25 Easy No-Fail Bathroom Design Ideas to Try This Year
From swing-arm sconces to statement mirrors, these foolproof ideas will make decorating your bathroom a breeze.
Feb 20, 2020
9 Savvy Ways to Fake a Bathroom Renovation
Whoever said refreshing your bathroom was expensive never saw these designer-approved tips.
Feb 20, 2020
The Color Real Estate Agents Say to Never Paint Your Bathroom
The fiery opposition is unanimous.
Jan 21, 2020
Charmin Created a Robot That Brings You Toilet Paper When You Run Out
The robots are coming… and they’re bringing toilet paper.
Jan 8, 2020
10 Budget-Friendly Bathroom Buys That Will Make Your Small Space Work Harder
Without breaking the bank.
Dec 18, 2019
If You're Only Using One Shower Curtain, You Are Really Missing Out
This quick curtain hack will take your bath from drab to fab.
Dec 15, 2019
This Battery-Powered Kinetic Sign Cleverly Marks Gender-Neutral Restrooms
It oscillates between those recognizable bathroom signs, person-in-dress and person-in-pants.
Nov 23, 2019
10 Beautiful Bathrooms You Might Want to Copy For Your Own Home
Take your bathroom from drab to fab with these standout ideas.
Oct 30, 2019
8 Accessories from Urban Outfitters that Prove Your Bathroom Doesn’t Have to Be Boring
Including a toilet brush that's decorated with dried flowers.
Oct 29, 2019
7 Easy Bathroom Fixture Upgrades on Amazon for Under $100
Your bathroom is one of the most intimate areas of your home, so it’s important to make it a space you actually enjoy spending time in. So what to do when your bathroom is in need of a real revamp, but you don’t have the budget, time, or lease agreement to do so?Good news, friends: Amazon offers all kinds of chic and affordable bathroom fixtures to upgrade your bathroom with ease.
Oct 15, 2019
We Toured the Official Lisa Frank Apartment, And You’ve Got To See the Bathroom
For a limited time, one room in Los Angeles has been transformed into a Lisa Frank paradise—which you can reserve for the ultimate throwback sleepover.
Oct 9, 2019
The $40 Shower Curtain Four Apartment Therapy Editors All Bought for Their Bathrooms
We didn’t fall for each other at first sight, but rather it was a slow, growing interest over the course of a few blissful months.
Aug 9, 2019
Hey, Just Always Close Your Toilet Lid, OK?
This isn't about seat up vs. seat down. This is about the lid, the more important thing.
Aug 8, 2019
This is Why We're so Obsessed With Pink Bathrooms
Approximately five million of the 20 million new homes built between 1946 and 1966 had a cotton candy pink bathroom.
Jul 30, 2019
Why I Always Spend 20 Minutes In The Bathroom When I Get Home
I'm an extrovert, but I need a little alone time to transition from work, errands, or social activities into home life.
Jul 25, 2019
7 Beautiful Ways to Decorate Your Bathroom Walls
Want to zhuzh up your bathroom walls, but don't know where to start? Let these rooms give you design inspiration.
Jul 16, 2019
7 Surprisingly Luxe Bathroom Items You Can Buy on Amazon
You spend time there every day. Isn't it time for an upgrade?
Jun 27, 2019
What the Internet is Saying About…Turkish Towels
All good things, all good things.
Jun 18, 2019
This Art Deco Bathroom in ‘Fleabag’ Is Almost as Sexy as Hot Priest—Here’s How to Get the Look
If for some reason you haven’t yet binged all of “Fleabag,” get yourself to Amazon Prime immediately and dig in. Overflowing with dark humor and darker drama, it felt appropriate to focus on the dark and moody restaurant bathroom where season 2 opens. Our protagonist is wiping blood from her face, staring into a show stopping art deco style mirror.
Jun 13, 2019
These Bathroom Storage Carts are So Cute, They’ll Even Make Your Retainer Look Chic
Yes, even tiny bathrooms can benefit from a storage cart.
Jun 5, 2019
7 Toothbrush Holders You’ll Actually Want to Use
You'll never think your toothbrush is boring again.
