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  4. Our 34 Best Bathroom Ideas for a Relaxing Retreat

Our 34 Best Bathroom Ideas for a Relaxing Retreat

Southern Living May 2021 Cover
By Southern Living Editors Updated June 14, 2022
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Keep it Comfortable
Credit: Photo by Nancy Nolan

Bath décor doesn't have to be all about function—beautiful form makes all the difference between a ho-hum room and a relaxing retreat. You can save space with sliding doors or add light with glass ones, consider adding features like a soaking tub and a spa shower, and preserve historic details or use clean, modern lines. Try keeping a large bedroom bath fresh and airy with neutrals or ramp up the style in a small one with pattern and color. With a little imagination, you can transform a sideboard into a dual-sink vanity, turn a vintage cabinet into a compact linen closet, or hide plumbing and add storage with well-placed cabinetry. So explore our favorite bathroom decorating ideas, and let us inspire you to dream up a few of your own. Creative bath décor will absolutely change the way you think of this key area of your home, whether you're building, remodeling, or just dreaming.

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Go for Pattern

Go for Pattern
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Patterned wallpaper brings style to small spaces. This bath gets its pretty palette from a medallion-print wallpaper above wainscotting. Add in a porcelain console sink for extra cottage charm.

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Let in Light

Let in Light
Credit: Photo  Laurey W. Glenn / Styling Matthew Gleason

A trio of windows, set a little higher than usual, lets in lots of light while still allowing for privacy. The chandelier and marble floors make the bath feel like a luxe retreat in this home on the Louisiana Gulf. The patterned wallpaper adds personality, but with those cool colors, soaking in the tub would be serene.

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Splurge on the Shower

Splurge in the Shower
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

The shower is a small and defined space where you can afford a little splurge, whether it's on amazing shower-heads or sensational tile. The light blue hue of this Carrara marble floor and shower will make you feel as if you are showering in the ocean. Brass fixtures emphasize the blues in this spa-like room.

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Open Up the Space

Open Up the Space
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn and Robbie Caponetto

Give your main suite flow by installing French doors and glass walls. Instead of a basic doorway between this main bedroom and bath, architects visually opened up the bedroom suite by designing a glass wall as a divider, with grommeted curtain panels that can be pulled for privacy. This look is both beautiful and versatile.

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Choose a Freestanding Vanity

Choose a Freestanding Vanity
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

A hand-painted, marble-topped sink base looks more like antique furniture rather than a standard built-in bath cabinet. A distressed chair, vintage-style light figures, and wall cladding add even more charm. Using furniture in the bath makes it feel cozy and lived in.

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Save Money with Beaded Board

Save Money with Beaded Board
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn

Beaded-board walls cost less than tile, and a semi-gloss paint makes it easy to clean, too. To ease installation, use 4- x 8-foot plywood sheets. The vertical lines of the beaded board make this bath look taller.

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Keep it Comfortable

Keep it Comfortable
Credit: Photo by Nancy Nolan

Floor-to-ceiling linen draperies can create a relaxed atmosphere and add softness, privacy, and light filtration to your main bath. Draperies can be used to hide the unattractive or to frame a dramatic, breath-taking view. Here, a chandelier also draws attention to the vaulted ceiling.

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Design a Modern Tub Surround

Design a Modern Tub Surround
Credit: Photo John O’Hagan / Styling Alan Henderson

Dress up your room with a sophisticated tub surround by enclosing a freestanding bathtub with wood. The sturdy, low wooden box that was designed to house this tub has the feel of a sauna. Wood cabinets and warm tiles blend seamlessly with the star feature of this room.

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Add a Little Sparkle

Add a Little Sparkle
Credit: Photo: Hector Sanchez

The homeowner relocated the tub and tucked it into a cozy surround that includes a pair of glass-shelved hanging cabinets and an inset beveled mirror. The mirror adds sparkle and enlarges the space, while the rows of open shelving give the room lots of storage and a vintage-apothecary feel. There's a lot going on in this tiny room, but the classic black-and-white palette with brass accents keeps things from looking chaotic. The millwork's lacquered finish adds depth and polish, and the traditional pattern of the marble hex floor tile is a nod toward the house's 1930s roots.

