Timeless Elegance to Trendy Chic: Design Your Dream Bathroom - 4 Styles You'll Love!

How to design a bathroom? There are many steps and factors that you need to consider before you get started. Some say that your bathroom is almost like your very own spa. It’s a room in your house where you go to relax by taking a hot shower or soaking in the bathtub with wine and a movie. Which is why it’s important to think about the layout of your brand-new bathroom and which kind of style you might be going for. There are many bathrooms design that can be suited towards your needs and your families.

In this article:

• Modern bathroom designs
• Contemporary bathrooms
• Traditional bathrooms
• Cottage and Vintage bathrooms
• Rustic Bathrooms
• Industrial bathrooms

Contemporary Bathroom Design Ideas – How to Design a Contemporary Bathroom

There are many bathrooms design NZ that can be suited to your home. As you know there are many different bathroom styles available to you. Our contemporary bathroom design ideas reflect a more design approach with flowing curves, hard angles, and geometric patterns. This bathroom design is starting to appear more in homes nowadays as we move away from traditional bathroom design. Of course, this is all about preference. So, if you’re move interested in a traditional bathroom design then we can make that happen for you.

What is the difference between contemporary bathroom design and modern bathroom design? Firstly, the main difference are the years. Modern design begun around 1920s and 1930s. Secondly, you can also tell the difference between the two based on the different looks. Modern bathroom design is characterized by clean lines, neutral colours, and natural materials. This will help give the house or the bathroom a minimalistic aesthetic.

Contemporary bathroom design often draw inspiration from modernism and mid-century modern and doesn’t commit to a single aesthetic. It can have many different aesthetics, but they all tie together and make the room look nice and not overwhelming, Contemporary bathrooms also use glass and metal materials to even copper as this can work very well in a contemporary bathroom style. Which is why this bathroom style gets mistaken for a modern bathroom style.

Whilst traditional bathroom style use more wood, stone, and porcelain materials. Whereas contemporary bathroom designs use synthetics material like laminates and plastics, granite, stone, and stainless steel. This is what you’ll see in a contemporary bathroom. When trying to see which style is which, keep an eye out on the materials that are used, and you’ll have a rough idea.

Guide to small bathroom renovations 

8 Elements of a Contemporary Bathroom Design in NZ

1.    Clean Lines

Contemporary bathrooms feature unbroken horizontal lines. Curvy, undulating planes are not relevant here, and cabinet hardware is kept simple.

2.    Authentic Materials

How to design a bathroom? With a contemporary bathroom you’d want to choose materials that have and authenticity to them. We should be celebrating materials like wood or concrete instead of trying to alter them.

For this bathroom design idea, cabinets will lack any kind of decorative features like face frames or mouldings. Everything has been reduced to its most basic forms and components; there are only the necessities here. Cabinet and vanity doors have smooth, single-plane surfaces. Bathroom tiles design will be perfectly flush with the grout.

For this style, we’re going for a cleaner, simpler design. Once you consider having tiles patterning on the wall or chose more complex tiles then we’re moving away from the simpler design of the contemporary bathroom.

Interested? More information here. 

3.    Lack of Clutter

If you love to organise and keep your space nice and tidy, then this style is perfect for you. Contemporary bathrooms have a minimalist aesthetic which is why you can incorporate asian themes into your bathroom. This is due to how everything is put away and everything has a home to go to. Nothing will be left on the countertops except for the necessities.

Example of only having necessities out as everything has a home. 

4.    Contrast

Our designers use contrast to provide interest and drama to contemporary rooms instead of using ornate décor and details. For example, textural bamboo cabinets blend with polished concrete. Modern interiors keep to hues and colours that are at opposite ends of the colour spectrum. Your bathroom would be more pleasing if there is a wow factor.

See more photos from our contemporary bathroom renovation in Titirangi 

Mistakes to avoid in your bathroom design 

5.    Simple Lighting

Once more, simple shapes take precedence over anything extravagant or detailed.