May 30, 2019
A Bathroom That Opens Into The Kitchen: Awkward?
If you live in an old building or a rental, you’ll understand where we’re coming from: our last apartment’s bathroom opened up directly into the kitchen, as did our apartment before that. In fact, we grew up in a home where the toilet room (just the toilet.. the sink and bathtub were separate) was basically in the dining room, a few feet away from the table…and our guests eating dinner. For anyone entertaining or on a date, this can be veeeerrrrry awkward.
May 8, 2019
Warm Up Your Bath Towels…Without a Towel Warmer!
The other day, I was talking to some friends about our dream bathrooms. A sunken tub, said one. A shower for two, was another vote. His and Hers sinks, was on a third friend’s wish list. Top of my list? A towel warmer. I got that one covered, said my sunken-tub-wishing friend. Really? I’d been to her house recently and I didn’t remember any towel warmer or even any space for one. She shared.
May 8, 2019
How to Properly Light a Bathroom
As with the kitchen, the bathroom is a “work room,” and therefore one of the most important spaces in the home to get lighting right. They also tend to be smaller than all the other rooms in our home, and don’t have as many (or as large) windows. Careful consideration of the General, Task and Accent lighting we add to this room will pay dividends in how the area functions and feels.
May 4, 2019
Fancy Bath Lighting: Inspiration and Tips for Hanging a Chandelier Over the Bathtub
There’s something really decadent about a pretty chandelier in a small powder room. It makes the bathroom look less like a bathroom, somehow, and a little more like a place where you’d want to spend a bunch of time reading and drinking and soaking away the day. Your tub might just become your favorite place in the house.
May 4, 2019
How to Love Your Tiny Rental Bathroom: Styling Ideas from 10 Real Homes
Many aspects of a rental home are transformable, yet the rental bathroom tends to be a ‘you-get-what-you-get-and-you-don’t-get-upset’ zone because there typically isn’t a lot of literal or metaphorical wiggle room. But even with less-than-ideal rental bathrooms, and even when living with roommates or significant others—we can still elevate the style and add functional beauty. Check out 10 rental bathrooms from our house tours that do this in spades.
May 3, 2019
If You Love Kitchen Islands, You’ll Love…Bathroom Islands?
Kitchen islands are not really polarizing—if you have the room, you probably want one. But bathroom islands? Now there's something new to covet.
May 3, 2019
The Trader Joe’s Towel Your Kitchen and Bathroom Have Been Missing
We’ve sung the praises of Fouta (a.k.a Turkish Towels, Peshtemal, Hammam) before. They’re lightweight and thin, which is great for folding and storing, but still pretty absorptive. If they’re authentic, the cotton gets softer with every wash. They come in a bunch of shades, perfect for adding a pop of color to any space that needs it.
May 3, 2019
This is Why Your Curtain Liner Likes to Stick to You in the Shower — And How to Stop It
And how to stop it from happening ever again.
May 3, 2019
This Crackle Glaze Tile Trend is Taking Over the Kitchen and Bath
#Ihavethisthingwithtiles, and it’s sort of unfortunate because I’ve never actually picked any of my own. I fell in love with subway tiles nearly a decade ago, and I was crushing hard on those matte patterned cement tiles that popped up a couple years ago. I’m even into faux “wood” larger scale ceramic tiles and teeny tiny, mesh-backed penny tiles. And I’m not mad at a fish scale or arabesque shape either.
May 3, 2019
Get the Look: Maxine’s Moody Bathroom in ‘Russian Doll’
It seems that everyone is obsessed with “Russian Doll,” Netflix’s newest dark comedy. It’s a visual feast highlighting the dark corners of New York and society in general. And in between think pieces about the various timelines and how they collide, I’d love to deep dive into the bathroom that Nadia keeps reappearing into each time her life resets.
