Your Guide to 10 Popular Bathroom Styles

Transitional bathrooms gracefully walk the line between traditional and contemporary, with just enough detailing to please folks in both design camps. While elements of traditional and contemporary styles are both present, transitional bathrooms don’t veer far in either direction.

Key features of transitional-style bathrooms:

• Shaker-style vanity
• Light-hued stone counters, floors or wall treatments in materials such as marble and quartz
• Undermount sink
• Subway tile
• Pedestal bathtub
• Glass shower enclosure
• Classic lighting such as drum pendants, updated chandeliers and sleek wall sconces.

Color palette: Whether you opt for cool or warm hues, the colors in a transitional bathroom tend to be soft and subtle. For a richer look, consider blue, brown, gray or wood tones.

Modern bathrooms are sleek and streamlined, emphasizing strong horizontal lines. Clean, flourish-free details keep the focus on the architecture.

Key features of modern-style bathrooms:

• Floating vanity
• Glass shower enclosure
• Freestanding bathtub
• Minimalist faucets
• Streamlined lighting
• Frameless mirrors

Color palette: The focus of a modern-style bathroom is on the architecture, which means the color palette tends toward crisp, clean white, subtle neutrals and black. Pops of color show up in the form of accessories such as bath towels and plants.

Contemporary bathrooms fully embrace the latest in technology, materials and trends for an of-the-moment look with clean lines and minimal adornment. Contemporary bathrooms can (and do) break the rules, but as a whole they stay away from heavy embellishments and traditional shapes.

Key features of contemporary-style bathrooms:

• Sleek vanity
• Minimalist faucets
• Glass shower enclosure
• Statement tile
• Slim-profile mirrors
• The latest tech such as digital shower controls and smart mirrors

Color palette: A black-and-white palette is a popular choice in contemporary bathrooms, although any high-contrast color combination can work.

Traditional bathrooms are timeless, comfortable and refined, with gleaming surfaces and high-end materials. Unlike minimalist modern bathrooms or trend-conscious contemporary bathrooms, traditional bathrooms favor a healthy amount of decorative detail and classic elegance.

Key features of traditional-style bathrooms:

• Furniture-style vanity
• Elegant stone counters, floors or wall treatments
• Antique-style lighting
• Classic bathtub such as a claw-foot or pedestal style
• Dressing table
• Wainscoting, wallpaper and decorative molding

Color palette: The colors in traditional bathrooms tend to be soft and relaxing. Subtle neutrals and pale shades of blue and green work well, or consider deeper shades of blue, brown, gray and wood tones for a richer look.

5. Farmhouse

Farmhouse-style bathrooms balance the rustic appeal of regional, rural heritage with simplicity-loving modern sensibilities. And while farmhouse bathrooms today often incorporate modern elements, this isn’t the place to experiment with trends: Think simple, honest and homespun.

Key features of farmhouse-style bathrooms:

• Shaker-style vanity
• Barn lighting
• Wall paneling
• Claw-foot bathtub
• Sliding barn doors
• Trough sink

Color palette: Farmhouse bathrooms favor simple, natural color palettes. White with crisp black trim is a popular choice; for richer hues, look to nature-inspired neutrals and other classic colors.

Rustic bathrooms embrace the natural beauty of the outdoors, pairing rugged materials with warm, cozy textiles to create a welcoming space. Today’s interpretation of the look can lean more (or less) contemporary depending on your personal design sensibility.

Key features of rustic-style bathrooms:

• Wood or wood-look vanity
• Vessel sinks made from stone or copper
• Natural stone counters, floors and wall treatments
• Copper bathtub, Japanese-style soaking tub or classic claw-foot
• Hardware in weathered finishes such as oil-rubbed bronze, antiqued brass or hammered copper
• Warming details such as kilim rugs and filament bulb vanity lights

Color palette: Rustic-style bathrooms echo the hues of natural materials such as stone and warm woods with paint colors and accents in similar shades, for a rich, cozy look.

Inspired by factories and warehouses, industrial-style bathrooms are simple, utilitarian spaces where raw materials and tough fixtures and finishes take center stage. Favoring practical, hard-wearing surfaces, industrial bathrooms find beauty in the way things work rather than in surface ornamentation.

Key features of industrial-style bathrooms:

• Glass-and-steel shower enclosure
• Raw materials such as concrete, stainless steel, brick and cinderblock
• Trough and basin sinks
• White subway tile
• Hefty sliding doors
• Exposed pipes and gear-like hardware and faucets

Color palette: The raw materials used form the foundation of the color palette in an industrial-style bathroom, with an occasional pop of saturated color.

Beach-style bathrooms are light and airy, with a focus on natural materials, coast-inspired colors and a casual, easygoing mood. Beach bathrooms can lean traditional, contemporary or somewhere in between — the important thing is to keep the mood relaxed and breezy.

Key features of beach-style bathrooms:

• Bold tile
• Spacious shower
• Textured elements such as pebble tile, weathered wood and mother-of-pearl
• Wall paneling
• Statement wallpaper
• Accents in breezy coastal colors

Color palette: Beach bathrooms use colors inspired by the sand, sky and sea to create a sense of place. Crisp white paired with seaside blue is a popular palette, though it’s certainly not the only option. For a more vibrant take, look to leafy greens and bold corals inspired by the tropics.

Mediterranean bathrooms emphasize natural materials like wood, brick and stone for a casually elegant, earthy look inspired by sun and sea. While Mediterranean-style bathrooms can incorporate contemporary touches, the focus is on classics that have stood the test of time.

Key features of Mediterranean-style bathrooms:

• Ornate lighting
• Colorful tile
• Burnished metals such as hammered copper, wrought iron, oil-rubbed bronze and antiqued brass
• Statement mirror
• Whitewashed walls
• Vessel sinks in rounded and organic shapes

Color palette: Rich hues inspired by the warm earth and sparkling sea look striking in a Mediterranean bathroom, especially against a calming backdrop of white and natural wood.
10. Craftsman

Content provided by Laura Gaskill at Houzz.com