7 min read
Lancaster Bathroom Trends: What’s In and What’s Out
By: The McLennan Team | August 30, 2024
Today’s bathrooms are far more than space to take a shower and brush your teeth. They’re restful retreats, rooms where you can be rejuvenated, practice self-care, and relax after a long day. Homeowners are placing a priority on their bathrooms reflecting their personal style and taste, focusing on design and decor in their bathrooms as much as in other rooms in the home. This is a design trend we can get behind. Who doesn’t want a beautiful space in their home that helps them relax?
What's In?
While the overarching trends in bathrooms today can be summed up as anything that makes your bathroom feel restful and personalized, those goals are worked out in a variety of ways.
Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Materials
Just like in their kitchens, today’s homeowners are prioritizing the welfare of the environment when it comes to bathroom design. Water-saving features like low-flow showers and high-efficiency toilets are making a difference in water consumption. And the use of renewable resources like bamboo and cork is trending as well.
Biophilia–a home design style that prioritizes our connection to nature–is popular in bathrooms with the use of natural materials like stone on floors and in showers, wood accents, and live green plants. Plants in the bathroom add life, color, and a sense of movement, and they also clean the air and reduce humidity.
Smart Bathrooms
As technology continues to advance, we find ways to make our lives more convenient. Today’s on-trend bathrooms use smart technology features in a variety of ways.
- Smart mirrors display weather, traffic, and news.
- Showers can be programmed to turn on at a particular time, heat the water to the exact temperature you want, and even turn off after a set time to save water.
- Smart toilets can have touchless lids and flushing, heated seats, and self-sanitizing bidets that are programmed to your preferences.
- Voice-activated lighting means you can turn on bright lights in the morning as you get ready, soft lights for your relaxing bath, and nightlights in the middle of the night.
- Smart ventilation systems turn on and off as needed based on the room’s humidity, and can also play music through Bluetooth speakers.
Minimalist Design
Warm and streamlined bathrooms are on-trend today. Homeowners want their spaces to be cozy and relaxing but uncluttered and visually calm. As we all prioritize wellness and mindfulness, minimalist bathroom designs reflect this. For example, beautiful freestanding tubs are a popular bathroom focal point, inviting relaxation. We want a spa-like feeling, and we accomplish this by keeping surfaces clear, lines simple, and lighting soft. Wall-mounted toilets are becoming popular as they are easy to keep clean and take up less visual space. Large slab or solid surface panels in showers are popular as well because of the lack of grout lines to visually break up the space. Simple and classic fixtures–nothing ornate or detailed–complete the appealing look.
Wellness
It’s not just a minimalist design that lends itself to feelings of wellness. By incorporating certain luxuries, today’s on-trend bathrooms have a focus on relaxation.
Steam showers are becoming more popular. A steam shower is an enclosed stall that keeps the hot steam inside. You step in, close the door, and turn it on, and the steam comes through the steam head. Some steam showers have the option to add scents, listen to music, or take a quick rinse afterward from a traditional shower head. Steam showers are the epitome of a relaxing spa treatment, proven to lower stress, increase circulation, and more.
Speaking of showers, using rain heads instead of regular shower heads is another stylish way to make your bathroom feel more luxurious. And they come in so many shapes, designs, and finishes, you won’t have any trouble finding one you love.
We already talked about freestanding tubs as focal points, and their popularity isn’t going away anytime soon. Freestanding tubs are great because
- You can find one to fit into any aesthetic or design preferences.
- They’re gorgeous and inviting.
- You can place them in the middle of the room, against a wall, or wherever makes sense in your bathroom.
- Deep curved soaking tubs are the height of luxury.
- You can get black or colored tubs as well as white ones.
Bold and Warm Color Palettes
Bathroom design trends in 2024 that we expect to see continue in 2025 include an anything-but-white color palette. In keeping with the relaxing spa-like vibe of trendy bathrooms, bathroom colors that are popular now are warm or bold.