6.    Open Space

This is a crucial component when designing your contemporary bathroom. How to design a small bathroom? Whilst the space might be small, You can always create the illusion of space by making your bathroom more open and having more light in. The style is characterised by floating vanities, wide flooring, and a general sense of lightness and airiness.

7.    Colours

Contemporary bathroom design ideas can use many different colours. There isn’t just a specific colour tone or shade you need to stick to. Whilst some people do agree that contemporary styles lean towards cooler colours. Others have disagreed used colours that fit well with them and they own style. It's more important to consider how your material selections and colour choices interact.

8.    Chrome

Because it is elegant, polished chrome is widely used in modern fixtures. Many of the faucet and fixture designs that are so effective originate in Europe, where chrome is preferred because it is durable, simple to clean, and true to the material.

How to Design a Modern Bathroom? Modern Bathroom Ideas

How to design a bathroom? Modern bathroom design may be for you if you enjoy a clean, uncluttered appearance that keeps the focus on the architecture. Continue reading for essential information about this well-liked bathroom design, including its essential components, colour schemes, fixtures, and finishing touches.

Modern-Style Bathrooms at a Glance

• Flat-panel doors and drawers on floating vanities
• Simple faucets and hardware
• Frameless mirror
• Simplified or integrated lighting
• A neutral, minimalist colour scheme
• Finishes and materials should be repeated for a consistent look.

What You Won’t Find in Modern Bathrooms

• Door faces with carvings or ornate knobs
• Detailed wainscoting, millwork, or moulding
• Vibrant colours and patterns, unless used as a small accent
• A unorganised approach to materials and finishes as opposed to simplicity and consistency

Neutral Colour Palette

For your modern bathroom ideas, you might want to consider using a neural colour palette. A modern bathroom design will lean use more crisp, clean white, subtle neutrals and black. Accessories such as bath towels and plants add a splash of colour in your modern bathroom design.

Colours for Modern Bathrooms:

• Neutrals – Beige, slate, putty dove grey and taupe.
• Black and white – Matte black and architectural white
• Pops of colour – Teal, chartreuse, red and blue

Floating Vanity

How to design a small bathroom? Not only are floating vanities popular with modern bathroom designs but they’re also very useful when thinking of a small bathroom design. They create more space in your bathroom for more storage use underneath and provide you with an opportunity to be creative.

A floating vanity works well in a modern bathroom and should be incorporated into your modern bathroom ideas as they help provide a light, streamlined look. Choose engineered quartz, marble, granite, or a solid-surface material in a neutral colour for the top. Combine with undermount sinks for a seamless look that is also easy to clean.

See how the floating vanity allows more storage space underneath. Find more information about it. 

Design Detail – Vessel Sinks

In a modern bathroom design, vessel sinks can be a striking alternative to undermount sinks. Simple rounded or rectilinear shapes in white, glass, or stone are ideal. This is a design detail you’d want to think about in your modern bathroom ideas.

View here for more bathroom design ideas 

Key Element – Breathing Space

Creating an open space bathroom can also help improve the visual effect of the room. How to design a small bathroom? Space does not matter when it comes to creating breathing space in a modern bathroom design. The space between objects is just as important as the objects themselves in a modern bathroom design. Consider clean-lined furniture on bare floors or a neutral rug, crisp white walls and bare windows, or a single sculptural vase on an otherwise empty surface in your modern bathroom ideas.

Read more about this modern bathroom renovation in Albany. 

Can Modern Be Colourful?

Of course, a modern bathroom design can be colourful. A modern bathroom focal point is on material and structure, rather than a specific colour tone or surface pattern. If you’re thinking of adding colour into your bathroom design ideas try not to use busy patterns as that will take away the modern style. Instead opt for bold hues to an upholstered piece or a bunch of glass vases.