May 3, 2019
Get the Look: The Magical Bathroom in “Mary Poppins Returns”
Practically perfect in every way, “Mary Poppins Returns” was nominated for an Academy Award for Production Design. We wrote about the updates John Myhre made from the original 17 Cherry Tree Lane, and it made me want to recreate the kids’ super sweet British bathroom pronto. You thought it was the dolphin being pulled out of the tub that made it whimsical, but you’re wrong. It’s the clawfoot tub.
May 3, 2019
9 Bathroom Storage Products to Organize Your Beauty Products Once and for All
It’s fun buying skincare and new lipstick shades, but it’s not fun being avalanched by those bottles each time you open your bathroom cabinet. If you have been trying to keep your products tidy but see them back to their old cluttered mess within a few days, it might be time for some reinforcement. There are a ton of bathroom storage products that will organize your beauty products once and for all.
Apr 7, 2019
These Aren’t Your Grandma’s Bathmats
Is it just us, or does buying a bathmat feel like a Catch-22? On the one hand, you need a mat in your bathroom. What’s the alternative? Getting your floor all wet or, even worse, slipping after a relaxing bath or shower? Um, no thank you. But while bathmats are integral to every home, you have to admit they’re not always the most stylish accessories.
Mar 31, 2019
Here’s How Often You Need to Replace Everything in Your Bathroom
I keep a small plastic rectangular basket in my medicine cabinet. It holds the super essentials: toothbrush and toothpaste and contact lens case. I pull it out at least twice a day (if I’m good about putting it back). This past weekend, I noticed that not only did I have the aforementioned essentials in there, but I had a ridiculous number of “backup” contact cases. Like eight! I was victim to the bathroom black hole of clutter.
Feb 16, 2019
These Are Some of Our Favorite Bathrooms of All Time
A highly utilitarian space, bathrooms don’t always receive the same level of decoration as the rest of the home. But I think that’s why the bathrooms in this list all stand out so much; these are functional rooms where you can get your business done, but they’re also stunning spaces where you can unwind, relax, and get away from it all. Let this list of our favorite bathrooms from house tours inspire you to create your own spa-like space at home.
Feb 13, 2019
You Can Buy a “Litter Box” for Your Dog Who Hates Going to the Bathroom Outside In the Cold
Taking your dog out to go to the bathroom during the winter can be a total nightmare. If you live in an apartment or condo, the shared area might be covered in harsh salt to prevent ice and snow from sticking to the ground. The salt is often terrible for your four-legged friend’s paws. The snow is another obstacle that can get in the way, as some dogs absolutely despise the snow.
Jan 27, 2019
These Bathrooms Make the Case for Matching Your Wall Tiles to Your Floor Tiles
There is nothing quite as luxurious as a stylish bathroom, but sometimes it’s hard to design the small space in a way that makes your eyes pop while simultaneously leaving a lasting impression. There are an infinite number of light fixtures and shower curtains you can choose from, but one way to take your bathroom up a design level is to match your wall tiles to your floor tiles. Does it sound intense? Sure, but have faith and hear me out.
Dec 28, 2018
Here’s How Women Are Changing the Most Important Workspace in America
Many homeowners know the experience of moving into an outdated space and planning some much-needed renovations. For the 102 women elected to Congress during the 2018 midterm elections (a record, by the way), they may not be able to gut the place but they could influence some major building changes. Now that nearly one in five legislators on Capitol Hill will be a woman, the building needs to prepare for these leaders and their teams.
Dec 4, 2018
10 Tiny House Bathrooms That Are Small But Stylish
Teeny bathrooms in tiny homes can be big on smart ideas for small spaces. The 10 bathrooms below are chock full of prime examples. Find smart and stylish ideas to steal for your bathroom of any size. This tiny (and practically perfect) modern shed in California has so many beautiful elements to be inspired by. From the organic materials palette to the custom dividing wall in the living room, this home is completely livable and totally lovely.
Nov 28, 2018
10 Unbelievably Bold and Unique Tile Ideas to Try
Available in a dizzying array of colors, materials, patterns, sizes, and shapes, tiles are the incredibly versatile and durable decor tool that’s been adorning interiors for thousands of years. Whether you’re looking for fresh inspiration or overwhelmed by all the choices available, these 10 one-of-kind rooms narrow in on unbelievably bold and unique looks you can achieve with tile. In Daniel and Diego’s small Buenos Aires, Argentina home, they went BOLD in the bathroom.
