Bathroom Design
Bathroom Design: Let Your Personality Shine
Take a bathroom from standard to standout with special storage, your favorite colors and salvaged treasures
Wouldn’t it be dull if our homes all looked the same? Many bathrooms follow the conventional approach with tidy built-in cabinetry and matching fixtures. If you don’t want a cookie-cutter bathroom, however, there are lots of ways to give it an original twist with minimal effort and modest expenditure. Take inspiration from these distinctive bathrooms.
Freestanding furniture such as vintage dressing tables, chests of drawers, glass-fronted display cabinets and linen cabinets are coming out of bedrooms and living areas and heading into bathrooms. Stripped of decades of paint, warm and tactile grainy wood offsets hard shiny surfaces. If you love the look of classic pedestal sinks, tall cabinets like these make up for lost storage.
A bonus is that you can always move freestanding furniture to another room or take it with you if you relocate.
A bonus is that you can always move freestanding furniture to another room or take it with you if you relocate.
This farmhouse bathroom had a practical modern makeover, but it remains true to its character with a repurposed antique worktable made into a vanity. A down-to-earth recycled wood countertop is an unexpected contrast to the sleek surroundings.
Note that converting a vintage piece into a vanity if often best left to a professional, as plumbing must conform to building standards, and heights may need to be adjusted.
Note that converting a vintage piece into a vanity if often best left to a professional, as plumbing must conform to building standards, and heights may need to be adjusted.
Work with wicker. We’re in love with natural fibers right now, so look for hand-woven baskets and hampers with plenty of texture and irregularities — imperfection is in! Choose earthy tactile pieces in cane, bamboo, reed, rattan, willow and water hyacinth. This charming bathroom sports robust baskets and a vintage side table converted into a vanity. A curvy sink and faucets keep the look fresh.
Show off shelves. A simple shelving unit makes a stylish statement in this bathroom, made all the more elegant because of the lack of clutter. Open compartments show off a subtle wall color and don’t crowd the space. Painted any color you like or stained a deep warm wood tone, shelving is a practical and inexpensive storage solution.
Hang in there. Bathroom hardware has undergone a revolution and offers far more variety now than traditional polished or brushed chrome. As stylish as these new choices are, it’s more fun to hunt down vintage and antique knobs and knockers to hang hand towels on or even to attach to a bathroom door. This lovable brass whale would elicit a smile every time you saw it.
Knockers have largely been replaced by electric doorbells, and smaller lightweight doors no longer need pulls. Luckily this means that lots of superseded door hardware has accumulated in flea markets and salvage shops. Imagine if your foraging uncovered a find like this equine beauty, just made for repurposing as a towel ring.
Show your true colors. We often choose the all-white route for bathrooms, for practical reasons and because they never seem to go out of style. If all-white leaves you cold, add a color you love and boost your bathroom’s character. This children’s bathroom has no built-in storage, so the owners opted for a vintage desk painted a sunny yellow and revamped with crystal knobs, and a matching cane-backed chair.
You Can Turn That Into a Bathroom Vanity?
You Can Turn That Into a Bathroom Vanity?
The owners of this bathroom chose smoky-plum walls, crisp white tile and pink accessories. The palette nods to on-trend colors, while the wall cabinets bring to mind old-fashioned shaving cabinets from the 1940s and ’50s. Put together, it’s an interesting balance of modern and traditional.
Linger on a lounge. The last word in luxury is a bathroom big enough for a full-length sofa, chaise or daybed. If you’re lucky enough to have the space, forget subtle and go to town with bold fabrics and zingy color contrasts. This bathroom is basically white with a small pattern on the tiled floor. Its personality shines, however, from a mix of black and white shapes, accents of rich yellow and the dramatic zigzag upholstery fabric. Note the space-saving style of the backless slim-line sofa.
Another idea for a bigger bathroom, a gorgeous inviting daybed piled with pillows would be the perfect spot for pampering your feet or just chilling out after a relaxing bath. With cute repurposed cabinets and a claw-foot tub, this pale bathroom avoids any hint of sterility and looks fresh and original.
Choose a chair. With less space to spare, you may be able to squeeze in a stunning chair. What a difference it can make to a bathroom’s ambiance. With no other purpose than to add a touch of decadence, a leopard-print upholstered bergère chair — along with a sheepskin rug and a delicate gilded table — makes this bathroom a mouthwatering, luxurious sanctuary.
Picking an Accent Chair: What’s Your Design Personality?
Picking an Accent Chair: What’s Your Design Personality?
It doesn’t take a lot to boost a bathroom from bland to memorable, and choosing vintage pieces isn’t the only way to give it something special. If you’re not into repurposing and restoring, but thrive in a modern minimalist space instead, check out this sleek, clean-cut bathroom. It’s elegant and quite plain — what a great move to position that sensational rocking chair so it pulls all eyes to its quirky angles and curves.
Find a cool stool. Even the smallest bathroom has space for a stool or two. They multitask as bath-side tables, step stools, plant stands, doorstops and more. For a stool as good-looking as it is useful, look for a chunky chap like this one in rugged recycled wood.
The owner of this narrow bathroom was undaunted when it came to packing in personality. With the stool-cum-mini vanity, brass sink, dusty-blue exposed brick and eclectic accessories, it’s a tiny treasure that makes a lasting impression.
Catch the drift. There’s something about driftwood that makes us think of salty air and sandy feet, about where it has been and how far it has traveled. Its fantastical shapes, wave-worn texture and bleached silvery grain have inspired many creative uses, but this vanity support must be unique. Shell mirror frames and boat-cleat door handles are nautical touches in this unforgettable beachside bathroom.
Go for rust and retro. Everything in this unconventional bathroom is recycled, upcycled, revamped, repainted, repurposed, restored and reborn. Its owner travels to the beat of her own drum, and this bathroom certainly isn’t short on personality!
Tell us: What have you done to give your bathroom character? Share a photo in the Comments.
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Before built-in cabinetry, kitchens had freestanding cupboards and dressers with shelving, drawers and compartments. They were made to last in solid wood and metal, not particleboard and veneer like much of the modern furniture available today. With vintage style being all the rage, a kitchen cupboard like this retro green beauty may not come cheap, but you’re paying for a versatile piece with the bonus of history and character.