Knowing your design style is the first step toward remodeling a bathroom into something you love. The style is your guide in choosing the perfect color, fixtures, and details that pull the space together. Here, we have 10 of the most popular design styles found in bathrooms, including all the details you need to know for each.

Traditional

A tradition is something that’s been done for generations. Therefore, a traditional design takes inspiration from the past. Sometimes, a particular era. But the style can be more fluid than that, as long as it’s comfortable, timeless, and includes decorative detail.

A traditional style bathroom has furniture, not built-ins. It includes natural materials like wood and stone rather than paint and plastic. And the color palette is soft and comforting. Now, let’s break it down a bit more.

Surfaces for a traditional-style bathroom

  • Stone, slate, or granite for countertops
  • Tile for floor and walls include subway, penny, or hexagonal

Fixtures for a traditional-style bathroom

  • Furniture style vanity of natural maple, cherry, or oak
  • Porcelain claw-foot tub
  • Metal for light fixtures and faucets
  • Furniture hardware of copper, iron, or rubbed bronze

Color palette for a traditional-style bathroom

  • Neutrals and whites
  • Soft hues of red, blue, and green
  • Deep tones of blue, brown, or grey
  • Natural wood-tone

Transitional

A transitional style teeters in the balance between two time periods. It gracefully demonstrates the natural progression of how families live, accumulating new items that they blend with the old. Typically, designers refer to the transitional style as a combination of traditional and modern. But, any tasteful mix of two design eras would classify as transitional.

With this in mind, it’s hard to say, “These are the surfaces or fixtures typically found in a transitional style.” In the transitional style, many homeowners choose a focal point, like an old claw-foot tub, and build around that. Others may repurpose an heirloom dresser as a sink base. When you partner with a professional designer, they can advise how to highlight that piece and the best fixtures and materials to complement it.

No matter which eras you mesh to accomplish your transitional style, colors should include a strong balance between cool and warm tones with soft and subtle hues.

Contemporary

Contemporary: “belonging to or occurring in the present”
Not necessarily modern, which can take elements from past modern eras, contemporary design uses materials, colors, and fixtures of recent making. Synthetic materials like plastic, laminate, and vinyl are the materials of choice for a contemporary bathroom. Keeping within that parameter, you’ll find a simple, unadorned style with sleek, clean lines and flowing curves. Tile work includes geometric patterns, and cabinetry has hard angles. For example, in a contemporary bathroom, you’ll probably find:

Fixtures for a contemporary bathroom

  • Motion sensor lights and faucets
  • Other tech like a smart mirror, warming drawers, and smart showers
  • Wall-hung fixtures like toilet and sink base

Color palette for a contemporary bathroom

  • High contrast–white vs. black, light vs. dark
  • Cultured neutrals–grey, taupe, or ivory
  • Bold accents–Teal, red, yellow, or black

Modern

Often confused with contemporary style, modern design comes from a group of European designers from the 1920s who promoted a “form over function” philosophy. This style remained popular until the 1960s and is again trending. It’s similar to a contemporary style, including sleek lines, geometric shapes, and an overall clean, uncluttered appearance. However, the modern style includes traditional materials, on-point organizational features, and minimal decor clutter, keeping the focus on the architecture.

Fixtures for a modern-style bathroom

  • Wall-hung vanity
  • Glass-enclosed shower with dual heads and niches
  • Vessel sinks and free-standing tub
  • Streamlined lighting with frameless mirrors

Color palette for a modern-style bathroom

  • Crisp, clean whites
  • Subtle neutrals
  • Black
  • Pops of color on accents or accessories

Farmhouse

The farmhouse-style bathroom is relaxed and comfortable. When you want a place to retreat at the end of a hard day, the farmhouse style delivers. Here, you may find a balance of rustic and modern but never trendy. Unpretentious, homespun, lived-in, and honest are words used to describe this style.

The color palette for a farmhouse bathroom includes nature-inspired neutrals and classic colors like white and black, denim blue, or sage green. Materials and fixtures are more natural and classic as well. Wood, shiplap, and subway tiles are iconic materials in the farmhouse style. And a claw-foot tub, trough sink, and sliding barn doors are popular features.

