It’s the one room in a house that you can’t live without: The bathroom. Over the years it has evolved from including the basic necessities to being a spa-like retreat with the latest relaxing amenities and, increasingly, the latest technologies. Designs that range from modern to more traditional can have the latest looks and innovations. Here are some examples of gorgeous bathroom designs and new products to inspire your bathroom upgrades and renovations for 2018.

Free-standing tubs have gained in popularity and now come in sizes to fill all kinds of bathrooms.

The shower door is available in both hinged and sliding models to best fit your space.

Traditional with a bit of edginess is a great way to describe this design.

A modern chair with a colorful upholstered seat add just enough verve!

First up, this bathroom from American Standard’s luxury line, DXV, shows how you can combine a traditional bathroom with leading edge bathroom fixtures. Dark gray paneled walls and a herringbone floor set the stage for modern sconces and a floating, backlit mirror that sit above a floating vanity. A modern, rectangular sink and floating wall unit complete the main section. The wall-mounted toiled is minimalist and helps add a sleek edge to the room.

Cool Bathroom Design Ideas

Full Bathroom Designs

Mirrors with backlighting are becoming common in new bathroom designs.

With the popularity of kitchen islands, it’s logical that the concept is moving to the bathroom. If the square footage of your bathroom is big enough, this is an elegant and very functional option. Not only is the style of this island very chic, it provides a vanity space for applying makeup, donning jewelry or styling your hair. On the other side is the basin. No more leaning over the sink to get close to the mirror! This wonderful design also includes a free-standing tub and a fireplace — the ultimate bathroom luxury.

A modern chair with a colorful upholstered seat add just enough verve!

Fans of more traditional bathroom arrangements will like this one, also from American Standard. A corner shower with a partial glass wall, toilet with a tank, and single basin vanity comprise this tiled bathroom. Any of these elements would be easy to incorporate into an existing bathroom for an instant design refresh.

Cabinet style vanities are popular because they lighten up the feel of the space.

Similar, but more formal, the fixtures in this bathroom echo the architectural style of the room. The toilet lid repeats the edge of the molding and the basin, suspended in a formal but sleek chrome stand, provides an angular look that matches the wainscoted, paneled walls. Glam sconces and a luxurious, muted gray-purple shade of paint on the walls complete the relaxing bathroom design.

Traditional with a bit of edginess is a great way to describe this design.

A more Zen, spa-like feel comes from this bathroom’s unique combination of wall covering, basin shape and cabinets design. Wall-mounted faucets over the round, dark basins have a natural feel, and the design on the wall evoked feelings of running water. The natural wood surround, globe sconces and six-sided minimalist mirrors add to the calm vibe. A dash of luxury comes from the looped glass ceiling fixture.

The elements in this bathroom are ideal for a spa-like space.

The vanity area of the bathroom is separated from the bath section by a glass wall punctuated by a frame that is reminiscent of gazebo shape. The dark matte metal frame is a bit industrial, yet maintains a luxurious yet organic feel to the space. Glass walls also create a division in the space without blocking light or making them feel too small and compartmentalized. Here, the circular design element under the wall also unifies the two parts of the bathroom.

A design that combines elegance and an organic feel is an achievement.

Similar dark basins are used in this bathroom design by Lev2 of Canada. The bespoke millwork and design firm created an entire apartment at IDS Toronto 2018 that included this space. While it uses the same color of basin, the design is more urban chic than Zen, and conveys an entirely different vibe thanks to a different style of vanity, more formal mirrors and a wall covering that mimics a gemstone pattern.

This design also demonstrates how a matte versus shiny porcelain basin affects the look.

Grohe’s bathroom design is decidedly modern and minimalist. The large mirror with backlighting sports rounded corners and a minimalist floating vanity with a single, large basin. It has plenty of counter space for necessities and makes the space feel open because it is not sitting atop a hulking built-in vanity cabinet.

Smaller bathrooms will feel larger with a floating vanity.

New Technologies

An example of how technology is changing the bathroom experience is Grohe’s shower controls. The smart shower controls here are integrate on a shelf. It not only allows you to control each fixture, but it also allows users to adjust the size of the water drops and volume of the spray — as well as the temperature. We love that it’s also a little shelf!

This is just one of Grohe’s smart control styles.

In an innovative use of technology, Oceania’s Tahoe 66 tub can be turned into the ultimate skin care product with the company’s NanoSens jet system. The jets are unlike any other spa-type tub because the system oxygenates the water with micro bubbles that can penetrate pores. Oceania reps say that this improves skin moisturization, making it baby-soft and, and even easing skin conditions such as eczema.

Technology is expending skin care to bathroom elements like tubs.

Great for Small Spaces

Zitta showers already incorporate a number of highly desirable features, and this year the company added an integrated heated towel rack. This makes the most of bathroom space by using the side of the shower wall, which typically is not functional. It is also a very useful concept for bathrooms where wall space is at a premium, which often makes added a heated towel rack impossible.

The corner shower also features a seat and long drain.

Tighter spaces don’t have to mean fewer amenities, as demonstrated by this linear mounted bathtub from Oceania. The Optimale model allows the bathtub and glass shower to be installed in a linear fashion — offering another option for a small bathroom. The “in-line” arrangement is a contemporary look that increases the functionality of the bathroom, providing a separate tub and shower, as opposed to the ubiquitous tub/shower combo found in nearly every home.

The shower door is available in both hinged and sliding models to best fit your space.