Warm neutrals are more relaxing than stark white. Creams, browns, and matte blacks are popular in 2024 and aren’t going anywhere soon. Fixtures are warm-toned as well, with brass and gold replacing shiny chrome and even brushed nickel.
If you love color, you’re in luck. Vintage, timeless colors like teal greens and rosy pinks are likely to be on-trend in 2025, with brass and gold or matte black accents. Any colors that are cheerful, bold, and have a little throwback appeal will be popular.
We’re also seeing the rise of artistic and creative tiles on the floor, in showers, and as backsplashes. Gone are the shiny white tiles of the past. We’re embracing the perfectly imperfect Zillege tiles, handpainted tiles, and earthy terra-cotta colored tiles.
Another bold and colorful bathroom trend is wallpaper. Hang some beautiful, colorful wallpaper on your bathroom walls and it can look like art, infusing your space with color, personality, and style.
What's Out?
If 2024 and 2025 bathroom trends can be summarized as warm, relaxing, rejuvenating, mindful, colorful, and personalized, anything that doesn’t evoke those feelings is what we’re looking to avoid. What bathroom trends are outdated and losing popularity? Steer clear of the following:
All White Everything
While all-white bathrooms were popular for a while, today’s bathroom designs embrace warmer colors (and this is true in kitchen designs as well!). Homeowners are loving natural colors like soft tans and creams, as well as bold colors like greens and blues. In the same vein, shiny chrome fixtures aren’t desirable anymore–warmer gold and brass are in.
Vessel Sinks
Popular for a while because of their unique look, vessel sinks are on their way out in 2024 and 2025. Vessel sinks–a large bowl that sits on top of the counter–are not practical, can be messy, and take up a lot of counter space. Today’s bathrooms feature sleek, minimalist sinks made of natural materials like marble, granite, or quartzite.
Frameless Glass Shower Enclosures
These showers were incredibly popular and in some cases still are. They make bathrooms look larger and they highlight the tilework in the shower. But in 2025, we believe we will see a resurgence of cozier showers that feel less exposed.
Oversized Tubs
While gorgeous bathtubs are a feature of stylish bathroom design in 2024 and 2025, huge oversized tubs are not. Freestanding, unique, statement tubs are taking the place of large, built-in tubs that are hard to keep clean and don’t add any style to the space.
Glossy Tiles
Like the trend of all-white bathrooms, glossy tiles are too stark and cold for today’s bathrooms. Matte-finish tiles are in–especially ones with interesting textures, geometric designs, and a handcrafted look. Zellige tiles and handpainted tiles are popular today. If you don’t want a pattern or you want larger tiles for a sleeker look, opt for matte instead of shiny to warm up the space.
Hollywood-Style Exposed Bulbs
For a while, exposed bulbs around your vanity mirror, or along the top, were a popular design. Today, look for statement lighting that doesn’t scream “bathroom lights!” Great choices include pendant lights (choose materials like rattan for texture and warmth) and chandeliers. If you want to go minimal, consider hidden track lighting that gives you a warm glow without being obvious, or simple wall sconces.
Next Steps
Even if you’re not planning a bathroom remodel, you can incorporate many of these bathroom trends into your existing space. Add plants, paint the walls a warm color, incorporate textures and artwork, and begin adding smart technology as you can.
Do you want to start renovating your bathroom and need some direction? Talk to a designer about how to incorporate the design styles you love into your new space. Still in the dreaming phase?
Check out our bathroom gallery for inspiration. Ready to get started now? Contact us and talk about your goals for your home. We’d love to give you the perfect room to relax and rejuvenate, and we know your bathroom can be that space for you.
Written by The McLennan Team
The McLennan Team is a group of experienced professionals dedicated to delivering high-quality remodeling solutions. With a passion for transforming spaces and improving lives, our team combines expert knowledge with a personalized approach to meet the unique needs of each client. We believe in 'life improvement through home improvement,' and our goal is to guide you through every step of the remodeling process, ensuring a seamless experience and results that enhance your home and lifestyle.