40 Wow-Worthy Bathroom Decorating Ideas and Tips

Find fresh inspiration for your bathroom with our favorite color schemes, decor, light fixtures, mirrors, tile and more.

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By: Katie Friedman

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Vintage Rugs

Infuse your bathroom with Old World character and soften the floors in one fell swoop by laying down a vintage area rug. In this contemporary retreat from designer Ashley Clark, a wine-colored runner balances the sleek double sinks and full-length mirror and generates all the visual appeal.

Learn More: The Best Places to Buy Stylish, Affordable Rugs Online

From: sKout

Shiplap Walls

Add texture to an all-white bathroom by covering the walls in classic shiplap. For more of a modern farmhouse aesthetic, outfit the space with light wood accents — like a pine vanity, stool or ceiling beam — as Pure Salt Interiors did in this bright and fresh bathroom.

Get the How-To: How to Install Shiplap

From: Pure Salt Interiors

Freestanding Ladder

If you're lucky enough to have a generous en suite, embrace a spa-like design with a freestanding ladder. In this soothing main bathroom, the effect is almost immediate, as the ladder puts fluffy towels and robes within arm's reach of the soaking tub.

See More Photos: 75 Dreamy, Spa-Inspired Bathrooms

From: Younger Homes

Floral Wallpaper

Bold floral wallpaper will instantly transform your bathroom into a feast for the eyes. Take cues from this eye-catching space and layer on a round mirror and round sconces so as to not obscure an inch of the impressive and colorful pattern.

Get the How-To: How to Install Wallpaper in a Bathroom

From: cityhomeCOLLECTIVE

High-End Ottoman

Make your en suite bathroom feel luxe (on a budget) by including stylish seating such as an ottoman. Because the rest of this space is so sleek, designer Deborah Wecselman opted for a round suede ottoman. For added texture, choose a crushed velvet or a button-tufted piece.

From: Deborah Wecselman

Glamorous Vanity Lights

Lighting is truly everything. Create a glamorous station for getting ready in the morning with vertical, Hollywood vanity globe lights. Designer Zoe Feldman ensured that her fashion-forward client would feel like a star by outfitting the rest of the space with a jewel-toned medicine cabinet and glittering gold fixtures.

See More Photos: 20 Dreamy Bathroom Lighting Ideas

From: Zoe Feldman Design

Checkerboard Floors

Checkerboard floors are a surefire way to make a bathroom feel timeless and can provide a great base for all kinds of design styles. Case in point? This Japandi guest bath from designer Shanty Wijaya. Though the space is on the smaller side, the checkerboard floors set an ultra-elegant tone and easily enhance the simple, global decor.

See More of This Home: Japandi Style Rules in This Gut-Renovated LA Home

Cool Pulls

Your vanity pulls have the potential to say a lot about you. Make a style statement with something totally unexpected, like rose quartz knobs or brown leather loops. Designer Marie Flanigan, who's based in Houston, upgraded this handsome wooden unit with faux-ivory bars to sneakily inspire thoughts of Texas Longhorns.

From: Marie Flanigan Interiors

Cheeky Towel Hooks

Put your playful personality on display and trade traditional towel bars for alphabet hooks. In this bright and bohemian bathroom, designers spelled out "WASH" against the white tile backdrop and chose matte black fixtures to tie everything together.

From: Prairie

Beachy Stripes

Channel sophisticated seaside vibes with cabana-blue and white stripes. We love how the wide, horizontal lines bring the beach to this chic main bathroom and visually connect the stall shower and tub area, making both spots seem larger.

From: Jennifer Mehditash

Oversized Maps

Remind yourself of a favorite travel destination or hiking location by hanging an oversized, vintage map in your bathroom. Designer Mandi Gubler of Vintage Revivals achieved this cool, outdoorsy aesthetic with an evergreen accent wall, southwestern rug and snake plant in a rattan basket.

Basin Sink

Instantly elevate a simple bathroom by installing a basin sink. The raised design will naturally draw the eye up and make washing your hands feel like an experience. Need further proof? Just look at the basin sink in this stunning powder room.

From: Lindye Galloway

Vintage Vanity

Put your thrifting skills to good use and repurpose vintage furniture into a stately vanity. The hero piece here was custom made from an antique dresser and outfitted with marble countertops and oil-rubbed swing bail pulls. Now it feels right at home with the black-lacquered mirrors and tile floors in this farmhouse bathroom.

See More Photos: 40 Bathroom Vanities You'll Love for Any Style

From: Marie Flanigan Interiors

Smoky Sconces

Dial-up the drama in your neutral bathroom with smoky, bell-shaped sconces. Designer Brooke Wagner shows how it's done by matching the color of the glass to the smoky quartz backsplash — which instantly makes the room seem both intriguing and expertly tied together.

From: Brooke Wagner

Vertical Tile

Subway tile had its time to shine. Now it's all about the stacked verticals. Follow designer Regan Baker's lead and lengthen the look of your walk-in shower with upright tiles in a midnight blue or inky black color. Complete your bathroom with brushed brass fixtures to elicit thoughts of stars against the night sky.

