JBGoodwin REALTORS® - Austin & San Antonio Real Estate Blog

Designing a home that you love begins with the spark of new ideas.

The right redesign project can add new character to a room and even increase the resale value of your home. One of the most popular rooms to change in any home is the master bathroom.

The master bath tends to start out so basic and non-descript, or simply becomes outdated in older houses. It is the perfect room to revamp when you're ready for a new look. 

When it comes to redesigning your bathroom, there’s a lot you can do to make yours unique.

We asked two designers and two architects about the latest trends in bathroom design. Here’s what they had to say:

2018 Bathroom Design Trends

With interior design trends, there is the perennial question, baked into the very fabric of “trendiness” itself: How do I know when something is in?

Seasoned architecture experts like Camille Jobe and Ada Corral, co-founders of Jobe Corral Architects, address this issue from the very beginning. Aware of the come-and-go nature of some design trends, they tend to gravitate toward more timeless structural choices and embrace trends that are easy to change when they go out of style again.

“We try to avoid anything too trendy so that you are never out of style. Our goal is to design things that are modern, elegant, and timeless,” they told us.

For many, however, having an element of trendiness is still extremely desirable. It’s what’s now--and it’s also what’s available.

After all, you have to choose an aesthetic when doing a re-design. So where should you start in 2018?

Camille and Ada’s advice for approaching updating your bathroom is simple: “One way to embrace a trend that is easy to change later is using color. Painted cabinetry or even just textiles can change the feel of a bathroom quickly. We are loving deep greens, earthy greys, and terra cotta color stories right now.”

Sharon Whitney, the owner and lead designer at Distinctly Yours, takes a similar approach: “Trends in lifestyles and philosophy tend to carry over into design, so organic textures are very popular.”

Take a look at Justina Blakeney’s Bathroom Inspo Board to get a feel for the organic movement possible in a bathroom.

An eclectic mix of rich woods, thatched surfaces, lucious houseplants, organic wallpapers, and water-like Moroccan tile, Blakeney’s signature bohemian aesthetic has come to dominate not just bathroom style, but to draw attention from across the interior design world.

Wallpaper is Back

Christen Ales, the owner and interior designer at Christen Ales Interior Design, says, “Wallpaper is definitely trending! A Powder bathroom is an especially great place to feature a really bold or unique wallpaper. We are using a lot of wallpapers with a modern aesthetic from geometric lines and shapes, to wallpapers with softer, more organic lines, for a more natural bohemian feel.”

Floating Vanities

Another important element of many master bathrooms is the vanity.

Sharon Whitney recommends a floating vanity, “In a contemporary application, floating cabinets that are mounted to the wall are a wonderful choice. With this option, there are endless ways to customize with shelving and storage features, along with unique sink and faucet features.”

Check out this vanity as an example.

Popular Flooring Options

Christen Ales says one of the most popular design trends she sees lately is, “patterned cement or porcelain tiles on bathroom flooring and on shower walls. We are also using a lot of black hexagon tiles on flooring ranging in sizes from 2”- 8”. For plumbing fixtures, black and brass finishes are at the top of our list.”

Bathroom Lighting

“Don’t forget about your lighting,”Christen Ales recommends. “Bathrooms are definitely a space where you need to provide adequate lighting for the overall space and at your face. Your decorative sconces are a great way to add some additional style to your bathroom. And now there are smartphone apps that allow you to control your lighting schemes, from day and night lighting, to color temperature, even down to your body’s natural circadian rhythms!”

You can even use lighting as a focal point. Sharon Whitney adds, “Ceiling mounted lighting is always an excellent choice and less common in bathrooms. A stunning chandelier centerpiece or pendant lights at the vanity create a luxurious ambience.”

Simple Techniques that Make a Huge Difference

Camille Jobe and Ada Corral add, “Sometimes a little change can go a long way. Of course, changing tile makes a huge difference in the look of the bathroom, but that can be a little more involved.”

“New cabinet hardware or accessories (like towel bars, toilet paper holders, robe hooks) can be a fun way to bring in another metal or form. Textiles, paint, and accessories are small things with big impact.”

Anything Going Out of Style?

Camille and Ada said, “We used to hear requests for a big beautiful tub even if the clients were not bath takers. People were scared to not include one because it might lower the resale value of the house.”

“Our clients have started to make more decisions based on what they actually want in that space instead of making concessions for something that may not ever happen. Why hire an architect to build something custom for you if you are making decisions based on what you think someone else might like?”

Design with you in mind.