Eight key design looks to keep in mind for your new space. By Matt Lee.

Bold new conepts are set to gain traction in bathroom design in the year ahead. Here, we explore eight projects thtat perfectly showcase these trending styles.

1. Industrial Style

Inspired by the sparse, unfinished beauty that characterized the bathrooms in 18th- and 19th-century factories, the industrial-style bathroom for private residences has received heavy attention in recent years, with the trend set to continue into 2022.

Features of the industrial bathroom include exposed pipes, black bathroom faucet, concrete countertops and metal racks. The minimalist feel to the industrial bathrooms is sure to be favored by working-from-home professionals aiming to find an at-home escape in 2022.

2. Free-Flowing Forms

Many sectors of society are challenging the status quo and long-held beliefs of what “normal” should look like — a trend that has not missed the realm of bathroom design.

Rigid countertops, sharp angles, and cookie-cutter vanities are set to be replaced with more natural, organic forms in 2022. Curves inspired by living things are making their way into contemporary bathroom design, with egg-shaped tubs and sinks, round mirrors, and arching faucets likely to be preferred over their conspicuously rectangular predecessors as the new year approaches. 

3. Wood

No matter how much building materials advance or interior design sensibilities evolve, homeowners will never completely forgo the beauty and rustic charm of wood. With that said, homeowners will be searching for new and innovative ways to employ wood in their bathrooms in 2022.

Faux wood tiles are a popular flooring option for creating a warm and trendy bathroom. Salvaged wood makes an ideal choice for floating bathroom shelving, while wood-like paneling adds texture and visual intrigue to walls and mirror frames. 

4. Bedroom/Bathroom Transitions

Modern homeowners are placing increased value on transitional spaces, like kitchens that merge with the living room and living rooms that segue to the exterior patio.

The bathroom is not excluded from this trend, with many homeowners looking for ways to soften the distinction between the primary bedroom and primary bathroom. This is easily accomplished with a sliding glass door between the two spaces, allowing more natural light to flow and making both rooms feel more open and spacious. Primary or en-suite bathrooms are often attached to closets, and sometimes to a laundry room.

5. Hi-Tech Features

The world is caught up in ways to add smart-home features and technology at home, with the bathroom one of the primary areas of focus. Smart toilets with built-in deodorizers, seat warmers and automatic lid lifts; touchless faucets, either motion sensor or voice-controlled, and voice-activated Bluetooth sound systems are just a few of the features that are set to become must-haves for homeowners.

In addition, those who truly enjoy being pampered are installing automatic showers and heated flooring systems so that by the time they are ready to use the space, the bathroom floor and shower are already warm and cozy, turning their private bathroom into a veritable personalized day spa.

6. Creative Light

Even those who cannot afford to renovate or add on to their bathrooms are finding creative ways to turn the area into a spacious oasis. Floor-to-ceiling mirrored walls and LED lights run along the ceiling/wall transition are a couple of the ways that homeowners are using light to stretch the dimensions of their bathrooms and visually increase smaller areas.

7. Wallpaper

Wallpaper made a roaring comeback in 2021 and looks to be here to stay. In 2022, expect to see homeowners looking for ways to incorporate it into their bathrooms.

Modern types of wallpaper can put the finishing touches on a wide array of bathrooms, beautifully balancing color, pattern, and textures and adding some 3D features to the space. When adroitly incorporated with mirrors and lighting, wallpaper can turn a modern bathroom into a work of art.

8. Featured Imperfection

Just as society continues to challenge what is considered “normal,” so too are traditional concepts of beauty. This trend is manifesting itself in the realm of bathroom design through the use of “planned imperfections” to add unique, cozy and inviting elements to the space. 

Some ways to incorporate planned imperfection into the bathroom include wire baskets and wood totes in place of traditional cabinets or vanities, and folded towels on exposed shelves to give the space an aura of informality. 

Matt Lee is the owner of the Innovative Building Materials blog and a content writer for the building materials industry. He is focused on helping fellow homeowners, contractors, and architects discover materials and methods of construction that save money, improve energy efficiency and increase property value.

This article has been updated and was originally published on February 2, 2022.