See More Photos: Our Fave Bathroom Tile Design Ideas

From: Regan Baker

Wallpaper + Painted Paneling

Give a half-paneled bathroom a new lease on life with fun wallpaper and a fresh coat of paint. Start by finding a print that speaks to you (poodles, French bulldogs and dalmatians, perhaps?) and then let it determine the color palette. A sleek, modern mirror and marble sink with brushed nickel legs complete this fresh powder room.

See More of This Home: Santa Monica Home With Eclectic, Coastal Style

From: Bronwyn Poole

Decked-Out Medicine Cabinet

The medicine cabinet or linen closet is the perfect place to put some patterned contact paper. In this cute and contemporary bathroom, the black-and-white eyes become a fun surprise and cheekily draw attention to the owner's makeup collection. A lipstick print would be equally fitting.

From: Zoe Feldman Design

Catch-All Trays

Little details, like a circular tray on the counter, can take your bathroom design from fine to fabulous. For example, in this shared bathroom from Kate Lester Interiors, the gold-edged tray both complements the vanity hardware and corrals a vase and candle to reduce visual clutter.

From: Kate Lester Interiors

Open Shelves

When in doubt, simplify your bathroom storage with open shelves. The floating wood planks will take up less space than a standard cabinet and encourage you to maintain a truly clutter-free environment. Notice how the experts at North Folk Design Co. equipped the shelves with identical baskets to create a sense of uniformity and help the owners corral loose items.

See More Photos: 40+ Clever Bathroom Storage Ideas

From: North Fork Design Co.

Acrylic Mirror

Can't get enough of your bathroom wallpaper? Showcase every square inch with an acrylic mirror. In this cheerful half bath from designer Lauren Clement, the mirror's gold leaf edges call attention to the wall while the transparent frame reveals more zebras.

From: Lauren Clement

Stone Soaking Tub

This slate soaking tub has all the allure of a stone-surrounded pond. If you're torn between a glossy white or moody gray tub, just know that the latter will give you a rich, earthy aesthetic. Designer Brooke Wagner furthered the away-from-it-all feel with simple furnishings and soft linens.

From: Brooke Wagner

French Doors

You should always consider how your bathroom looks from the outside, too, especially if the space can be accessed from a common area. Frame the view with something special that speaks to your home's unique style, like French doors, factory doors or even a sliding barn door. Designer Leanne Ford ultimately landed on chic black French doors for this farmhouse space to pull the eye in and highlight the home's original architecture.

From: Leanne Ford

Subtle Notes to Self

Forget sticky notes on the bathroom mirror. Seamlessly incorporate your favorite mantra or motivational phrase into your decor by writing it out in penny tile. Designer Kim Lewis opted for "Rise Up," which makes us want to belt "My Shot" from Hamilton, but you could just as easily go with something simple like "Breathe" or cheeky like "Brush Your Teeth."

See More of This Home: Colorful Tiny House With Indoor/Outdoor Living in Joshua Tree

From: Kim Lewis Designs

Above-the-Tub Candles

Here's an easy way to add ambiance to your main bathroom: Install twin sconces over the tub for pillar candles. This will help clear off the edge of the tub and send shadows dancing around the floor while you soak. Designer Kristina Crestin sets the stage for a relaxing night with light wood platforms, glass hurricanes and chunky white candles.

From: Kristina Crestin

Ombre Fish Scales

In a neutral kids' bathroom, scalloped tile can make quite the splash. Reminiscent of fish scales and mermaid tails, this adorable treatment can go behind their vanity or in their stall shower for a cool accent wall. Start with lighter tiles on top and work your way down to the darker ones to recreate this enchanting ombre effect.

From: Corine Maggio

Stained Glass Window

Transform your spa bathroom into a full-blown sanctuary by opting for a stained glass window. If your space is as light and airy as this bathroom from designer Linc Thelen, the stained glass will bathe it in gentle color. And if your space is dark and dramatic? The stained glass will be the ultimate wow factor.

From: Linc Thelen Design

Aquatic Artwork

For a kids' bathroom that's playful and has plenty of staying power, try hanging some hilarious, aquatic-themed artwork. In the past, we've seen everything from "Surf's Up" signs to prints of goldfish wearing shark fins, but this "Beach Barbie" photo definitely takes the cake. Designers used a bubble-gum pink area rug — which can be switched out later on — to drive the theme home.

From: sKout

Plants Aplenty

Plants have been proven to reduce stress and put us at ease. Give humidity-loving ferns or fiddle-leaf figs a permanent spot around your tub, just as designer Kimberly Horton did here, and drape pothos from the ceiling to create the sense of a private oasis.

See More Photos: Plants to Grow in Your Bathroom

From: Kimberly Horton

Capiz Chandelier

Invite glamour and grandeur into your main bathroom with a chandelier. This modern en suite was already a sight to behold with its white marble wainscoting and glossy freestanding tub, but the large capiz chandelier ensures that it's literally dripping with pearlescent splendor.