Design Detail – Sculptural Lighting

For your modern bathroom ideas consider using pendant lights as they really stand out in a modern style. Consider choosing a sculptural shape in gleaming gold, copper, or silver, matte black, wood, or white.

Rustic Style Bathrooms

If you’re an outdoorsy, adventurous person who loves nature then having a rustic style bathroom is perfect for you. You’d feel right at home with materials like stone and rough-hewn wood beams.

Rustic Style Bathrooms at a Glance

This style entwines the outdoors with warm, cosy textiles and raw natural materials, as you’d expect in a rustic bathroom. If you’re interested in creating a rustic bathroom design, here are some elements to consider:

• Handcrafted wood beams, cabinetry, and wall panelling
• Natural stone floors, accents, and wall treatments
• Hammered or matte finishes on dark metal hardware
• Natural-inspired colour palettes
• Patinated materials, such as natural wood, copper, and stone

What You Won’t Find in Rustic Bathrooms

• Lush colour palettes
• Cutting edge trends
• Immensely polished finishes like chrome
• Lucite, moulded plastic and man-made materials
• Mix and match approach to finishes and materials

Nature-Inspired Colour Palette

For a rich, cosy look, repeat the hues of natural materials such as stone and warm woods with paint colours and accents in similar shades.

Colours for Rustic Bathroom

• Neutrals - Buttermilk, cream, straw, wheat, stone
• Earth tones - Chestnut, mushroom, umber, terra cotta, sepia
• Spicy hues - Cinnamon, saffron, pumpkin, chili pepper, baked apple

Furniture-Style Vanity

Some bathroom design ideas you might want to consider wood or wood like vanities with furniture style details like legs and open shelving. The example below shows one of our clients take on a rustic bathroom but adding gold accessories to give in a more rustic luxury look and feel.

Rustic Bathroom Renovation in Westmere

Design Detail – Vessel Sink

A stone or copper vessel sink can be the focal point of a rustic bathroom or powder room. Look for natural shapes that are rounded and organic, and that have a tactile texture or patina.

Natural Stone

Bathroom design NZ uses natural stone for their rustic bathroom design. Stone floors, counters and wall treatments help deliver a natural texture to a rustic bathroom. You might want to try incorporating slate, fieldstone, travertine, soapstone, and pebble tile are all rich, earthy materials in your rustic bathroom design NZ.

Design Detail – Weathered Metal

Patina is common in rustic-style metal finishes, which are softly gleaming or matte rather than shiny or high-gloss in a rustic bathroom design NZ. For bathroom design ideas try cabinet pulls, faucets, and lighting in dark, weathered metal finishes like oil-rubbed bronze, antique brass, or hammered copper are ideal. Choose something more whimsical, such as twig- or stone-shaped hardware.

Finishing Touches

Tie up your rustic bathroom design NZ with wood, stone, or copper accessories. You’d want to use finishing touches with nature incorporated into it through nature art or photography. That way it will give your bathroom an outdoorsy vibe. Consider using these finishing touches in your bathroom design ideas.

Want a more close up look on these finishing touches? Check out this case study!

See the different bathroom trends 2022 

Cottage Style Bathrooms

Cottage style bathrooms aren’t seen as much in bathroom design NZ as most people either choose modern or cotemporary bathroom design NZ. With that said though, cottage style bathrooms find beauty in simplicity and can be the change you may need. When thinking about bathroom design ideas for this style, you’d want to incorporate these elements:

• Open shelving
• Wall panelling
• Freestanding bathtub
• Simple hardware
• Natural wood accents

What You Won’t Find in Cottage Style Bathrooms

Cottage style bathrooms mainly priorities on rustic and simplicity charm. Which is why when planning your bathroom design ideas, you’d want to avoid any modern elements. Here are some elements you won’t see in a cottage bathroom design NZ:

• Busy patterns
• Cluttered surfaces
• Super sleek finishes

Heritage Hues

Simple, natural colour palettes are preferred in cottage style bathrooms. White with crisp black trim is a popular option; for deeper hues, consider nature-inspired neutrals and other classic colours. For your bathroom tiles design you might want to consider using these colours to help tie the room together.

