Because why should the washroom be all business?
Our most private spaces are the ones we often neglect, and bathrooms are at the very top of that list. Often this is where we relegate the sad old towels we got a decade ago at TJ Maxx, hang the worst of our art over the toilet, and place a nondescript wastebasket in the corner. But if you think about it, bathrooms are actually the rooms we use, without a doubt, every single day of our lives, so why not make sure they are a place you actually want to be? Bath Shower Mixers
For inspiration, we’ve looked to the ELLE DECOR archives. Every home we feature brings us bathrooms we never thought we would see, whether it's a graciously sized bathroom in a Renaissance castle or a tiny powder room in a single family home. Sometimes the secret to an extra-special space is paring it back to its bare bones. And sometimes a small bathroom is the perfect opportunity to try that crazy wallpaper you love but don’t have the stomach for anywhere else. Whatever your whimsy, you’re sure to find a jumping-off point in the 85 ideas we’ve outlined below. Enjoy!
Tucked away though they often are, a bathroom still needs a vibe. In the powder room of this David Lucido–designed Los Angeles home, brown textured plaster walls provide the perfect base for rich, seductive textures elsewhere.
Powder rooms are the perfect opportunity for the kind of busy, all-over print that would overwhelm a larger room. In this bathroom, design firm Alton Bechara used wallpaper by Aux Abris with repeating lips and stars. The sink is by Devon & Devon, and the mirror is vintage.
To keep things fun and still simple, Bryan Young opted for a straightforward sink and mirror, while covering the walls of this powder room in Flavor Paper’s Camellias wallpaper. “It’s a bit like Alice in Wonderland,” he says.
In the bathroom of Pierre Yovanovitch’s 17th-century Provence chateau, things are kept decidedly up to date. The grandness of the bathroom is in its scale, with more space than one would ever need to bathe, allowing for a minimalist masterpiece of a fireplace to command all the attention. The tub is by Agape, the fittings and towel rack are by Dornbracht, and the floor is marble.
If you have the freedom to start from scratch, consider using only one (maybe two!) materials. In this bathroom by Paradowski Studio, a chunk of Calacatta Viola marble surrounds the shower.
If you want to provide visual interest in your apartment with a low lift, why not focus on the ceiling? In the bathroom of photographer William Waldron’s Hudson Valley farmhouse, stripes in calming hues were painted on the ceiling and everything else left white. The effect is sharp, relaxing, and modern.
Anyone who peers into a mirror is often (and understandably) focused on the reflection it shines back, but this sweet powder room encourages you to stop and enjoy the fixture itself. When she was designing children’s book author Amanda Henke’s lake house, Anne Macdonald sprang for a Scandinavian midcentury mirror that commands attention.
In the bathroom of Paolo Castellarin and Didier Bonnin’s northern Italian home, travertine covers the walls like a lush velvet. Complemented by very few furnishings—an antique mirror and sconces primarily—the travertine does all the talking on its own.
Just because your bathroom is on the smaller side doesn’t mean it has to be snoozy. In this Greenwich Village studio, William Cullum made the ultimate statement with electric pink walls and a matching marbled shower curtain, courtesy of Voutsa.
In the maximalist Aspen wonderland Patrick Mele created for a special client, color and print reign supreme. The same goes for the primary bathroom, where a French 19th-century bust shares space with a Murano chandelier, a Burmese Bombay blackwood chair, Schumacher curtains, and a Victoria & Albert tub.
Tiles are a great way to protect your walls from excess moisture—be it a steamy shower or some water droplets on the sink—but they’re also packed with plenty of design inspiration. If you can’t settle on one style, select a few and strategically place them to create an optical illusion. Fabrizio Casiraghi nailed the look in this Paris bathroom.
You can both hit Tudor-revival notes and communicate crisp modernity when you pick the right materials, scale, and finishes. In this California house designed by Lauren Geremia, a freestanding timber tub pairs nicely with vintage-inspired fittings, and minimal cement floor tiles balance out wood wall paneling. A glance out of the diamond-glass-paned window can take you either forward in time or back.
This house might be in Aspen, but there’s no moose taxidermy in sight! Designer Charlotte Moss turned her bathroom into a room appropriate for conversation as much as a rinse off. A Lee Jofa fabric covers the walls and curtains, and a John Rosselli chandelier hangs from the ceiling.
For a bathroom that’s packed with timeless appeal, juxtapose different sources of inspiration. For her project in Bedford, New York, Heidi Caillier paired a bold and blooming wallcovering from Pierre Frey with a bamboo-inspired mirror and Urban Electric Company’s contemporary sconces. The final product: A powder room that gleefully beats to its own drum.
If you want to spruce up an older bathroom—without undergoing a full renovation—take a cue from designer Mary Celeste Beall’s Knoxville, Tenn., home. In this bathroom, she pairs a glamorous wallpaper repeat by Florence Broadhurst with the opulent sink and vanity, both of which are original to the space.
For some much-needed and appreciated privacy, add a dividing wall to a larger bathroom. The key, however, is to make sure neither side skimps on style. Jessica Davis of Atelier Davis perfected the balance in this California Bay Area home with the help of bright tiles from Ipax, a custom vanity decked out with Nest hardware, and thoughtful wall sculptures, courtesy of Katie Gong.
Decorating a bathroom for two? No problem. In this Austin, Texas, home, Paul Lamb created a dynamic duo of matching showers, vanities, and sinks. A lone soaking tub anchors the space, offering symmetry with a twist.
If you’re blessed with a spectacular sight, why not cherish it? In designer Tamsin Johnson’s Sydney home, she placed the standalone tub right next to the windows, which just so happen to feature a private vista of the city's Double Beach Bay.
Hypnotic patterns take center stage in this Palm Beach bathroom, which is swathed in Voutsa’s Judy Stripe Blue and Purple wallpaper. Create the same visual impact in your space by adding your favorite feisty repeat to your area’s often-neglected fifth wall.
If you want to show off your good taste and your encyclopedic knowledge of interiors, look to the past for inspiration. Design darling Home Studios decked out this Fort Greene, Brooklyn, home's bathroom with Le Corbusier–inspired wall murals by artist Kimmy Quillin, a Giallo Siena marble sink base, and high-contrast tiles from Clé.
Kelsey Mulvey is a freelance lifestyle journalist, who covers shopping and deals for Good Housekeeping, Women's Health, and ELLE Decor, among others. Her hobbies include themed spinning classes, Netflix, and nachos.
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