From: Blackband Design

Floating Vanity

Show off your statement floor (and help the bathroom appear slightly larger) with a floating vanity. The legless design will provide a clear line of sight to the wall while giving you plenty of storage for personal items. Because floating vanities tend to be sleek and modern, pair them with a round mirror to help the space look less stark and more inviting.

From: Natalie Myers

Retro Floors

Make your bathroom feel as cool as the neighborhood coffee shop with a retro-inspired color palette. Designer Kirsten Holmstedt cheekily toed the line between midcentury and modern with a mist-blue vanity, brass pulls and nostalgia-inducing black-and-white penny tile floors.

From: Kirsten Holmstedt

Statement Shower

Pro Tip: If you find an expensive tile pattern you can't live without, put it in your shower. You'll still get the look you love (not to mention effortless depth and drama) without the cost of outfitting the entire bathroom. To keep all eyes on the graphic black-and-white tilework, designer Jean Stoffer wrapped the rest of the space in simple subway tile.

See More Photos: Bathroom Tile Designs That Are Anything But Boring

From: Jean Stoffer

Hanging Mirror

Elongating a small bathroom is as easy as installing a hanging mirror. The key is to place the round glass at about eye-level, and then use the straps to accentuate the height of the ceilings. Though mirrors like this typically come with nautical rope or brown leather, white straps were chosen for this powder room to help the cramped space feel more open.

See More Photos: 50 Small Bathroom Design Ideas & Solutions

From: Christopher Architecture and Interiors

Spa-Ready Stool

Balance the sleek surfaces in your space and put evening essentials (like bath salts, candles and loofas) within arm's reach with a wooden stool. Here, the stool provides a perch for all of the above and makes the soaking tub seem infinitely more luxurious. A carefully styled stool is a great way to upgrade a smaller space, too.

From: Kirsten Holmstedt

Factory-Style Closet

Turn an overlooked linen closet into a striking focal point with factory-style doors. In this modern bathroom from designer Marie Flanigan, the matte black frame perfectly contrasts the white marble walls, while the frosted glass thoughtfully obscures toiletries and towels. The result looks like something you'd find in a boutique hotel.

From: Marie Flanigan Interiors

Patterned Shades

If you're all about understated elegance, introduce patterns and prints in small doses through Roman shades and linens. These accessories will help break up white or neutral walls without overwhelming the bathroom. In this airy retreat, a floral shade and striped towels catch the eye and contribute cheerful color, like a slice of blue sky among the clouds.

From: Kristina Crestin

Double-Duty Curtains

Create the illusion of soaring ceilings by hanging your curtains well past the window. In this exquisite spa bathroom from designer James Farmer, a bamboo shade blocks out the sun, while overly extended pinch-pleated curtains help elongate the room. Added bonus: Double-layering linens like this provides extra comfort and coziness.

See More Photos: 50 (Almost!) Free Bathroom Updates

From: James Farmer

Reclaimed Wood Wall

Reclaimed wood just makes sense for a rustic or country-style bathroom. Lean into your favorite look by crafting a focal wall from unfinished wood planks, as designer Ashley Gilbreath did for this charming powder room. Then cap it off with a bucket sink, round mirror and brass sconces.

From: Ashley Gilbreath

High-Contrast Colors

High-contrast colors and a bright accent wall are a fun way to refresh an older bathroom. To pull off this punchy look, start with a crisp, black-and-white base — think white walls, subway tile for the shower, slate or black marble floors, etc. Then, inject canary yellow, cobalt blue or rose pink via the adjacent wall.

See More Photos: 20 Bathroom Paint Color Ideas

From: Breeze Giannasio

Painted Ceiling

Don't forget the ceiling! Often referred to as "the fifth wall" by designers, ceilings can be painted for unexpected interest and drama. Here, a rich black ceiling presses down on the subway tile walls and suddenly makes the modern space seem much cozier. For best results, choose a color that's slightly darker than the walls.

From: Andrew Suvalsky Designs

40 Wow-Worthy Bathroom Decorating Ideas and Tips

Related To:

Shop This Look

Vintage Rugs

Shiplap Walls

Freestanding Ladder

Floral Wallpaper

High-End Ottoman

Glamorous Vanity Lights

Checkerboard Floors

Cool Pulls

Cheeky Towel Hooks

Beachy Stripes

Oversized Maps

Basin Sink

Vintage Vanity

Smoky Sconces

Vertical Tile

Wallpaper + Painted Paneling

Decked-Out Medicine Cabinet

Catch-All Trays

Open Shelves

Acrylic Mirror

Stone Soaking Tub

French Doors

Subtle Notes to Self

Above-the-Tub Candles

Ombre Fish Scales

Stained Glass Window

Aquatic Artwork

Plants Aplenty

Capiz Chandelier

Floating Vanity

Retro Floors

Statement Shower

Hanging Mirror

Spa-Ready Stool

Factory-Style Closet

Patterned Shades

Double-Duty Curtains

Reclaimed Wood Wall

High-Contrast Colors

Painted Ceiling

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