Colours for Cottage Style Bathrooms

• Crisp contrast – Black, White, Cream
• Natural neutrals – Stone, Buttermilk Khaki, Straw, Grey
• Other classic colours – Deep Green, Barn Red, Sage, Denim Blue

Shaker Style Vanity

How to design a bathroom? With different bathroom styles, they all have different elements that are required to complete the look. For a cottage bathroom design NZ, you’d consider getting a shaker style vanity. This vanity is well suited for a cottage bathroom.

Shaker cabinets can be painted or simply finished to show off the natural beauty of the wood grain. Cabinets with flat panels and furniture-style designs in natural wood tones can also look good for your bathroom design ideas.

Design Detail – Barn Lighting

Cottage bathroom design ideas for lighting can come in different shapes. You can choose from a bold shape barn lighting which can add a stylish touch to your bathroom design. Another option is going with a cylinder shape vanity lighting or a simple glass bell with filament bulbs. Lastly, you can look for pendants and sconces made of traditional galvanised steel or vibrantly coloured powder-coated steel. This will elevate your bathroom design ideas.

Design Detail – Subway Tile

Bathroom tiles design for this bathroom is going with subway tiles. This is because subway tile is crisp, clean, and reasonably priced, and it pairs well with almost everything. It bridges the gap between rustic and modern aspects with ease. For a novel twist, try mixing it with dark grout. Consider using subway tiles in your bathroom tiles design.

Read our guide on bathroom renovations 

Claw-Foot Bathtub

Having a claw foot bathtub will most definitely be the star of the room. Including a claw foot bathtub in your bathroom design ideas will help add character to your cottage bathroom. The only problem is that not every bathroom floor can handle the weight of a claw foot bathtub. An alternative to this would be having a freestanding pedestal bathtub, consider this as a backup plan in your bathroom design ideas.

Design Detail – Sliding Barn Doors

How to design a small bathroom? Having a sliding door will help eliminate the space that is needed for the bathroom door. This is perfect for a small bathroom as it will provide you with more space to decorate your bathroom and storage area as well. The only downside to this is that a sliding door does not provide 100% complete privacy like a normal door. Including this into your bathroom design ideas will add a more cottage character to your cottage style bathroom.

Sliding bathroom door in our beautiful bathroom renovation

Trough Sink

In your bathroom design ideas, you may want to consider getting a trough sink and it will add to the appeal of a cottage style bathroom. This type of sink is ideal for busy households because it is made of white fireclay or porcelain and has multiple faucet options. When installed as a drop-in with a lovely wood counter. A trough sink strikes the perfect balance of functionality and elegance.

Wall Panelling

Panelling can be tricky especially if you are planning to renovate with an old home, but we can always work around it to give you the cottage appeal. It’s been said that shiplap panelling can add an architectural interest in your home and really set the tone for your cottage bathroom. Some bathroom design ideas may also be using beadboard panelling as well.

Finishing Touches

To finish off decorating your bathroom, we recommend woven baskets, striped rugs, modern stools, and matt black hardware. As this will go well in your cottage bathroom style. You may also want to add some artwork surround nature or farm life. Farmhouse-style bathrooms combine rustic appeal with modern sensibilities that value simplicity.

Check out this case study of this vintage bathroom.

Pastel Tones

Your bathroom should feel nice and relaxing the second you step in. The bathroom is the place where we can relax after a long day. To create a more relaxing environment in your bathroom, opt for using pastel, neutral colours to create a comfortable atmosphere.

Pastel – Coloured Tiles

Stuck on bathroom tiles design? For your cottage bathroom you can choose a timeless style for your bathroom tiles design. Or you can opt for a peachy pink, or powder blue. Keep in mind that you can use your bathroom tiles design to frame your bathtub or make a little statement wall.

