathroom styles.

13. Shabby-Chic Style Bathroom

If you’re someone who is into very romantic-style detailing, this may be the perfect bathroom style for you. You’ll see a huge amount of distressed white in this style with a lot of softer pastel color accents that are popular in kitchens too. Floral artwork and patterns, lacy materials, ribbon detailing, and brushed metal accents are all hallmarks of this style. It has a high emphasis on open space, light, and air that give this concept a very refreshing feel that is relaxing and calm.

14. Southwestern Bathroom

A bathroom style that emphasizes the southwestern flair will usually feature Southwestern style notes with Native American elements. You should see a mixture of handwoven tapestries, natural woods, and rugs that have a very indigenous feel. It has organic finishes, lots of raw materials, and handcrafted items like pottery, baskets, and vases dot the surfaces. Intricate patterns with detailed prints are very common in this style.

The Southwestern bathroom style is one that typically incorporates sandy hues or deeper coloring with small, intricate, handcrafted details. Sink in Office Bathroom by Michael Shealy / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

15. Traditional Style Bathroom

Traditional bathroom styles put a huge emphasis on functionality, comfort, and practicality. You’ll use classic colors throughout the design, including complementary colors, polished wood, and the usage of marble, tile, and glass are all parts of these types of bathrooms. They usually have a much more neutral tone to them that make them very inviting, relaxing, and comfortable.

16. Transitional Style Bathroom

Transitional bathroom styles incorporate the best elements of both worlds with a design that has both new and old design elements in it. Stone, wood, glass, and exotic finishes are very common in these bathrooms. It’s also common to see unique details like dark-finished metals, patterned flooring, and artisan door handles throughout this design. You want to get a mix of practicality and functionality.

17. Tropical Style Bathroom

As the name suggests, tropical bathroom styles have a very simple design that focuses heavily on lush greenery and high-quality craftsmanship of all of the materials throughout the space. Expect to use polished wood floors or exotic stonework with plenty of greenery and open ceiling beams. It should have a natural flair with raw detailing. Another typical point to this bathroom is an open layout that maximizes the amounts of light that comes in and the available space.

18. Victorian Style Bathroom

This bathroom style has design elements like gold trim accents, jewel-tone tiling, claw-foot bathtubs, floral prints, and pedestal sinks. A few common decorative touches include painted handles and knobs, intricate rugs, and a mix of different colored finishes and woods. Victorian bathrooms also have a lot of white coloring, and it’s very strongly represented by using porcelain furnishings.

Six Bathroom Types

Being aware of what bathroom type you have when you build, sell, buy, or remodel your home is essential. Most homes have one bathroom type or more, including a full, three-quarter, or a half bathroom in several combinations. A lot of homebuyers use a lot of factors when they research their homes, and bathroom styles and types are some of the most important factors.

The bathroom type can tell a prospective buyer if the house can accommodate their specific family size. If it’s a larger six or seven person family, they most likely need two full bathrooms or a full bathroom and a half-bathroom. As someone who is going to sell their home, the bathroom type will help you narrow down a price point for your home’s value. It also helps you figure out how much it’ll cost to build or remodel the space.

How You Calculate Bathroom Types

Every bathroom type is considered to be one-quarter of four main components. The bathroom’s components that factor into this final calculation are the sink, toilet, shower, and bathtub.

The Four Components Make Up a Full Bathroom

Like slices of a pie, when you combine all four of them, you complete it. When your bathroom has all four components, you’ll have what is called a full bathroom. Three components make up a three-quarter bathroom. Two of the components form a half bathroom.

If you look at real estate listings, most realtors have the bathroom type listed as a decimal number. A half bathroom would be a 0.5 bathroom or a three-quarter bathroom could be a 0.75 bathroom. In some cases, the realtor or company will combine the two figures to give you 1.75 bathrooms to mean a full and three-quarter bathroom.

A toilet is almost always included as a vital component. So, it’s common for a half-bathroom to have a sink and a toilet. You’ll rarely find a shower and a sink in a half-bathroom configuration.

Full Bathrooms

Full bathrooms contain a sink, toilet, shower, a shower and bathtub combination or a separate shower and bathtub. Most homes come with at least one full bathroom in the design. A full bathroom is valuable and versatile, and it packs several functions into a smaller space. It’s very common for mid to low-priced two-bedroom houses to have a full bathroom.

A full bathroom is one of the most common things for almost every house to have if they only have a single bathroom. Bathroom work is all but done by Logan Ingalls / CC BY 2.0

Half-Bathrooms

A half bathroom can also be called a guest bathroom or a powder room. Half-baths give the homeowner more privacy because visitors can use this space to wash up without going into the bedroom areas. Also, since full bathrooms tend to be much more personal with medicines and garments, visitors don’t need to see these items. Since these bathrooms are more for limited and brief use by visitors, they usually have a very small amount of storage space.

Primary Bathrooms (En Suite)

A primary bathroom is one that connects to the largest, or primary bedroom in your home. A primary bathroom is also called an attached bathroom or an en suite bathroom. Usually, this bathroom will be a full or a three-quarter one. A door allows entry into this bathroom, and a second door will open to the bedroom. In a few instances, the second door may not be there. If this is the case, your toilet will usually go into an enclosed space with a door for additional privacy.

As long as your home has some type of second bathroom, the primary bathroom adds a large amount of value to most houses. A home will rarely only have a single primary bathroom because this makes it hard for users who don’t sleep in the primary bedroom to access the bathroom during the night.

A lot of real estate associations, including the National Association of Home Builders, have taken the traditional term of “Master Bedroom” and switched it out to “Primary Bedroom” because they believe that it better reflects the room’s purpose.

Quarter-Bathrooms

A quarter-bathroom is a very small room that has either a shower stall or a toilet. You may hear it called a utility shower or a utility toilet. You may find this bathroom in the lower levels of old homes or in the basements. Homeowners typically install these bathrooms, not the original contractor. This bathroom can give you or a handyman a convenient shower or toilet without having to walk through the whole house.

Shower/Bathtub Combinations

Your bathtub and shower can be combined or separate. When they’re combined, you still calculate the shower/bathtub as two components. To qualify as a shower/bathtub setup, you have to have a bathtub that has a lower faucet and a shower that has a higher shower head attached. The shower and bathtub typically share the same control system.

Three-Quarter Bathrooms

This bathroom type will have a sink, toilet, and either a separate bathtub or a separate shower. As more bathrooms get remodeled or built without a standard bathtub, the third component is usually a shower. So, technically, this bathroom type has started to merge with the full bathroom designation.

Bottom Line

We’ve outlined 24 bathroom styles for you to consider for your next remodel or if you’re buying a new home. You can decide which one is going to work best based on your family size, wants, and needs. If you get it right, you’ll have more than enough space for everyone to use, and you’ll create a relaxing space in your home.