Produits Neptune ‘s angular tub is easy to fit into a smaller space, such as an alcove. The five-foot tub comes in models that can be dropped in, or not. This one, set into an alcove surrounded by natural wood gives it the soaking tub an organic feeling, especially since its deep and roomy.

Soaking tubs do not have to be free-standing or oversized to offer a relaxing bath experience.

Trendy finishes and fixtures

Another new design this year focuses on architectural details. Following the trend of black framed doors and windows, this shower has a matte black frame that sits on the outside of the glass, leaving the inside seam-free and a snap to clean. Zitta’s shower glass is also coated to resist spotting and ease cleaning. The look is perfect for an urban bathroom design that needs a bit of edginess or for an industrial element in other bathroom design styles.

This has more style than the typical glass shower enclosure.

Similarly, this free-standing Zitta bathtub features a matte black finish that matches the shower frame. Whether for fixtures or hardware, matte black is becoming a big thing in kitchens and bathrooms. Its versatility and quiet sophistication mean that it works with many styles and can be used as an accent or a major design theme. Either way, designers say more clients are requesting matte black elements.

Free-standing tubs have gained in popularity and now come in sizes to fill all kinds of bathrooms.

Speaking of matte black, Oceania’s Tahoe 66 tub is a free-standing model that has a rectangular top and an oval bottom. This makes it easy to incorporate in tighter space, especially because it has thin ledges that allow for more space inside the tub. Sloping tub walls keep it as comfortable as a more rounded version.

This tub combines two popular shapes.

Of course, injecting some of your own style into the bathroom doesn’t have to be limited to wall coverings or accessories. Fleurco‘s tub features a print on the outside. While this one was designed to be a promotional item, highlighting the company’s style and quality, it opens the door to design ideas that are uniquely your own when it comes to designing a singular bathroom retreat for your home.

With a print, free-standings tub offer yet another decor element for the bathroom.

More Surface Options

Options for bathroom surfaces have also expanded, giving homeowners more choice in types style, look and durability. Vicostone, is an engineered stone made from up to 93% pure natural quartz aggregates. The stone is combined with a polymer resin and color powder, making it harder, more durable and lower maintenance than many natural stones. Here, it is shown as a tub surround in a design that adds plenty of space for bathing necessities.

Vicostone can be used in kitchens, so it is certainly durable enough for the bathroom as well.

The rapid pace of technology and evolving styles continue to change the look of bathrooms. Trends may come and go, but they are all leaving their mark on the level of style and functionality that we expect from a bathroom, compared to the days when the newest fixtures were all we needed.

Artistic elements

The bathroom can often be a very impersonal looking space because there might not be much opportunity for adding art and decor accessories. Now, the basic fixtures in the bathroom can express more of your personality and add some artistic flair to the area. Whether it is a colored fixture or one that sports a very expressive print, the designs will help create a one-of-a kind bathroom look.

With a profile that appears more like an outline than a whole fixture, this 3D-printed faucet makes it look like the water is coming out of thin air. Actually, it travels through the thin frame to stream from the tap. While the overall vibe is very architectural, it’s truly a technology-forward design both in respect to the form as well as the way it functions.

A spectacular basin is a grand design statement for the bathroom and there’s no better example of this than the Kohler Dutchmaster in Blush Floral. Lifelike flowers bloom from a dark background on a round vessel, but the fixture is also available as a rectangle for a slightly more modern feel.

If print is not your thing, a colored basin can amp up the style as well. More sophisticated than the old-fashioned pink or gold fixtures that graced 1960s bathrooms, these have a minimalist profile and color tones that fit today’s décor sensibilities. These from Kast Concrete Basins have the streamlined look that many people are looking for in an interesting range of color options.

Experiential Showers

In an effort to make at-home showering more like an indulgence than a necessity, manufacturers are adding all sorts of features to showers. Even the lowly showerhead has gotten some major upgrades from the basic massaging heads or rainfall showers to options with lighting, aromatherapy or steam functions. It’s all up to what you want most out of your showering experience, which definitely no longer needs to be basic.

Even smaller showers can benefit from a fixture upgrade. A small showerhead can still incorporate functions like lighting for ambiance as well as feature a more modern style of fixture. The long base of this design sits atop the wall, giving the fixture a more dramatic profile and allowing the head to hang from above rather than stick straight out from the wall. This provides the experience of a rainfall shower without the need for a giant showerhead in the ceiling.

In a large shower space, Alape’s minimalist fixtures create a very spa-like feeling. The sleek wall controls include sprayers and a hand-held unit, and on the ceiling, a large rainfall showerhead provides another option for bathing and relaxing.

Colorful Environments

Just as colorful cabinetry is trending in kitchen designs, it is also increasingly popping up in bathrooms. Painted cabinets are a great way to inject a bigger dose of color into the bathroom space, no matter the style of tiling and walls. This is especially true if the overall look of the bathroom tends to be on the boring side.

This elegant, largely neutral bathroom is seriously perked up by the apple green cabinetry used for the vanity. The color is picked up in some of the stripes of the drapery panels on the window, but otherwise the vanity is the only pop of color. Painted vanity cabinets are a great way to freshen up the look of the bathroom without really renovating.

More muted tones can also liven up a bathroom: A pink palette certainly distinguishes this one. The key to keeping a look like this fresh and not too old-school is the combination of the pink cabinets and vanity top with a modern white toilet and undermounted sink. In addition, the terrazzo shower with an architectural sliding door really brings the space into the modern era.