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Use Local Accents

Use Local Accents
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn, Robbie Caponetto

Keep your bath from feeling too generic by including local materials. A shell-encrusted mirror adds softness to the sleek marble bath and clean, white walls of this coastal bath. The wood-paneled ceiling is another special touch.

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Wrap the Room in Tile

Wrap the Room in Tile

Gray tilework on the floors, along the walls, and as the tub surround unifies the area. A modern console sink adds to the streamlined look, while a series of frosted glass panels provides a unique privacy screen for the bath.

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Include a Linen Closet

Include a Linen Closet

It's unlikely that you'll ever hear someone complain about having too much storage. Here, plentiful linen and toiletry storage is integrated into a large wall in the bath. But this room is so much more than just a spot to store towels—mosaic tiles and a flower arrangement make this space special.

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Save Space with a Sliding Door

Save Space with a Sliding Door
Credit: Photo Laurey W. Glenn and Robbie Caponetto / Styling Matthew Gleason

A standard swinging door can take a lot of floor space in your bath, but a sliding door is convenient and compact. A modern barn door slides along a track to close off this bath. The bright saffron color ties in with the saffron-and-gray bedding for a more updated look.

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Make Your Escape

Make Your Escape
Credit: Photography Van Chaplin, Charles Walton IV / Styling Buffy Hargett

Bring the relaxation home with a spa-inspired main bath. The  textured grass cloth wall coverings and curtains paired with dramatically dark flooring make this bath feel like a resort. Provide candles to light whenever you'd like a romantic soak.

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Give Natural Wood a Starring Role

Give Natural Wood a Starring Role

There's no need to paint all of your surfaces. Use stain-grade natural wood to give a depth of color and tone to your space. The honey-colored cabinetry, flooring, and trim featured in this room take center stage when accented by the deep red linens and rug.

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Add Historic Character

Add Historic Character with Classic Materials
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn / Styling: Anne Turner Carroll

There are thousands of amazing tile options available, but some staples will always be classics. Created from unused attic space, this bath glistens with classic white subway and reproduction hexagonal floor tile. Pedestal sinks and medicine cabinets  emphasize the historic character of this bath.

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Think Beyond the Bath

Think Beyond the Bath
Credit: Photo by: Tria Giovan, Styling by: Matthew Gleason

Painted black, the window frame extends the eye outward. The completely enclosed courtyard esures this bath is totally private—no window treatments required! Go floor to ceiling for ultimate visual impact.

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Hide Clutter with Baskets

Hide Clutter with Baskets
Credit: Photo Robbie Caponetto and Charles Walton IV / Styling Buffy Hargett

If you have open shelves, use large baskets to corral small toiletries and accessories. Here, each sink has its own dedicated bin to keep his-and-hers from getting jumbled together. A pair of mirrors hangs over the double sinks.

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Install Multiply Shower Fixtures

Multiply Shower Fixtures

Dual overhead showerheads and hand-held sprayer options are the stars of this large and luxurious shower space. A long shelf lets you grab the scrub brush no matter which side you choose. Bright white tiles and a glass surround keep this ample shower from swallowing up the room.

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Use a Unifying Color

Decorate with Trim & Molding

There is a lot happening in this bathroom, but the window trim and built-ins are painted a pale green to unify the room. Preserving original features like an old fireplace or a wood-cladded ceiling makes a bath truly unique. The tile border on the floor echoes the look of trim.

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Add Built-Ins

Add Built-Ins
Credit: Photo Tria Giovan, Styling Olga Naiman

Storage always seems to be in short supply. Cabinets under these windows conceal the tub's plumbing lines, provide storage for towels and bath products, and create a display space for plants and artwork. A set of short curtains covering the bottom half of the windows allows for privacy when you take a soak.

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Camouflage a Laundry Room

Camouflage a Laundry Room
Credit: Photo: Laurey Glenn

Double-louvered doors keep the washer and dryer neatly tucked away in a separate tiny room when they are not in use. Keeping the bath and laundry spaces the same color creates cohesiveness and allows them to function as one room.

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Organize with Vintage Pieces

Organize with Vintage Pieces
Credit: Photo: Erica George Dines

For a personal touch, add storage and style with an antique cabinet. This homeowner stores towels and toiletries in a green vintage dental cabinet. Fabric bins and baskets stow away small items you don't want to see.

