These Are 2019’s Top 10 Master Bathroom Design And Remodeling Trends

It’s one of the most popular rooms in the house to renovate, according to major home remodeling and design site Houzz.com, and one of the key spaces where you start and end every day. What’s trending in master bathrooms? What might you want for your own home, or for an investment property you own or manage? This is what homeowners are telling Houzz. Professional designers across the country agree, sharing their own insights from recent projects.

1.      The cost of materials, including stone and tile, has increased due to trade disputes, driving up master bathroom spend.

“New tariffs increased the cost for a recent order for bathroom tile for a renovation project in McLean, Virginia by nearly 150%. While this client elected to proceed with the tile purchase, we are seeing an increasing number of people make lower-priced selections with their overall budget in mind,” notes Washington, DC-area designer Cathleen Gruver.

2.   Nearly half of renovating homeowners report that they relax in their bathrooms. To achieve an organized oasis, master bathroom renovators are upgrading their vanity, medicine cabinet and other cabinets.  

“Out of 21 projects that I’ve completed this year, only two bathrooms kept their existing cabinetry, and both of those were in a house that was going to be sold immediately following the remodel,” recalls Holly Shirley, a designer in Birmingham, Alabama.

“In the Chicago suburbs, there are a lot of older homes with limited storage, so designing spaces that optimize each and every inch of storage space becomes an integral part of the design process,” reports local Chicago area designer Susan Klimala.

3.   Neutral tones help to further the spa-like feel with white or wood vanities, white counters, gray or white flooring, and gray or white walls.

“In our coastal area neutrals and whites are requested a fair amount,” shares Pensacola, Florida-based designer Cheryl Kees Clendenon. To keep things interesting, she adds color in accent pieces and “use lots of textural elements and layering to add to the spa immersion experience but still keep the space feeling vibrant.”  

“Although I do use a lot of white,” Shirley observes, “I have a tendency to lean toward warmer greiges or use a pop of color with whites. The grey and white color scheme will soon be like the mauve of the 1980s,” she muses.

4.      Among those who added or replaced their bathtub, popularity of freestanding flat-bottom tubs grew in 2019.

“This is the only type of tub we have done for years,” Clendenon states. “People like the ‘less built in’ appearance and appreciate the architectural nature of so many of today’s tub designs.”

Many clients prefer enhanced showers, observes Klimala. “However,” she adds, “they are not necessarily ready to commit to eliminating the tub. A popular solution has been to replace these giant deck-mounted tubs with freestanding tubs that become more of an artistic element than a functional one.”

5.      Styles go transitional, modern: Among those changing the style of their master bathroom, transitional and modern styles are gaining popularity. Less than one in 10 choose traditional style.

“Despite the idea that most think the south is traditional overall, we rarely do heavily traditional baths,” Clendenon says.

The same is true for Klimala’s Chicago area clientele. “Even though we are in the Midwest which tends to be more traditional, I am finding that many clients are open to and prefer a more clean-lined, modern look in the bath, I think because of the popularity of spa-like looks which tend to gravitate towards a more modern approach.”

6.      Accent walls abound: More than one-third of renovating homeowners add an accent wall during their master bathroom renovation, either in the shower or outside it.

“Almost all of our clients love selecting gorgeous accent tiles. Patterns and multi-surfaces lead the way,” shares San Francisco Bay Area designer Kelly Morisseau.

“An accent wall is a good way to add personality and style, and vary the textures,” suggests Clendenon.

7.      Medicine cabinets and mirrors: When upgrading their medicine cabinet during master bath renovations, two in five homeowners opt for custom or semi-custom medicine cabinets to fit their needs. Three in four homeowners replace their mirror during master bathroom renovations. Homeowners updating both opt for specialty features like lighting, hidden plugs and anti-fog systems.

“We’re seeing increased interest in medicine cabinet upgrades with lighting and hidden plugs,” agrees Morisseau.

8.      More techy toilets: One-third of upgraded master bathroom toilets have high-tech features. Top features include self-cleaning and seats with bidets, heated seats, overflow protection and built-in nightlights.

“We have done two bathrooms recently with top of the line toilets,” says Clendenon. Both clients requested it – and it was a non-negotiable item!”

“Since I installed a bidet seat in my own bathroom, I haven’t specified a bathroom without [one],” shares Shirley. “Wellness is on the rise.” 

9.      Fresh light: Four in five renovating homeowners update their lighting during renovations, including wall lights, recessed lights and shower lights. Many also opt for decorative touches in chandeliers and pendant lights.

“We’re seeing LED can lighting, wall-mount fixtures, pendants, and LED specialty strip lighting in shampoo niches or as night-lighting under the cabinet toe-kicks,” Morisseau says.

“Clients like to have separate controls for their lights so they can set the mood for how they want to use the bathroom, be it getting ready and needing more lighting, or only having a few accent lights on so they can relax from a hard day in their tub or shower,” adds Gruver.

10.      Alternative flooring options: Ceramic/porcelain tile continues to be the most popular flooring material both inside and outside the shower, among renovating homeowners updating flooring in these two spaces. The popularity of natural stone in flooring outside showers is on the decline.

“Most of our clients want high quality, lower maintenance materials. Their projects are typically in homes they plan on staying in for a while, so they invest in materials that will wear well over time and be easy to maintain,” Gruver says. “I have found a decreasing number of clients choosing natural stone flooring due to the fact that they do not want to worry about what they have to use to clean it, or about spills staining it.”

Luxury vinyl tile, porcelain tile and engineered wood are popular replacements for natural stone, shared the designers.

Here is a link to the full survey on Houzz.com.

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