Nov 8, 2018
Shopping for Bath Towels? Here’s How to Find the Right Plushness for You
Towels may serve a strictly utilitarian purpose—to dry you off after a shower, swim, or long bath—but, trust us, they’re far from basic. Truth is, choosing the right towel for your lifestyle and space can add a luxurious, spa-like quality to your standard bathroom. That’s why some people are willing to shell out the big bucks for ’em. (Need proof? Here are 14 bath towels that will rock your world!
Nov 4, 2018
Are Colorful Bathroom Tiles Making a Comeback?
Americans spent the last three or four decades tearing out pretty-in-pastel bathroom tiles. Pale pinks and greens surrounded every toilet, every shower, every sink. After spending decades finding the same shades everywhere, it’s no wonder we grew tired of the trend. But it’s time to break out your mortar and grout: Colorful bathroom tiles are coming back.
Oct 2, 2018
Exclusive: Your First Look at the Latest Hearth & Hand with Magnolia Collection at Target
Good news for farmhouse style fans: Chip and Joanna Gaines’ latest collection of Hearth & Hand with Magnolia is hitting Target stores this weekend. We have your exclusive sneak peek at everything new, plus tips from Joanna, below. There are over 50 pieces in the new collection, with prices ranging from $3.99 for a kitchen towel to $55.99 for a pouf, with most under $25.
Aug 2, 2018
Don’t Believe a Spa Can Fit in a Tiny Apartment? Think Again
More and more, it’s becoming increasingly normal to hear stories of people learning to acclimate themselves to living in seriously small apartments. Cities are practically bursting at the seams so for many metropolitan dwellers, creatively maximizing a small living space has quickly become a modern-day survival tactic.
Jul 21, 2018
The $12 Target Purchase That Saved My Bathroom
We might try to walk into Target with good intentions. The plan is to pick up that one thing we need, responsibly tossing it into our baskets before popping through self checkout, paying a respectable amount of money, and going on our ways. Sure, good intentions are great and all—but we also know that no one is safe from the lure of Target.
Jul 19, 2018
Why Did Anyone Think Carpet in the Bathroom Was a Good Idea?
A look into the history of a particularly weird old trend.
Mar 28, 2018
What Ever Happened to Colored Toilet Paper?
The days of coordinating your TP to your bathroom are over. Here's why.
Mar 24, 2018
A New Survey Says People Want to Share Gardens and Wifi, But Not Bathrooms
We’ve already shown that we’d rather share homes and rides and bicycles, and we’d rather rent, borrow, or swap clothes and books and food and even pets than own them outright — just to name a few areas of life that have been “disrupted” by the “sharing economy.
Feb 26, 2018
The Decorative Trick That Transformed How I Feel About My Bathroom
For the longest time, I thought there was only one solution for rugs in the bathroom: the traditional bath mat. I always struggled to find something I liked enough. Everything was either too fuzzy and nubby, or too bland in terms of design, as I like to add a punch of color via rugs in my all-beige bathroom to liven things up. That is, until I refreshed my space this past summer and went in a completely different direction. The “area rug as bath mat” concept is not a new one.
Nov 11, 2017
9 Real Bathrooms That Expertly Tackle a Lack of Storage
Not all bathrooms are created equal, and that’s fine by us. Some may see a small bathroom as a storage nightmare, but we see it as a challenge. Here are nine genius DIY bathrooms that prove no storage situation, or lack there of, can’t be tackled. Here, Rebecca Williams shows us how her boho maximalist home in Western Australia maximizes storage. Rebecca uses unoccupied wall space to store her toiletries on hanging shelves and a hanging planter repurposed as a storage basket (genius!
Sep 5, 2017
Take 10: Beautiful Bathroom Sink Consoles Made from Vintage Dressers
Vintage dressers are a bathroom renovator’s best friend, as they can lend a healthy dose of character to the old W.C. for a fraction of the price of most (boring) made-to-order vanities. What’s more is, if you know how to drill a hole into wood, you’re half way to repurposing your own vintage dresser into a vanity/ sink console.
