Bathroom Remodeling Trends Worth Keeping (and a Few to Skip)

The bathroom trends worth following are the ones that are really about how people use the room: easier showers, less cleaning, better light, warmer floors and a room that still works as you get older. Those ideas have been building for years, and they will still make sense long after the current color of the moment has moved on.

The trends to be careful with are the ones that are mostly about a look. Bold patterned tile on every surface, a trendy fixture color or tearing out the only tub in the house can feel right today and date the room, or hurt resale, a few years from now.

Below we sort the common bathroom trends into two groups: the ones we think will age well and the ones to think twice about. For each one we explain what it is, why it lasts or does not, and a practical tip from the bathrooms we remodel around Ottawa, Franklin County and the Johnson County suburbs.

Bathroom trends worth keeping

1. Curbless and walk-in showers

A walk-in shower drops the tub wall, and a curbless shower drops the curb too, so the floor runs straight in. People like them because they are easier to step into, easier to clean and more comfortable as knees and balance change. Tip: a curbless shower needs the floor recessed or built up, so plan it early. Our comparison of walk-in showers vs tub-shower combos covers the tradeoffs.

2. Larger-format tile with fewer grout lines

Bigger tiles, such as 12 by 24 inches and up, mean less grout to scrub and a calmer look. Fewer grout lines is a practical benefit, not just a style, so it lasts. Tip: large tile needs a flat floor and wall. In older Ottawa homes with uneven framing, budget time for leveling before any tile goes up.

3. Warm wood vanities and mixed natural textures

Wood-tone vanities, stone-look tile and textured walls add warmth that flat white and gray rooms lacked. Natural materials have come back around many times, which is a good sign they will keep. Tip: pick one star texture, such as a stone accent wall, and keep the rest quiet so the room does not feel busy.

4. Floating vanities

A wall-hung vanity leaves open floor underneath, which makes a small bath feel larger and makes mopping easier. It also lets you set the counter at a height that suits the people using it. Tip: floating vanities need solid blocking in the wall, and you give up some drawer depth, so count your storage first. Our bathroom vanity guide walks through sizes and styles.

5. Lighted mirrors and layered lighting

One ceiling fixture casts shadows on your face. Layered lighting pairs overhead light with light at the mirror, either sconces on each side or a lighted mirror, plus a dim night light. This is about seeing well, so it will not go out of style. Tip: put the layers on separate switches or dimmers so early mornings are not a blast of full brightness.

6. Heated floors

Electric radiant mats under tile take the chill off a cold floor. After a few Kansas winters, most people who have one say they would do it again. Tip: add it while the floor is open, since retrofitting means tearing up tile. We cover the details in our post on heated bathroom floor costs.

7. Comfort-height toilets and smart or bidet seats

Comfort-height toilets sit a little taller, closer to chair height, which is easier on knees. Bidet seats and smart seats add washing, warming and a night light. Tip: if you are even considering a bidet seat, have an outlet placed behind the toilet during the remodel. Adding one later means cutting into finished walls.

8. Shower niches instead of caddies

A recessed niche holds bottles without a rusting wire caddy hanging off the showerhead. Tip: place niches on an interior wall, not an exterior wall that needs insulation, and size them to fit the tallest bottles you actually buy. Keep them out of the direct spray so they are easier to keep clean.

9. Handheld plus fixed showerheads

A fixed head for everyday showers and a handheld on a slide bar for rinsing, cleaning the shower, washing kids or pets, and seated showers. It is useful at every age. Tip: use a diverter valve so both work from one trim, and mount the slide bar where a seated person can reach it.

10. Universal design that does not look clinical

Wider doorways, a bench in the shower, lever handles and grab bars that double as towel bars make a bath work for everyone without looking like a hospital room. Tip: even if you do not want grab bars now, add wood blocking in the shower walls so they can be installed later. Our guide to aging-in-place bathroom remodeling goes deeper.

11. Quiet ventilation with humidity sensors

A quiet fan actually gets used, and a humidity-sensing fan turns itself on and off. With humid Kansas summers and basements that already see moisture, good ventilation protects paint, cabinets and drywall. Tip: make sure the fan vents outdoors, not into the attic, which is a common problem we find in older homes.

12. Matte and brushed finishes

Brushed nickel, matte black and brushed brass hide water spots and fingerprints better than polished chrome. Tip: buy faucets, shower trim and accessories from the same product line so the finishes actually match, since two versions of brushed brass from different makers rarely do.

Bathroom trends to use with caution

All-white everything

White tile, white cabinets, white counters and white walls look clean in photos, but they can feel cold and show every smudge. White is not going anywhere; the all-white room is what tends to date. Tip: keep white in the tile and fixtures, then add warmth with a wood or dark vanity or a textured wall.

Bold patterned tile everywhere

Patterned tile is fun in a small dose. Covering the floor, shower and walls with it is hard to live with and hard to sell. Tip: use pattern in one spot, like the floor of a powder room or the back of a niche, and keep everything else simple.

Vessel sinks in family baths

Bowl sinks sitting on top of the counter look sharp but splash more, are harder to clean around and sit too high for kids. Tip: save them for a powder room or adult-only bath. In a busy hall bath, an undermount sink is easier to live with.

Open wet rooms without glass in small homes

A wet room waterproofs the whole floor so the shower is open to the room. In a large bath it can work. In a small one, water reaches the toilet and vanity and the room stays damp. Tip: if you like the open look, use a curbless shower with a fixed glass panel to keep the spray contained.

Trendy colored fixtures

Colored tubs, toilets and sinks come in waves, and they are expensive to change when the wave passes. Tip: keep fixtures white and put color in paint, a vanity or tile you would be happy to keep for years.

Removing the only tub in the house

Converting a tub to a walk-in shower makes sense in many primary baths. Removing the last tub in the home is different, because families with young kids look for one. Tip: if you plan to stay long term and nobody bathes, go ahead. If you might sell, keep a tub in the hall bath.

You can see how these ideas look in real rooms in our project portfolio. For how we plan and build bathrooms, see our bathroom remodeling services and our work in Overland Park bathroom remodeling.

Bathroom trend FAQs

Trying to sort out which ideas fit your bathroom and which ones are just trends? Start a conversation with our team, and we will talk through how you use the room and what will still work for you years from now.