Soft Creamy Towels

Towels add colour and texture, instantly calming the atmosphere in your cottage bathroom. Add delicate pastel hues to your decor to give it a cottage atmosphere. You may match them to a prominent element, like pastel tiles, or combine multiple hues for a shabby-chic look.

Traditional Bathrooms

Another popular bathroom design NZ. It’s often said that the bathroom is the place you relax so you’d want to make sure all your accessories and furnishing all work well with one another to create a harmonious scheme. How to design a bathroom? For a traditional bathroom you’d want to incorporate unique pieces that helps give the room a timelessness feels. It’s best to avoid any modern furnishing or accessories.

7 Elements of a Traditional Bathroom Design

1.    Cabinets with Character

In your traditional bathroom design ideas, you’d find cabinets with character in this style. Cabinets and vanities in traditional settings are defined by rounded legs, carved door faces, and ornate knobs. Be sure to pick a vanity with these features to add character to your bathroom.

2.    Antique Style Lighting

In your bathroom design, you’d want to ensure that you aren’t picking any modern lighting fixtures. Lighting fixtures for a traditional bathroom is unique and ornamental. Instead of tubular or streamlined fixtures, consider curvy antique sconces.

3.    Calming Colours

There will be no bright colours in a traditional bathroom design as that will move away from the style. In this bathroom design colour scheme opt for neutral colours like black, grey, or white. If you want to be a bit more creative and add colour you can choose a pale green or blue colour.

View more details here.

Check out our bathroom renovation in Ellerslie 

4.    Plenty of Moulding

Moulding is important in a bathroom as it can help add decoration to the room, help protect wall surfaces and cover any gaps in the walls, floor, ceiling, or cabinets. This may be something to consider in your bathroom design ideas.

5.    Lots of Details

Details are important in a bathroom. In such a small space you can make the room seem big just by the details. How to design a small bathroom? The attention to detail in a small bathroom is one of the distinguishing features of traditional spaces. In traditional settings, tilework, millwork, and cabinetry all have extra ornamentation.

6.    Unique Tilework

Bathroom tiles design may be a bit trickier for a traditional bathroom. We recommend choosing a lighter colour and veining for your bathroom tiles design. An example may be choosing something like a Carrara marble material. Another option may be to use a black and white hex tile floor for your bathroom tiles design.

7.    Stand – Along Storage Cabinets

In a traditional bathroom style, artistry is brought forward and shown more than functionality. In many traditional bathrooms design, you’d see that vertical cabinets are used as linen closets.

Design Highlights of a Traditional Bathroom

Calm Colour Palette

Traditional bathroom colour scheme tends to lean towards softer and relaxing instead of bright colours. You can opt for wood tones or deeper shade of grey or blue for a richer look in your bathroom.

Colours for Traditional Bathrooms

• Soft neutrals – Snow white, cream, silver, beige
• Serene hues – Sage green, misty blue, blue-grey
• Rich colours – Espresso, slate, chocolate, navy

Use of soft neutral colours in bathroom renovation in Avondale 

Design Detail – Dressing Table

Having a dressing table in your bathroom might sound odd but in a traditional bathroom style, it makes perfect sense. Not only does this dressing table work will with light hues stone but it also has a double purpose. More storage spaces! How to design a small bathroom? Creating more space and making sure you have enough storage areas to eliminate any clutter is essential.

Elegant Stone

Another element that can contribute to your traditional bathroom design is having stone floors, counters, or wall treatments. This can be a focal point in your bathroom style. A bathroom tiles design idea for you can be using rectangular and square pieces to create a basketweave effect.

Classic Bathtub

This is another bathroom style that you can integrate a claw foot bathtub, or you can stick with a classic pedestal style bathtub. Though if that isn’t what you’re looking for you also choose a freestanding bathtub as that will still stick with the style.

