Love Your Bathroom with These 8 Stunning Remodeling TrendsEUGENE CHRINIAN

Love Your Bathroom with These 8 Stunning Remodeling Trends

Is your bathroom ready for a remodel? Why not take it from functional to fabulous? These eight bathroom remodeling trends are a surefire way to turn your formerly-overlooked bathroom into your new favorite room in the house:

Mediterranean-inspired design

Mediterranean design elements are a hot trend for today’s bathrooms, evoking the charm and decadence of an old world-style Turkish bath, but with a sleek, contemporary twist. Mosaic tile motifs are one of the most popular ways to bring this look into a bathroom; not only are they elegant and colorful, but they don’t need to cover a big area to make a big statement. Using mosaic tile to accent a shower or tub area, or as a backsplash in a power room, brings a rich and vibrant look to an otherwise neutral bathroom. You can also create fun mashups by mixing classic Mediterranean tile shapes with retro colors.

Three-dimensional tile

Color is just one way to make your bathroom tile stand out. Three-dimensional tiles are growing in popularity as a way to bring texture and visual interest to a bathroom without necessarily having to incorporate a lot of color. Go elegantly high-style with Regency-inspired, rectangular-relief tiles, or make a fun, 1960s statement with groovy intertwining circles. For bath and shower areas, organic wave patterns evoke a sense of relaxation and calm.

Smart storage

Practical storage ideas are always in vogue. Incorporating floor-to-ceiling cabinetry is a great way to maximize vertical space, particularly for small or narrow bathrooms. If built-in cabinets aren’t possible, look for antique or eclectic pieces of furniture to act as storage units. Old dressers or sideboards, for example, can bring a nice touch of whimsy to a bathroom, especially when they’re dressed up with a fresh coat of paint or fun wallpaper. Open shelving is another very popular—and highly practical—storage solution for a bathroom, as it allows easy access to your most-used items. In addition, it can be a great way to show off brightly colored towels.

Ease of use

Today, more and more homeowners are finding creative ways to enhance the functionality and ease of use of their bathrooms while also boosting their style. Practical features like no-threshold showers are not only easier to clean and more user-friendly for aging homeowners, they also make a bathroom look bigger. Likewise, floating vanities not only offer an easy way to customize height depending on user preferences and capabilities, they can also add glamour to a bathroom because they more closely resemble stylish art or custom furniture pieces. Some homeowners are even going one step further, removing built-in bathtubs to create combination bathtub/shower wet rooms. This is a great way to incorporate a cool design aesthetic while boosting the home’s resale value by offering more accessible options.

Classic whites

If you want a trendy bathroom that will still look trendy a decade from now, you can’t go wrong with old-school, white subway tile. This classic look is sleek, and clean, and it pairs well with almost any style. Incorporate metal cabinetry and fixtures to make it the base layer for a contemporary, industrial look, or match it with country-style fixtures and furnishings for a fancy farmhouse look. Just keep one thing in mind: when working with white subway tile in the bathroom, it’s best to use a dark-colored grout, like gray or black, because lighter grouts tend to pick up stains.

Music and media

Once reserved for only the most luxurious of bathrooms, electronics are gradually becoming popular with average homeowners. Bathroom mirrors, showerheads, and vanities are now frequently combined with wireless speakers, Bluetooth devices, and docking stations. Some bathrooms even feature strategically-placed televisions, which is great for getting caught up on news and weather during your morning shower or for relaxing in the tub with your favorite show at the end of a long day.

In-floor heat and towel warmers

A little extra warmth can be the ultimate luxury on a cold winter’s morning. If you have the budget, radiant floor heat is a wonderful option: not only does it turn stepping out of the shower into something you look forward to, it’s actually a very energy-efficient heating method. Radiant floor heat operates using either an electric system (special mats that run off a home’s existing electrical system) or a hydronic system (which requires a separate heat pump or other power source to run water through pipes). This system tends to be most effective with floors made of natural stone and tile, because they are better at retaining heat. If a radiant floor heating system isn’t an option, wall-mounted towel warmers are a cozy alternative at a fraction of the price.

Bold lighting mixes

The bathroom is a great place to play “mix and match” with your lighting. Why not put some table lamps on your vanity or pair an opulent chandelier with overhead puck lights? There are also practical advantages to mixing different lighting levels. For example, your bathroom can be bright when you’re getting ready in the morning and softly lit when you’re winding down at the end of the day.