40 beautiful bathroom ideas to inspire your next big project (2024)

Designing for homeowners who wanted to mimic the feel of a stay in a boutique hotel, Australian design studio YSG devised a scheme that was high on quality and low on frippery. The vanity unit in this compact powder room makes a big impact, seemingly carved from a single block of Tiberio marble. ysg.studio

There’s a detectable whiff of Wes Anderson about the palette of this bathroom by Gülmen Interiors. Situated in an old house in the town of Celaliye, Istanbul, the scheme accentuates the charm of a round portal window by following the wood trim across the dado rail and trim of the arched mirror. The bespoke timber vanity unit’s handles and the playful pattern of the tiles also echo this architectural detail. gulmeninteriors.com

Three materials – solid oak, antiqued steel and dramatically veined marble – are combined with consummate precision in the design of this bathroom for a private villa in Bali. The success of the look is down to the sharp lines orchestrated by interior designer Polina Ditsman, who has arranged the natural elements like a well-tailored suit, not a button (or soap bottle) out of place. polinaditsman.com

Bathroom fittings can be works of art in their own right, like this sculptural vanity unit by architect Crina Arghirescu Rogard. Boldly bichromatic, the piece is made of a single block of black marquina marble cantilevered on a foot carved from polished white marble. The same two stones have also been used to clad the large cabinet above. crina-architecture.com

Marquetry is a rare choice for the bathroom – a space usually reserved for ceramic and marble – but the natural grain and softly chamfered waves and edges of this bespoke vanity unit in a project by Polish interior-design studio Craft of Interior lend a warmth and softness to the otherwise contemporary scheme. Dark stain has been applied to sections of the timber to add a decorative stripe. c-o-i.pl

New York-based architecture and design practice Ashe Leandro’s masterful use of the chequerboard pattern in this townhouse is instantly arresting – especially when you catch the geometric design reflected in the polished brass of the traditional tub. Made from cement, the square tiles have a muted quality, which is an aesthetic step up from glossy monochrome porcelain. asheleandro.com

The glossy blue of this bathroom (like the colours on the body of a beetle) is a defining element of this Madrid apartment by architect and artist Raúl Almenara. Tasked with designing for homeowner Antonio Najarro – dancer, choreographer and director of the National Ballet of Spain – he created spiralling internal walls that are a visual representation of pirouettes, with the ridged design of the tiles emphasing the feeling of movement in what is a compact space. raulalmenara.com

Commanding the room like a minimalist take on a Grecian column, this bespoke freestanding basin is carved from Calacatta Vagli marble and was designed by Australian studio Fiona Lynch. The same stone is paired with sections of Ocean Blue travertine on the walls and floor. fionalynch.com.au

The Memphis Group’s irreverent and rule-bending designs were a key influence on architecture studio Jean Verville when creating this home (called MEV) in Laurentides, Canada. And nowhere is the design movement’s 1980s style more apparent than in this bathroom, with its clashing geometric tiles displaying joyful abandon. jeanverville.com

Reimagining the bathroom as one immaculately designed do-it-all unit isn’t just the preoccupation of British designer Tom Dixon (see p244), it’s an idea that’s also been picked up by Sabine Marcelis. The Dutch design star’s use of yellow epoxy to create a monolithic combination of shower, bath and basin suits the architectural nature of this new-build by De Kort Van Schaik, while the sunny yellow colour glows under the glazed roof. dekortvanschaik.nl; sabinemarcelis.com

Interior designer Pamela Shamshiri took inspiration from the work of Paul László – the original architect of this LA home, whose softer take on mid-century modernism was notable for its unexpected colour choices – when designing this open-plan bathroom. A toilet and shower are concealed behind frosted doors for privacy, while the bespoke blue tub, lined with marble, takes centre-stage. studioshamshiri.com

Bathrooms, just like the rest of your home, should reflect your unique interests and obsessions. For architect and designer Anthony Authie, founder of Zyva Studio, that meant including bright colour and playful cultural references, such as this bespoke 3D-printed light and pink tootbrush holder inspired by Spinies, the spiky menacing turtles in Mario Bros. zyvastudio.com

Regularly forget to water your plants? Why not build a sizeable planter into your shower, like the verdant example in Aussie architecture firm SJB’s latest project, 19 Waterloo Street? Home to the studio’s director Adam Harrow, the property’s bathroom is illuminated from above by a skylight and hydrated by dual showerheads – a recipe for happy greenery. sjb.com.au

Mirrored steel is one of the most exciting emerging looks for bathrooms, and this Antwerp apartment by Belgian studio Atelier Dialect shows how its edginess can be subtly softened. From the thick-pile grey carpet to the mint-green paint (used in a gloss finish on the ceiling), this space is a masterclass in tone and texture. atelierdialect.be

Designed by Louis Denavaut, this smart, open-plan ensuite is defined by the striated marble that stretches across the walls, floor, basin and bath, creating an almost camouflage effect. The oak cabinet nods to the wooden floors of the bedroom for a dash of visual continuity, while a handy shelf extends across the tub, ready to hold the essentials for a truly luxurious soak. louisdenavaut.com

In this Parisian apartment designed by Anthony Authié of Zyva Studio, stepping into the bathroom is like diving straight into the briny blue. All-over tiling from Villeroy & Boch’s ‘Pro Architectura’ range provides the canvas for royal-blue cabinets, 3D-printed azure door handles and coloured taps from Martí 1921. Twin steel basins add a little industrial-style edge. zyvastudio.com

‘Punto’, the new bathroom collection by design duo Yabu Pushelberg for Salvatori, blends streamlined, modular functionality with the organic texture of natural stone to pack a distinct visual punch. The vanity unit’s wooden shelf adds a slickness to the rougher surfaces of the basin and splashback while splitting the vertical pattern in the brand’s ‘Pietra d’Avola’ tiles. The backlit mirror, with its curved edges, is a soft finishing touch. salvatoriofficial.com

The guest bathroom of this Milanese home designed by Francesca Oggioni is tiny, with no natural light – which makes it the perfect place to try out a dark and sexy scheme. The stone sink was repurposed from a Belgian country house and is completed by contemporary ‘Icon’ taps by Vincent Van Duysen for Fantini. An antique stool and a vase from a London market lend the otherwise serious scheme a cheerful note. francescaoggioni.com

Barcelona-based design practice Cierto Estudio was tasked with the renovationof Casa Hope, a property originally designed in 1988 by the architect Antoni Roselló Til. Part of the redesign involved embracing a bold new palette that included mint green and fearless swathes of pink– as seen in full splendour in this bathroom, encased almost entirely in candy-coloured mosaic tiles. ciertoestudio.com

Darker rust shades can easily weigh down a space; counterbalance this by using lighter tiles, like these ‘Kingfisher Glass’ ones in ‘Burnt Red’ from Fired Earth. They will reflect subtle changes as the light hits them, while the shape – which references the feathers of their namesake bird – is more unusual than a typical rectangular tile. firedearth.com