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Mix Materials

Mix Materials

Don't feel hemmed in by one particular style. Unexpected combinations lend an eclectic sensibility to your bath. Luxurious materials, like marble, are juxtaposed with rough beams and concrete floors in this space.

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Include an Alcove

Include an Alcove
Credit: Laurey W. Glenn / Styling Scott Martin

Don't overlook small ways to incorporate convenient storage. A decorative tiled alcove next to the tub in this bath is a great place for soaps and other toiletries. The deep blue hue makes it a feature instead of just practical.

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Try User-Friendly Design

Try User-Friendly Design

Make as many elements adjustable as possible. Mirrors hung on a pivot point are versatile and user-friendly, and allow multiple people to make use of the powder room. A built-in bench provides a spot to sit and additional storage.

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Use a Nonstandard Vanity

Use a Non-Standard Vanity

Instead of purchasing a standard vanity, repurpose a vintage piece of case furniture with a new top and plumbing fixtures. This black-lacquered sideboard makes a perfect double sink with a few modifications. A striking wallpaper and rug further tailor the space.

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Use Clean Lines

Use Clean Lines

For a contemporary look, use furnishings and materials with crisp, straight lines and unadorned surfaces. The clean doors and drawers of this vanity are echoed in the floor tile. Rectangular sink bowls add to the modern feel.

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Use Classical Shapes

Use Classical Shapes

Instantly bring architectural character by using classic structural shapes in your furniture and accessories. The gothic arch in the vanity cabinet doors is repeated in the mirror. Candelabra light fixtures make the space even more reminiscent of an old villa.

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Coordinate Colors

Coordinate Colors

Put a twist on your bedroom color scheme to unify your main suite. This patterned wallpaper coordinates with the minty green walls in the bedroom. The floral pattern and delicate cage of a chandelier add a feminine touch.

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Try a Tall Backsplash

Try a Tall Backsplash

Exaggerate the height of your backsplash for a luxurious look that isn't arbitrary. Lining it up with the window mullions and mirror tops create a clean, unbroken horizontal line around the room.

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Look for Creative Ways To Add Seating

Look for Creative Ways to Add Seating

Don't just allow for plumbing parts in your tub surround. This wood tub surround has enough depth to do double duty as a bench. It's the perfect place to sit while you add scented salts to your bath.

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Make a Statement With the Floor

Use Practical Materialsr Bath
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

"Laid out in a pattern, this Ann Sacks tile gives the same graphic punch as a painted floor but is much more practical for a bath," says designer Phoebe Howard. A light wall color allows the large, geometric pattern to take center stage.

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Use Mirrors in Creative Ways

Use Mirrors in Creative Ways

Get the look of French doors without losing privacy. Substitute mirrors for clear glass window panels. The mirrored doors also enlarge the room in a way that's tres chic.

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    Everything in This Slideshow

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    1 of 34 Go for Pattern
    2 of 34 Let in Light
    3 of 34 Splurge on the Shower
    4 of 34 Open Up the Space
    5 of 34 Choose a Freestanding Vanity
    6 of 34 Save Money with Beaded Board
    7 of 34 Keep it Comfortable
    8 of 34 Design a Modern Tub Surround
    9 of 34 Add a Little Sparkle
    10 of 34 Use Local Accents
    11 of 34 Wrap the Room in Tile
    12 of 34 Include a Linen Closet
    13 of 34 Save Space with a Sliding Door
    14 of 34 Make Your Escape
    15 of 34 Give Natural Wood a Starring Role
    16 of 34 Add Historic Character
    17 of 34 Think Beyond the Bath
    18 of 34 Hide Clutter with Baskets
    19 of 34 Install Multiply Shower Fixtures
    20 of 34 Use a Unifying Color
    21 of 34 Add Built-Ins
    22 of 34 Camouflage a Laundry Room
    23 of 34 Organize with Vintage Pieces
    24 of 34 Mix Materials
    25 of 34 Include an Alcove
    26 of 34 Try User-Friendly Design
    27 of 34 Use a Nonstandard Vanity
    28 of 34 Use Clean Lines
    29 of 34 Use Classical Shapes
    30 of 34 Coordinate Colors
    31 of 34 Try a Tall Backsplash
    32 of 34 Look for Creative Ways To Add Seating
    33 of 34 Make a Statement With the Floor
    34 of 34 Use Mirrors in Creative Ways

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