Bathroom Design Ideas: Tips for Designing a Modern Bathroom 

When you think of modern bathrooms, you probably think of spaces that feel, well, spacious. The color palette you choose is going to play one of the biggest roles in creating that spaciousness, regardless of the actual square footage of your bathroom.

To make a small bathroom feel bigger, we recommend sticking to light neutrals as your primary color palette with darker tones brought in subtly. For example, you might pair white walls with matte black hardware. You might choose a marbled shower wall like Jacuzzi’s Midnight Storm and use a soft grey to refinish your bathroom cabinetry.

If you’re remodeling a large bathroom, you have more opportunities to play with color without making your bathroom appear smaller. In this case, you might choose dramatic colors like black or navy as your primary color palette paired with luxurious shower wall colors like Jacuzzi’s Champagne Travertine.

Whether you’re scrolling Pinterest or flipping through design magazines, you’ll notice that modern bathrooms are clean and well-organized. The problem is that your current bathroom doesn’t have the storage to support easy organization, and you don’t have the time to clean up a messy space every day. What can you do?

As you’re designing your new bathroom, consider the ways you can incorporate storage that works with your layout. This can be as simple as adding a shelving system that fits over the back of your toilet tank or as durable as adding built-in shelving to your new walk-in shower.

Ultimately, the goal is to make sure that everything you use on a regular basis has a designated, easy-to-access home. For example, a recessed shelf in the tub-shower combo can keep you from cluttering shampoo bottles on the tub ledge. Extra hooks can keep used towels and bathrobes off the floor.

Creating a clean, modern design isn’t just about organization (although that will go a long way). You can also create a clean aesthetic through the lines and shapes you use in your bathroom.

For example, you can incorporate organic shapes and textures with shower walls that resemble natural stone and greenery, whether real or fake.

You can balance those organic shapes with geometric shapes in the form of globe lights, frameless round or diamond-shaped vanity mirrors, and minimalist artwork.

Modern design comes to life when you invest in two key factors: quality and functionality. Everything should be built to last and every design element should serve a purpose beyond aesthetics (with the exception of the occasional piece of wall art).

If you don’t want to budget for an entire bathroom makeover, consider focusing your main efforts on the area of the bathroom that tends to get the most wear: your tub and shower area. Replacing old tile and grout with something like acrylic not only refreshes the look but also increases the waterproofing and improves the cleaning routine. Adding something like grab shelves makes your tub or shower more accessible while also increasing storage.

How can you budget for a key upgrade like a tub-to-shower conversion or tub-shower replacement? Take a look at our pricing overview to get a ballpark estimate based on the type and scope of your remodel.

Looking for small, quick, or inexpensive changes you can make in your bathroom to support a more modern design? Try some of the following tips:

• Match up your countertop accessories: If you keep things like a toothbrush holder, hand soap dispenser, or organizing tray on your bathroom vanity, use items with the same color, texture, or finish to create cohesion.
• Replace your vanity mirror: If possible through simple DIY methods, consider replacing an outdated bathroom mirror with a round, diamond-shaped, or otherwise eye-catching mirror with either a frame that matches your hardware or a frameless finish.
• Go neutral on linens and textiles: Replace your bathmat, window treatments, shower curtain, and towel set with matching neutral tones, whether that’s something light in a small bathroom or dramatic and dark in a large bathroom.
• Choose a single pop of color: We’ve talked a lot about neutrals, but if you know you’re going to miss having more color in your bathroom, try to narrow it down to one color that you can incorporate through small touches.

Modern bathrooms bring a contemporary feel without diving into fleeting trends. With this guide, you can modernize your bathroom in a timeless way that you’ll love today, tomorrow, and ten years from now.

Realizing modern design might not be the only style that catches your eye? Take a look at our guide to matching Jacuzzi shower walls to your design style.