Bathroom Design Ideas

Bathrooms are small, wet and full of services, which means almost every design idea in one is really a decision about where water goes and what is behind the tile. Here is what actually changes the result.

For costs see what a bathroom remodel costs; for the work itself, bathroom remodeling.

The shower niche, done properly

A recessed niche is the cheapest upgrade in a bathroom and the one people get wrong most often. Three things decide whether it looks built-in or cut-in.

It has to fall between studs, or the framing has to be altered before the wall closes. This is why it must be decided at rough-in, not chosen from a catalogue at tiling stage.
Height matters more than size. Roughly at chest height, on the wall away from the shower head so it does not collect spray.
The slope. The base of a niche should fall slightly forward so water drains out rather than pooling. A flat niche shelf holds water and grows mould, and that is a rough-in decision.

Detailing choices: tile the back in the same tile as the wall and it disappears; use a contrasting or textured tile and it becomes a feature; run the niche the full width of the shower and it reads as architecture rather than a hole. A single-slab back in the counter material is the quietest, most expensive option.

Walk-in showers and the curb question

A curbed shower is the standard: a small upstand contains the water, waterproofing is straightforward, and it works on any floor.

A curbless or wet-room shower is level with the bathroom floor. It looks calm, it is genuinely accessible, and it is significantly more work — the floor has to be recessed or built up to create the fall, the waterproofing has to extend well beyond the shower, and on a slab it often means cutting concrete to drop the drain. It is a beautiful thing and it is a structural decision.

A doorless walk-in — a fixed screen with an open entry — avoids a door swinging into a small room and never needs the glass cleaned along a seal. It requires a longer shower so that spray does not escape, so it works better in larger bathrooms than in the small ones where people most want it.

If you are converting a tub to a shower, our tub-to-shower conversion guide covers what changes. Keep at least one bath in the house if you can — it matters at resale more than people expect.

Where the drain goes, and why it changes the tile

A centre drain means the floor falls from four directions, which forces small tiles or mosaics that can follow the fall. A linear drain at one end means the floor falls in one direction only, which allows large-format tile to run right through the shower.

So the answer to “can I use big tiles in the shower?” is usually “yes, if you choose a linear drain” — and that has to be decided before the floor is formed. It is a good example of a purely visual ambition resolved by a plumbing decision made weeks earlier.

Tile: the decisions that matter more than the tile

Grout colour. Matching grout makes a wall read as a surface; contrasting grout makes it read as a grid. Same tile, entirely different room.
Where the layout starts. Good tiling puts the cuts in corners and behind fittings, and centres the field on the visual axis. This is planning, not skill, and it is free.
Large format versus small. Fewer grout lines look calmer and clean more easily. They need a flatter substrate, and on floors they need the fall designed around them.
Where the tile stops. Full height reads deliberate. Stopping partway up needs a reason — a line that relates to a window head or a mirror — or it looks arbitrary.

Storage, ventilation and light

Recessed medicine cabinets give you storage inside the wall thickness instead of taking depth out of a small room, and they must be planned at framing. A vanity with drawers rather than doors, notched around the trap, uses the space under the sink that is otherwise wasted.

Ventilation is not a design choice, it is a condition of the room lasting. An extractor properly sized and ducted to outside — not into the roof void — is what prevents mould behind everything you have just paid for.

For light, the thing worth knowing: lighting either side of the mirror at face height flatters and is useful. A single downlight above the mirror casts shadows into the eyes, which is why hotel bathrooms light the sides.

What costs more than people expect

Moving the toilet. The soil pipe is the least forgiving service in the house.
Curbless showers. Floor build-up or recess, extended waterproofing, and often cutting a slab.
Niches and recessed cabinets decided late. Cheap at framing, expensive after.
Whole-house fixture retrofits. Several California cities require non-compliant fixtures elsewhere in the house to be replaced when you pull a bathroom permit.
Natural stone in a wet room. Sealing, and a maintenance commitment.

What is cheaper than people expect

A well-detailed niche, if planned at rough-in.
A linear drain, relative to what it unlocks in tile choice.
Lighting either side of the mirror. Cheap at rough-in, transforms daily use.
Better grout and a considered tile layout. Nearly free, hugely visible.
Recessed cabinets, planned at framing.

Decisions you cannot undo

Where the toilet, shower and drain are. Whether the shower is curbed or level. Anything recessed into a wall. The waterproofing behind the tile. Fittings, mirrors, paint and hardware can all be changed later; none of the above can without opening the room again.

Questions we get asked

When do I have to decide on a shower niche?

At rough-in, before the wall closes. A niche has to fall between studs or the framing has to be altered, and the base needs a slight forward slope so water drains out instead of pooling. Choosing one at tiling stage is how you end up with a flat shelf that holds water.

Can I have large tiles in the shower?

Usually yes, if you use a linear drain. A centre drain makes the floor fall from four directions, which forces small tiles that can follow the fall. A linear drain at one end means the floor falls one way and large format can run right through. That has to be decided before the floor is formed.

Is a curbless shower worth it?

It looks calm and it is genuinely accessible. It is also significantly more work — the floor has to be recessed or built up for the fall, waterproofing extends well beyond the shower, and on a slab it often means cutting concrete to drop the drain. Worth it if you want it; not a small change.

Should I keep a bath?

If it is the only bath in the house, seriously consider it. It matters at resale more than most homeowners expect, and it is far cheaper to keep one than to reinstate one later.

Why does my bathroom lighting look unflattering?

Almost always because the light is above the mirror rather than beside it. A single downlight over a mirror casts shadows into the eye sockets. Lighting either side at face height is what hotels do, and it is inexpensive if planned at rough-in.

Why might a bathroom permit mean changing fixtures in other rooms?

Several California cities enforce the state requirement that non-compliant plumbing fixtures throughout the house be replaced with water-conserving ones when a remodel permit is issued. It varies by city, and it is worth budgeting for rather than discovering at plan check.

Tell us about your bathroom

Send us the basics — the size of the bathroom, whether you want to move any walls or fixtures, and roughly when you would like to start — and we will come out, take measurements and put a written scope and estimate in front of you within about 48 hours of the visit.

Call (800) 348-3050