Contemporary Bathroom Looks We Love
Blending form and function, contemporary bathrooms are all about looks that are "right-now" in design. Ready to give your bathroom an of-the-moment makeover? Grab inspiration from these knockout designer spaces.


Photo By: Laura Lochrin
Photo By: Jim Westphalen, Architect: Charles R. Myers & Partners, Builder: McGray & Nichols
Photo By: Diana Paulson
Photo By: Chipper Hatter
Photo By: Margaret Wright
Photo By: Kat Alves
Photo By: Margaret Wright
Photo By: Jim Westphalen, Architect: Charles R. Myers & Partners, Builder: McGray & Nichols
Photo By: Julie Soefer
Photo By: Kevin Doss, Kevin Doss, Kevin Doss
©Zach DeSart
Photo By: Margaret Wright
Photo By: Regan Wood
Photo By: Marisa Vitale
Photo By: Kris Tamburello
Photo By: Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate, a member of Luxury Portfolio International
Photo By: Jessica Alexander
Photo By: Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate, a member of Luxury Portfolio International
Photo By: Molly Culver
Photo By: John L. Scott Real Estate, a member of Luxury Portfolio International
Contemporary Bathrooms: Of-the-Moment + Beautifully Versatile Designs
Constantly evolving, contemporary design style blends today's trends with a sophisticated neutral palette, natural elements and minimal patterns. It's timeless while looking to the future, making it the ideal design style for your bathroom. Discover 20 of our favorite designer bathrooms that nail contemporary style.
Learn More: Contemporary Style 101
Bring In the Just-Right Texture
For contemporary style, don't overload your bathroom in patterns, trimmings and colors — leave that to the maximalists. Instead, lean into tone-on-tone texture, which delivers visual interest without overwhelming the senses. In this sleek powder room, charcoal-gray tiles, laid in a herringbone pattern, create a chic background for the floating stone basin sink and wall-mounted fixtures.
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Snag a Can of White Paint
Start your design with a blank slate and a hallmark of contemporary style: clean, white walls. Built in 1900, this bathroom throws back to its Victorian history with black-and-white hex tile floors. The sleek freestanding bathtub is a modern take on the traditional clawfoot, and a floating oak vanity is bedecked in brass fixtures and hardware.
See More Photos: Tour a Very Cool Ohio Victorian Built in 1900
Try a Wet Room
This popular take on bathroom design is created so that the whole room can get wet. With today's love of freestanding bathtubs and open showers, it's easy for water to stray from its designated spot — making a completely tiled floor and walls essential.
Look to Tile for Pattern
Though you want to avoid pattern in excess, don’t shy away from it entirely. In fact, an intentional dose of black-and-white graphic tiles takes this powder room from meh to magazine-worthy. A turquoise sink tops the floating vanity for the tiniest burst of color.
See More Photos: Contemporary Riverfront Family Retreat in South Carolina
Or, Create Pattern With Tile
Use solid tiles, like these oversized hexagons, to create a one-of-a-kind pattern. And, of course, don't hide your design away. Choose a seamless glass door that grants a full display of the geometrics.
See More Photos: Our Fave Bathroom Tile Design Ideas
Opt for a Floating Vanity
Instantly make your bathroom look bigger with a floating vanity. By taking the vanity off the floor, your tile extends all the way to the floor — creating a visual expansion without adding a single square inch. Further visually enlarge the space by continuing the tile behind the vanity and up to the ceiling, as designer Jesse Vickers did here.
Learn More: 35 Best Bathroom Vanities for Every Style and Space
Skip the Extra Hardware
The simplest selection is often best in contemporary design. Rather than cluttering your drawer fronts and cabinets with knobs and pulls, leave them bare. The clean-fronted silhouette allows other elements of the space to shine. Subtly patterned tiles and brushed gold fixtures in this bathroom play together in a delightful juxtaposition.
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Embrace Natural Light
The sun is your best friend in any contemporary design, so make the most of any natural light you have. No getting ready under artificial lighting in this bathroom. A pair of mirrors float off the window frame to give you Instagram-ready illumination. For added contemporary-style cred, a streamlined double vanity with stone trough sink is matched with sculptural brushed nickel faucets.
