Bathroom renovations can feel like a hassle at the best of times. Replacing fixtures, painting and retiling, laying new grout- all of these things require time and effort.
After such painstaking work, the last thing you likely want to deal with is figuring out how you’re going to decorate.
Luckily, minimalist bathroom decor trends have remained on the rise in contemporary design, especially in 2023 home decor. Keep things simple and save some money in the process thanks to these minimalist tips and bathroom ideas.
How to Make Your Bathroom More Minimalist
Minimalist bathroom design is grounded in the fundamental tenets of sleek, airy, and absolutely decluttered. In order to achieve this simple yet elegant look, you’ll need to start with a total declutter of all available surfaces.
Used or unused toiletries, toothbrushes, used washcloths- everything old, dirty, or unusable gets tossed or washed, and the bare essentials remain behind for a new start.
Next, you’ll want to remove any and all excess or unnecessary furniture from the room. Your toilet, sink, and shower or tub will obviously need to remain, as can a shelf or two if you need it, but anything else crammed in (that magazine rack or towel holder) needs to go.
The same thing with all those excess decorative knick-knacks or prints; you don’t need or want tons of decorations in a minimalist space.
Simple, clean, and light space is the ultimate goal here. Organize everything you need in drawers or simple displays and place a fluffy towel or two for the final result: a simple and spacious bathroom that looks open and inviting to all.
21 Minimalist Tips and Bathroom Ideas
1. A Statement Tub
One of the biggest hallmarks of modern minimalist bathroom design is a statement tub in the center or corner of your bathroom. Whether it’s classically designed or modern and smooth, a creamy white and huge bathtub is a staple of minimalism because it’s light, open, and streamlined.
Accented by a fluffy rug or an elegantly tiled floor, these bathtubs are luxuries that can be found at many different price points.
We recommend Nordic Knot Rugs to add a bit of design to your bathroom.
2. Open Showers
Who says showers need to be enclosed anymore? Open showers are a modern and creative take on bathroom design.
Sometimes built right into walls and not enclosed by a shower curtain or built-in dividing walls, these open showers do put a bit more on display, but their open design is a classic modern minimalist look that complements many bathrooms.
3. Add a Plant (or Two, but Not More)
One or two houseplants can add a nice, simple element of contrast that only further highlights your sleek and simple bathroom design.
Monsteras are a popular and simple looking plant that will class up your bathroom and thrive in humidity, but a trailing pothos would also be a light and airy decoration to hang in a corner.
4. Stick to White and Light Tones
Minimalist designers love white or light grey and neutral-toned palettes because of the clean and airy look they instantly lend to any space.
Light spaces appear larger, more open, and fresher, maximizing their space constraints and creating a stunning space to escape to within any home.
We recommend GANT LIGHTS as our minimalist style go to.
5. Don’t Be Afraid to Add a Pop of Color
Though lighter palettes are popular and favored in modern minimalist bathroom design, adding in a pop of color can be a good thing too. Innovate on the classic white and grey landscape with a jewel-toned green cupboard or a bright blue towel.
Whatever your preferred color is, tuck in a small detail to help make your space feel like your own.
6. Wooden Walls
While most conceptions of minimalist bathrooms are clean and crisp white and grey paint and tiles, wooden walls can also be a stunning statement piece in minimalist design plans.
A feature wall of dark or light wood paneling can be an amazing earth–toned highlight in your new bathroom.
7. Throw in Some Marble While You’re At It
Signs point to marble making a magnificent comeback.
Fluid, seamless, and elegant with a touch of unique personality based on the individual swirls built into your marble design, touches of marble in your shower, tiling, or walls are great examples of visual texture that elevate any minimalist bathroom.
8. Matte Gold Fixtures
A simple touch of gold is a great way to transform your bathroom into glamorous and stately without investing heavily in new furniture or design.
Matte fixtures are especially popular thanks to their contemporary and sleek finish, so swapping out your faucets and handles for some matte gold is a nice touch.
9. Creative Tilework
Tiles remain one of the most popular ways to decorate a bathroom, and in minimalist bathroom decor especially they provide versatile and functional use.