Jun 26, 2017
Real Homes, Real Solutions: 20 Reversible Ideas to Overhaul Your Rental Bathroom NOW
The following are stellar examples from our House Tours of rental bathrooms done right. While I’ve broken down the images according to categories, a great thing about these bathrooms is that they all have a cross-section of ideas to steal (in a good way, of course), so steal away!
May 22, 2017
(Gender) Neutral Ground: A Design Expert On Decorating a Bathroom to Please Everyone
Showering, shaving, putting on makeup, removing makeup, brushing teeth, trimming beards—we spend a lot of our days in the bathroom. With all that time spent there, it should be a place where you feel comfortable and happy. It’s a room that should reflect your personality and aesthetic, but when two people share the same bathroom, it might be hard to keep them both happy if they have opposing styles.
May 2, 2017
Tales of Strange Bathrooms: The One We Shared in the Hall
When I graduated from college, I knew that I wanted to live alone. It wasn’t the wisest financial decision — I had accepted one of those resume-building editorial assistant jobs that pay a borderline living wage — but after living with roommates for four years, I had had it with other people. I wanted to come home at the end of the day to an apartment that looked exactly the same as it had when I’d left.
Apr 18, 2017
The Secret to Effective Small Spaces, as Proven by Nancy’s Tiny New York Bathroom
My little bathroom is one of the things I love most about my little New York apartment, but unfortunately, it does not have much in the way of storage. As someone very devoted to the idea of order, if not always the practice of it, this troubles me a great deal, and so I’ve come up with a few solutions that allow me to fit a whole bathroom’s worth of things into my small, storage-challenged space, all (mostly) out of sight.
Mar 30, 2017
Colorful Bathroom Tiles Are Coming Back (& They’re Inspired by This Unexpected Decade)
Looking at pictures of vintage bathrooms and kitchens is one of my favorite hobbies, and lately, I’ve been noticing something very interesting: When it comes to style and over-the-top glamour, nothing beats ’20s bathrooms. Sure, the ’80s were wild, but bathrooms from 1920s are… something else. Let’s take a look at these Art Deco beauties. Above: This Art Deco style bath from 1929 is the perfect embodiment (in bathroom form) of the Roaring Twenties.
Dec 18, 2016
The Definitive List of Euphemisms for the Bathroom, Ranked
Like anything associated with bodily functions, the bathroom has garnered more than its fair share of nicknames, some euphemistic, some far more colorful. (The word ‘bathroom,’ when used to refer to the place where you use the toilet, is in itself a euphemism, implying that something far more delicate than eliminating is going on.) But not all of them are created equal.
Nov 21, 2016
The Trick to Surviving a Colorful Vintage Tiled Bathroom
Whether you rent and can’t make any changes or just don’t have the funds to remodel, moving into a home with a vintage bathroom can be a challenge. When that bathroom sports vintage tiles in intense colors, it can be especially puzzling to figure out how to decorate. If the tiles have to stay — and the color palette’s been forced on you, for better or worse — try a trick to making vintage bathrooms work.
Oct 25, 2016
Turn Your Rental Bathroom into a Spa—No Remodeling Required
When describing your rental bathroom, “spa-like” and “personal sanctuary” are likely not the first words that come to mind. The bathroom of your dreams may be a full remodel away, but by taking cues from spas and saunas, you can decorate your way to a more relaxing space. Grab a Turkish towel and some eucalyptus—it’s time to teach your bathroom how to chill out.
Oct 14, 2016
Calling All Renters: Easy & Reversible Ways to Add Style to Your Bathroom (This Weekend!)
Rental bathrooms are notoriously plagued by ugly (or just plain dated) design decisions. The good news is, there are some simple, reversible ways to cover up what you hate most about this room and add your own style to the space. Introducing color and pattern where you can, and choosing attractive storage lets you put your own touch on a temporary home. It may sound obvious, but in a small rental bathroom, the shower curtain is the first thing you should switch out.