Learn More: 35 Best Bathroom Mirrors for Every Style and Space
Choose a Pared-Down Palette
Rein in your color scheme to produce an utterly calm environment — all the better for a nightly soak in the tub. The monochromatic blue-gray shade enveloping this space acts as a neutral and is balanced by bright white walls, bare wood floors and black trim.
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Hide Everything Away
For a clean, contemporary look, keep the chaos of the bathroom beautifully stowed away. A long, linear floating vanity and built-in cabinet give all your essentials a place to belong, which is the most important part of maintaining a clutter-free space.
Learn More: 40+ Clever Bathroom Storage Ideas
Or, Opt for Open Storage
If, on the other hand, you prefer easy access to all your daily necessities, pick an open storage vanity. Curate what you want out in the open (Remember, you still want a clean look!) and stock the shelves with handy baskets and bins for corralling towels, beauty potions and hair care.
See More Photos: Cool, Calm, and Collected Decorating
Refresh With a Trend That's Staying Put
Contemporary style's ever-evolving nature pulls some elements from the right-now (though it avoids anything that's too faddish) while mixing in some more traditional looks. This chic bathroom meshes the charm of modern farmhouse — shutter-inspired cabinets and rope-wrapped lanterns — with crisp contemporary lines and geometrics.
See More Photos: Chic, Contemporary Apartment Space Features Funky Tile and Shiplap
Grab a Roll of Wallpaper
Though contemporary style relies heavily on a neutral color scheme, its versatility and fluidity give you plenty of space to play around with a fresh idea or a fun color. This leafy green wallpaper creates a Secret Garden-like atmosphere (complete with hidden keys) and even conceals the door. Oversized frosted windows pour in natural light while still providing privacy.
Learn More: How to Install Wallpaper in a Bathroom
Create an Impressive Backdrop
Elevate your backsplash with a bold use of natural stone. This dramatic slab leaves plain, white tile in the past and makes a statement with movement and depth. The double vanity matches the pink undertones of the backsplash and is clad in trendy brass fixtures and a chunky white countertop.
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Give the Design Your Personality
Have one element in your bathroom that simply screams, "You!" The ultimate in a spa-like retreat, this bathroom has an expansive walk-in shower, oh-so chic vessel bathtub and stunning views of the Miami harbor. But the stop-you-in-your-tracks moment is on the wall: a mosaic of glass tiles depicting a cherry blossom tree in bloom.
See More Photos: Crisp, Contemporary Style Home in Miami Beach
Say No to Ornamentation, Not Opulence
Uncluttered and uncomplicated is the name of the contemporary game, but that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice on luxury. This grand wet room is completely clad in marble and takes advantage of the stunning Dallas skyline views.
See More Photos: 20 Bathroom Shower Tile Ideas
When in Doubt, Keep It Simple
For a can't-miss color combo, try a completely minimalist approach with all whites and natural woods. Defined by crisp lines everywhere and an abundance of storage, this bathroom has just a touch of softness through the shaded sconces and round gold knobs. An added benefit to sticking with an uncomplicated design is it gives you breathing room to adapt with the times or a fresh style you truly love.
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Break a Rule, or Two
We all know rules are made to be broken, right? This contemporary bathroom goes a teensy bit against the simplicity grain and soaks the whole room in floor-to-ceiling marble. Its squared-off silhouettes and crisp lines, as well as use of glass and white, keep the space minimal and uncluttered. No dark caves here.
See More Photos: 75 Dreamy, Spa-Inspired Bathrooms
Bring In a Bit of Boho
Boho and contemporary may seem like contradictory styles, but that's exactly the reason they work so well together. The delicious juxtaposition of clean lines and geometrics with eclectic patterns and bursts of color create a lived-in-yet-fresh environment. Scour a local estate sale or flea market for a vintage painting, an antique vase or an unusual light fixture to add the perfect touch of boho to your bathroom.
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Consider Your Surroundings
Think beyond your bathroom's walls, especially when you have a view like this urban dwelling. Playing off the modern aesthetic found outside the windows, this bathroom is grounded in concrete floors. Tactile tiles span the length of the room, bringing warmth into the otherwise cool palette.
Learn More: Top 15 Design Styles for Your Ultimate Bathroom Retreat