Whether you’re swapping in geometrically patterned tiles or designing a chevron statement wall, playing with your tiles is another popular trend.
10. Mosaic Tiles
Building off of the creative tilework trend, mosaic tiles have come back into fashion. The decorative and minuscule tiles provide a concentrated design and stunning visual image of tightly designed rows and patterns.
Bought in strips or applied individually, mosaic tiles are definitely a hot new trend for modern minimalist bathrooms.
11. Glass and Stone
True minimalist bathroom decor features plenty of glass and stone. Showers feature transparent and elegant glass doors that are freestanding and central to the overall design of a room.
Stone floors or tiling add to the elegance of glass for a fully realized minimalist design.
12. Nothing but Natural Light
Modern design is all about natural light and open spaces. Big windows, high ceilings, skylights: any type of design structure should be made with the idea to bring in as much natural sunlight as possible.
13. Centerpiece Mirrors
Mirrors in statement shapes or floor length models are becoming even more popular with contemporary design.
Asymmetrical shapes provide shape and life to the room, while floor-length models open up a smaller space and create more light and openness.
14. Dark Details
As darker and earthier tones come back into popularity, they’re beginning to enter minimalist decorating style in small and functional details.
Black bathtubs, dark tiling, cold matte surfaces- all of these fit well in minimalist spaces.
15. Tin Time
Tin has also begun to make a comeback in minimalist spaces thanks to its functional and uniform appearance.
Smooth and simple appliances with a sleek and eye-catching vintage appearance are the perfect accessory to modern minimalist design.
16. A Spa Design
Spas have long been praised for their comforting and open design that seems to bring peace and calmness to anyone who visits. Minimalist design allows you to replicate that feel in your own home.
17. Wooden Accents
The rustic accents of wood and other farmhouse touches can be a great addition to a minimalist bathroom.
Touches of natural and light-catching accents are a good way to draw in minimalist modern decor.
18. Honeycomb Tiling
Creative tiling is already all the rage when it comes to minimalist bathrooms, but honeycomb tiles combine creative and geometric tiling for a showstopping minimalist design.
19. Freestanding Sink Basins
Unplugged and exposed sinks are popular components of modern minimalist bathroom design because of their streamlined and simple appearance.
Pick a basin or egg shape that fits well in your bathroom and sit it comfortably on top of your cupboard for a sleek look.
20. Exposed Concrete
Stone and open industrial design are popular trends in minimalist design, and exposed concrete is becoming a common trend in bathroom design.
Whether in-wall accents, planters, or shower design, concrete grounds your ethereal open world with earthy stability.
21. A Centerpiece (Scaled-back) Print
The final touch to your minimalist design is an elegant artistic focal point that lends to the chic and open space you’ve designed.
A scaled-back print or line drawing is a clean and open way to add art and design into your new bathroom while maintaining your minimalist feel.
Making Use of A Small Bathroom Space
Minimalist design is the perfect way to maximize a small bathroom space, especially because minimalism is designed to open up and maximize spaces. Tight or cramped bathrooms feel lighter and freer with minimalist decor.
If you’re struggling with a small bathroom space, you can start by painting everything white or light shades to help make the space seem wider. Knock out any bulky fixtures or dividing walls and stick to simple and sleek furniture and appliances as necessary.
Consider a freestanding shower to help take out the space and claustrophobia a shower curtain or divider might bring, and keep your sink small and succinct in order to avoid taking up excessive space.
If you’ve got window access, make sure to keep the space in front of it open to promote natural light, otherwise, shop around for light bulbs that simulate the glow of natural light and hang them from your ceiling to help recreate an open feel.
Finally, remove any excessive design or counter clutter. The less there is in your bathroom, the bigger (and better) it will feel.
Final Thoughts
Minimalist bathroom design is popular because of its open and airy design tenets and focuses on simplicity and elegance.
Minimalist bathrooms can transform any size space into a glamorous place of rest and relaxation, creating a miniature oasis within your own home.
Implementing these design trends into your bathroom will help ensure that 2024 is finally the year you have the bathroom of your dreams.