Influencers And Entrepreneurs Share Their Secrets To Designing An Instagramable Bathroom

The bathroom might be one of the most intimate rooms in the home, but they are also our sanctuaries. Bathrooms are spaces where we can lock the door and (hopefully) no one will bother us. Whether it’s just a five-minute shower or a long bath with a book and some music, our bathrooms are places to feel restored.

But because bathrooms are often small and narrow, they can pose a variety of design challenges. These influencers and entrepreneurs generously shared a range of bathrooms from average sized to chic powder rooms, and essentially full-on home spas as well as their design tips for achieving a similar look in your own home.

Lauryn Evarts

Influencer and entrepreneur Lauryn Evarts of The Skinny Confidential is a beauty product aficionado. While she claims to be a minimalist, she still needs lots of storage in the shower. “I am totally that girl that needs the products to be facing outwards & organized from shampoos, conditioners and body washes—a little psycho right? At the same time, I don’t like too many products because it’s too overwhelming.”

While Evarts didn’t have anything to do with the design of the bathroom in the West Hollywood condo she purchased with her husband, entrepreneur and co-founder of Dear Media, Michael Bosstick, she says the space is very much her style. “Everything is white, the bathtub has jets, the marble is amazing for shooting content and the shower is so therapeutic.”

Evarts says her bathroom is ideal for taking eucalyptus showers. “The shower has a bunch of different heads so you can choose your pressure. I grab a bunch of eucalyptus leaves from the farmers market and tie them up on the shower head with a hair tie to create a very relaxing, spa-like experience.”

In addition to a heated toilet seat, another one of her favorite features is the heated towel rack. “One of the best amenities is that there’s a heated towel rack so when you get out of the bath or shower everything is all nice and warm.”

Adaleta Avdić

Influencer Adaleta Avdić recently moved into a new home and absolutely loves the guest bathroom. She says the best feature of the space is that it’s flooded with natural light. “It’s very important to me because of all the beauty photos that happen here for my blog and Instagram. Whether it’s a body wash, a new foundation or a skincare product I have to share with my audience, I adore having this incredible lighting that makes everything look impeccable. There’s just something so magical about having natural light feeding into the bathroom, and the beautiful gray Subway tile detailing brings the entire bathroom together.”

Chriselle Lim

The Digital Entrepreneur and Founder of CINC Studios, Chriselle Lim worked with Erick Garcia of Maison Trouvaille to create a dark and sophisticated bathroom. “We used dark wallpaper from Juju Papers to give it a luxe vibe and put in a marble sink with a ton of brass hardware to glam it up,” she revealed.

Lim purchased the sconces from Lamps Plus and the mirror from Arteriors.

Her favorite thing about the bathroom is that it’s dark and moody. “It always surprises our guests when they go into this tiny, dark powder room because the rest of the house is pretty simple and modern.”

Bre Doucette

Bre Doucette of the popular interior design blog, Rooms For Rent renovated her bathroom as part of a challenge with Wayfair. According to the brand, industry data shows the average cost of a bathroom renovation is just under $11k. So, they challenged Doucette as well as other influencers to renovate their bathrooms for just $3k in a period of six weeks.

Doucette chose to create her signature country cottage look with every finish and fixture equally chic and accessible from Wayfair.

Dara Levy

Founder of DERMAFLASH, Dara Levy customized every element of her bathroom. “I have definitely tried to capture a spa vibe. I view my bathroom as a refuge and sanctuary and have intentionally gone for a very tranquil, relaxed feel,” she says.

Levy purchased the mosaics from Ann Sacks. All of the plumbing fixtures are made by Dorenbracht. However, what makes this bathroom truly special is that Levy picked up all of the accessories during her travels over the years.

Kelly Fobar Davis

Co-Founder of Foundation, Kelly Fobar Davis, collaborated with the team at Studio Tim Campbell on the design of her entire home renovation. “This bathroom didn’t even exist when we bought the house. I ultimately decided on the final finishes, including tile, light fixtures and more. We didn’t move forward on anything without first consulting our designer.” 

The majority of fixtures including the claw foot tub, sink, showerheads, light fixtures and even the bath mats were purchased from Restoration Hardware. But most of the accessories were sourced from the more affordable Target and Home Goods.

Davis says her favorite thing about her bathroom is the shower. “It has the most fantastic water pressure. And since I’m a mother who is running a business, I find I have little time for peace and quiet to myself. I could sit in this shower forever—except I feel too guilty wasting water. So the five minutes I do spend here are just heavenly.”

Elinor Avni

Creative Director of Âme Jewelry, Elinor Avni loves to use her bathroom for something a little unusual. “I love the fact that it has beautiful natural light in it, which allows me to grow plants in it. Love the combination of white and green.”

She designed the entire bathroom herself. “I purchased most the fixtures and accessories from a very cool design shop that imports home decor mostly from Sweden. The plant cart is from Ikea. I love to buy towels. Some are from Greece others are from New York. When I travel, I buy home accessories,” she says.

Alexis Rodgers

Alexis Rodgers, who is the founder of Home With Alexis, transformed her home’s powder room into a photoshoot-worthy space. She chose large scaled lotus patterned wallpaper in purple to be the backdrop for the mirror and sconces. Then she added gold wall fixtures to elevate the tone of the space. “The overall effect is dramatic and elegant,” she says.

For those trying to create small, but dramatic spaces, Rodgers suggests, “If you can’t change your flooring or your vanity, you can still pick fabulous lighting, wallpaper with personality, and a gorgeous mirror. These areas are the focal point when you are standing at the sink, and they will transform your space from ordinary to extraordinary.”

But, if you have the ability to design the space from scratch, she recommends choosing a marble topped vanity and floor because it is a timeless stone. She says that subtle details make a big difference. “Take extra time going over hardware options and plumbing fixtures.”

Allison Weiss Brady

Publicist Allison Weiss Brady has excellent taste, so when it came time to renovate her young daughter’s bathroom, she wasn’t kidding around. Brady enlisted the help of Alexis Rodgers who designed her entire home.

Rodgers explained, “We included her daughter every step of the way in the design decisions. We would give her choices and she would pick her favorite from the options. By listening to her feedback, we truly have an outcome that’s out of a girl’s dream.

But Rodgers and Brady still wanted to create a space that was adult-friendly. “We kept things practical from a functional standpoint. At the same time, the materials we chose, such as the Swarovski crystals knobs, elevated the bathroom,” says Rodgers.

Jennifer Cohen

Author and fitness entrepreneur Jennifer Cohen has a true sanctuary off the master suite of her Los Angeles home, which features a sunken metal soaking tub. It overlooks a wall of windows where she can see the blue sky and a stretched green bamboo branch.

The bathroom was already finished this way when Cohen and her husband purchased the home two years ago. “It was certainly a selling point,” she says, “I love to have a space where I can take time for myself to relax.”

This post first appeared on Forbes.com. To see the original, click here.