Industrial

The industrial-style bathroom will suit your taste if you appreciate a factory vibe, featuring exposed brick, black pipes, galvanized metal, and other raw materials. The style is simple, practical, and industrial-looking. Let’s look at its choice materials, key fixtures, and popular color palette.

Surfaces for an industrial-style bathroom

  • Exposed materials like brick, pipes, and concrete
  • Concrete countertops
  • White subway tiles
  • Bronze or galvanized metal

Fixtures for an industrial-style bathroom

  • Freestanding tub
  • Glass and metal-enclosed shower
  • Heavy fixtures

Color palette for an industrial-style bathroom

  • Nature-inspired shades that mimic wood or stone
  • Saturated colors like brick red, black, or rust
  • Shades of gray like charcoal and cement
  • Matte black and white

Craftsman

The craftsman design style is reminiscent of an era when artisans made things by hand. Therefore, a craftsman-style bathroom will have Shaker-style cabinetry that’s unfinished, so the warmth of the rich wood tones shines through. Keeping everything simple is as important as with the contemporary style, but not to detract from the comfortable feeling of a handmade quilt.

Other features of a craftsman-style bathroom include handcrafted tile work, natural stone counters and floors, stained glass art, and warm lighting. Oak or cherry are preferred wood options, as is a penny or mosaic tile for the floor and subway tiles on the wall. The craftsman-style color palette includes rich earth tones, greens, and warm neutrals.

Mediterranean

Mediterranean style takes its flavor from the Mediterranean region of the world. The casual elegance found in the homes of Italy, Greece, Spain, and France emphasizes the earthy look of natural materials that is relaxed and comfortable. You can incorporate contemporary touches in the Mediterranean-style bathroom because this style is an eclectic mixture from centuries of living. Though this style is pretty flexible, some factors are pretty consistent. Such as:

Surfaces for a Mediterranean-style bathroom

  • Tile, particularly terracotta, on countertops, floors, and walls
  • Heavy use of textures and patterns includes mosaic-tile backsplashes or patterned curtains
  • Burnished metals like hammered copper, oil-rubbed brass, or wrought iron

Fixtures for a Mediterranean-style bathroom

  • Comfortable furniture in natural wood
  • Arched doorways, shower entrances, and windows
  • Ornate light fixtures

Color palette of a Mediterranean-style bathroom

  • Deep earth tones of brown and rusty red
  • Crisp white, particularly on the walls
  • Soft and warm yellows
  • Bright blues reminiscent of the sea

Rustic

A rustic-style bathroom borrows its feel from a 1700s backwoods cabin. However, rough doesn’t have to be primitive in function. You’ll appreciate the rustic style if you like the hefty feel of a hand-hewn beam and natural stone, which is used liberally in the space. Here are some rustic-style elements to include in your next bathroom renovation.

Fixtures for a rustic-style bathroom

  • Metal hardware that looks worn
  • Vessel sinks of stone or metal

Color palette of a rustic-style bathroom

  • Creamy looking neutrals
  • Hues usually reserved for autumn, like cinnamon and pumpkin
  • Earthy tones that come from stone, wood, or clay

Beach-inspired

If the lapping of the ocean waves and the smell of the salt air relaxes you, bring that vibe home when you design your new beach-inspired bathroom. This popular design style thrives on blue and sand hues with beach life motifs. Or, you may prefer a nautical theme with deeper shades like navy and dark brown.

The atmosphere of a beach-inspired style is relaxed and casual. As for key features, look for pebble tile in a spacious shower, a tile backsplash behind the sink, and beadboard. And don’t forget to include ambient lighting for the soothing effect you desire.

Designing Your New Dallas Bathroom

For best results on your bathroom remodel, consult an experienced home design professional like those at Blackline Renovations in Dallas. Their design/build remodeling team can advise you about every part of your bathroom project, including the design style best suited to your lifestyle and home. From the first meeting and the design process to the construction phase of your remodel, they’ll be right by your side, guiding you through every step using their proprietary design/build process.

The team at Blackline Renovations offers friendly and expert in-home consultations to discuss your specific needs and suggest design solutions to meet them. First, look at some of their previous bathroom remodels to get a feel for their work. Then, subscribe to their newsletter to stay abreast of local design trends in the Dallas area. And when you’re ready, call them at 214-827-3747 or schedule a consultation online.