Jul 8, 2016
9 Easy & Creative Bathroom Mirror Ideas You Need to See Before Your Friends Do
Bathrooms have this bizarre disposition to be judged. Besides the whole peeking-in-the-medicine-cabinet trope, I guess we’re likely to evaluate people’s bathrooms because it’s the one place where we, as guests, get a chance to linger alone and really contemplate the personal style of the person who’s invited us over. For that reason, if you’re out to impress, the bathroom is one of the first rooms you need to work on.
Mar 2, 2016
A Bolder Bathroom: Wild Wall Art Ideas
Tired of looking at your bathroom’s blank or beige walls? You might need some art! And there have been some spectacular ideas to borrow for your own home from the homes we’ve toured here on Apartment Therapy. Above: A DIY mosaic mural on a wall adds whimsy, color and excitement to a bathroom. Art all over: Elizabeth’s bathroom features a black-and-white faux-finish on the floor, writing on the wall (literally) and cut-out, pasted-on clouds on the ceiling.
Feb 13, 2016
Are Clawfoot Tubs Impractical?
Q: My husband and I are planning our guest bathroom renovation and we are at an impasse as to what type of bathtub to choose. I’m all-in on a clawfoot tub. He is not. My argument is based mainly on aesthetics, his on functionality.
Jul 10, 2015
Windowless Bathrooms: 9 That Aren’t Bad at All (And Why!)
Windowless bathrooms have the potential to be very dark and dreary places. Without natural light pouring in, they can turn into caves you don’t want to spend a lot of time in. But they don’t have to be unpleasant. There are some things you can do — design-wise — to make your bathroom lovely despite the lack of a view. Here are nine windowless bathrooms doing it right — inspiration for your own home!
Mar 30, 2015
Weird Things People Do in the Shower
Your shower may have been designed purely for washing your skin and hair — but that doesn’t mean that’s all that goes on there. For the sake of science, and for the sake of writing an Apartment Therapy post about weird things people do in the shower, I took an informal survey of co-workers and friends (and did some cursory internet searches), which turned up all kinds of showertime activities that have nothing to do with bathing. Here are seven of the most unusual. Do laundry.
Dec 16, 2014
8 Bathroom Bettering Ideas You Can Do (When You Can’t Renovate Your Rental)
Staring all day at photos of enviable bathrooms full of bold tile floors, brand new fixtures, dreamy cabinets and claw foot tubs made for soaking in, it can be easy to get discouraged and focus on what you can’t do when you rent (or if you own but don’t have a huge budget for renovations). But just because you can’t tear everything out and start over doesn’t mean you can’t make your bathroom more beautiful.
Nov 9, 2014
How To Make the Most of Typical Rental Features: The Only Bathroom is Through the Bedroom
Once upon a time, I was flat-hunting in London and found an adorable one. The location was convenient and the space bright and sunny. The problem? The bathroom was located off the bedroom, meaning that guests would have to go past my bed in order to use it. Here’s how to make the most of this sometimes awkward layout: Though I immediately discounted that flat, I’ve since discovered that this layout isn’t as ridiculous (or rare) as I once thought.
Jul 25, 2014
Small Bathroom Ideas: 6 Room Brightening Tips for Tiny, Windowless Bathrooms
Small, windowless apartment (and house!) bathrooms can sometimes be dark, boring and incredibly uninspiring. Fortunately, there are ways you can add some life and interest to tiny bathrooms, even if they don’t have windows to add light! Here are six things you can do or add to a tiny windowless bathroom that just might help brighten the feel of it. 1.
May 4, 2014
5 Places You Should Be Using Recessed Electrical Outlets in Your Home
Just like suitcases with wheels, recessed power outlets are one of those “I can’t believe it wasn’t around ’til now” inventions. But even if you know they exist, you might not know how to use them. Here are five places around any home, apartment or loft where you should install this space-saving electrical hardware.Recessed outlet hardware has a faceplate that is set deeper into the wall than a regular outlet.
Jul 23, 2012