Before and after pictures on one of our bathroom projects 

Finishing Touches

In a traditional bathroom, the right details create a sense of luxury and pampering. Classic brushed nickel and oil-rubbed bronze faucets and hardware hit the right note. Finish with an antique stool, embroidered hand towels, a vase of flowers, and a pretty tray filled with bath products.

Industrial Style Bathroom Design

This style of bathroom can come in different many colours and different accessories but still stay within the style. This bathroom style might not be right for everyone. If you love raw materials and utilitarian spaces, then this style is perfect for you.

Industrial Style Bathrooms at a Glance

In an industrial style bathroom, you won’t find any busy patterns or bright colours. It’s often stated that raw materials and tough fixtures would be the star of the bathroom and take centre stage. Some elements to look for in an industrial bathroom:

• Exposed raw materials
• Minimal details
• Glass and stell shower enclosures
• Trough and basin sinks
• White subway tiles

What You Won’t Find in Industrial Bathrooms

Surface ornamentation plays no part in this bathroom design as it focuses more on the beauty of how things work. Here are some elements you won’t see:

• Light or pastel hues
• Luxurious comforts
• Elaborate moulding
• Delicate fixtures

Minimalist Colour Palette

Unlike other bathroom styles, you’d want to avoid using any bright or pastel colours as that will not be on theme with your industrial bathroom design NZ. The colour palette for this bathroom will be from the raw materials you use with a tiny bit of saturated colour included.

Colours for Industrial Bathrooms:

• Saturated colours – Navy, rust orange, royal blue, brick red
• Shades of grey – Charcoal, cement gray, slate
• Black and white – Matte black, architectural white

Freestanding Bathtub

A freestanding bathtub is popular and it often a key feature that many homeowners purchase in their bathroom design idea as a freestanding bathtub goes with most bathroom styles. Your freestanding bathtub can a focal point in your industrial bathroom, and you can choose from a white or silver bathtub as well.

View more pictures from this bathroom renovation!

Glass and Steel Shower Enclosure

If you look at any industrial bathrooms, you’d be able to see that matte black fittings look amazing for this style. It really makes the room pop! For your shower you can get a black framed shower door made from steel or aluminium. These materials are vital for this style. You can finish the look off with a sliding door or a glass shower door.

Hardworking Raw Materials

To add authentic character to your industrial bathroom design, focus on using raw materials like stainless stell, brick, timber beans and concrete. This would be a main point in your bathroom rather than having paint. Another benefit to this is that this material won’t deteriorate as quickly as other materials.

Need more inspiration? View more photos from our bathroom renovation in Half Moon Bay.

Design Detail – White Subway Tiles

Bathroom tiles design can be trick with an industrial bathroom design style. We recommend going with the white subways tiles as it provides the bathroom with a clean, crisp look. You can increase your contrast by adding dark grout to your bathroom tiles design.

Design Detail – Hefty Sliding Doors

For such a complex bathroom, you’d want to go all out with this style. We recommend choosing a sliding door to finish off the room. Larger, heavier-duty sliding doors are a factory-inspired take on the barn door trend that are ideal for industrial bathrooms. Furthermore, heavier sliding doors offer more privacy than standard wooden barn doors.

Finishing Touches

An industrial bathroom style is not for everyone as there aren’t many opportunities for you to add colour or have decorative flourishes. Finishing touches for this bathroom is just a few carefully chosen details are enough to complete the space. Exposed pipes, gear like faucets and hardware, metal stools and potted plants are excellent choices to finish off your bathroom design NZ.

Designing a bathroom can be tricky sometimes as there are many different styles that may be best suited for you and your aesthetic. Some people put a lot of work and effort into making sure their bathroom is perfect and others don’t. It’s all about preferences and if you’re interested in these bathroom styles, be sure to check out our showroom and speak to our bathroom designers to plan your dream bathroom.

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