Amidst peeling wallpaper, fluorescent blue tub rings, and floor tiles long past salvation, you may be looking to renovate your bathroom. Not all modern bathroom ideas are created equal—just google “modern bathroom ideas” and you’ll find some 645 million results and see what we mean. Indeed, when it comes to updating your primary bath or any other bathroom in your house, a wise update pays from both a resale perspective (if you look to sell your home one day) and relaxation perspective (your bathroom is supposed to be a serene environment for unwinding, after all).
Below, interior designers reveal their top tips for transforming your bathroom into an elegant, modern escape. Shower inspiration, low-effort updates, and trending design flourishes—we’ve got them all. Check out the modern bathroom designs below, and start dreaming of your favorite candle scent, a blissful stack of newspapers, and an uninterrupted evening of zen near you.
1. Forget bathrooms, try a “wet room”
Ah, how modern bathroom designs teleport you to a saner state of mind when you create a shower and tub alcove of sorts. “If you’re incorporating a shower and bathtub and space is a concern, consider a wet room—where a freestanding tub and shower are paired together in a single space,” says Gina Caulkins, founder and principal designer at California Daydreams located in Marin County, California. Caulkins calls this concept a “fresh, luxe take on a shower-tub combo” that establishes a spa-like ambience. “Even better if you can create a curb-less entry to the wet room, for seamless visual flow,” the designer says.
2. Get creative with wallpapers
