Fresh-Feeling Bathroom Renovation Trends for 2023

Plan Your Bathroom Renovation

The best time to renovate a bathroom is in late winter or early spring. There are many reasons to renovate your bathroom in February or March in particular. Appliances, paint, and cabinetry typically go on sale around New Year’s into January. There is progressively more daylight as winter turns to spring. It also tends to be a slow season for the entire remodeling industry, which means you’ll get better prices on supplies and labor.

With February-March renovations in mind, now is the best time to design. Yes, now! It’s time to start planning. You can price out contractors, materials, and commit to a budget to accomplish it all.

Whether you’re a rotational remodeler whose design work is never done or looking for a fresh feel in one of the most heavily trafficked rooms in your house, consider these design trends for 2023 as you plan your bathroom remodel.

1. Plants, Plants, and More Plants

Bringing the outdoors in has been a big trend for interior design over the past few years. Your bathroom is the perfect place to add water-loving and air-purifying plants. If you get direct sunlight in your bathroom for a good part of the day, choose an Asparagus Fern, which has a fuzzy, fresh look year-round, or Gardenias which will flower in these conditions beautifully. If you have a lot of diffuse, indirect, natural light, go for plants like Lucky Bamboo, Begonias, Bromeliads, Spider Plants, and Peace Lilies – all very looking plant varieties that grow well with some natural, but not direct, sunlight. For low light bathroom conditions, the Cast-Iron Plant, Chinese Evergreen, or the Bird’s Nest Fern are great options – these love darker, damp environments and need very little attention to flourish in a bathroom environment.

2. High-Tech Spa Features

Some of this was covered in our article about the intersection of user-friendly technology and luxury bathrooms, but High-Tech Design Features are becoming standard design accompaniments for every bathroom remodel. A brief list of high-tech spa features to consider include: heated tile flooring, designer mosaic tile backsplash, heat lamp, steam-diffusing sauna attachment, aromatherapy machine, air filtration, smart mirror, bidet, smart toilet, Bluetooth-ready speakers… The list goes on. The combination of modern convenience and luxe tech takes your bathroom experience to a spa-level of comfort, and comfort is almost NEVER out of style.

3. Zen Vibes

It isn’t just spa tech that’s sweeping design trends in 2023 – it’s spa-like Zen vibes all around. Soak in an antique tub with lavender candles lit on a hand-carved refreshment tray. Luxuriate under a rainfall shower, while the sound of Tibetan singing bowls or delicate harp strings play lightly to set the ambience. Create a welcome basket with expensive lotions, oils, and cleansers. Gather all of your accoutrements and display them in a woven bowl for that professionally designed experience.

4. Benches, Stools, and Resting Places

This trend has been sweeping the interior design blogs because it makes the bathroom feel like a retreat space. If you have room for an upholstered stool or bench, its placement creates a welcoming, well-thought and designed feeling that you’re cultivating in your remodel. A beautiful bench in your bathroom says, ‘Sit down, stay awhile, take off your shoes and relax.”

5. Murals

The move toward maximalism makes its way to the bathroom in 2023 with floor-to-ceiling murals of naturescapes and cubist designs. An artist may be out of budget for your bathroom remodel, so consider waterproof sticky wallpaper as an inexpensive alternative to hand-painted masterpieces. This upgrade is entirely removable too, so if, after some time passes, you grow tired of seeing the Great Blue Herons flying up your bathroom wall, you can change it up easily.

6. Dark, Bold Color Palates

Black is never out of fashion, but black is also now competing with entirely dark and bold color palates. Choose a moody eggplant or deep forest green to bring character and a vintage vibe to your renovated bathroom. If you’re concerned that the paint color may shrink the feel of the room, go bright and basic with trims, hardware, and fabrics. Balance darker colors with ivory and grey, light wood textures, and clear glass. Install glass doors on your shower rather than using an opaque curtain. We recommend experimenting with bold, dark palates, but explore design blogs first to find the design style that resonates with you.

7. Upgraded Hardware

An easy way to renovate your bathroom and stay on trend is to upgrade your cabinetry and hardware. Sand and paint cabinets to accommodate the new look, or you can change out cabinet doors for a more complete revamp. Also, change out the hardware. Right now, ornate brass rings and twisted iron bars are making their way across the professional design stage – creating an antique, elevated look. Glass and crystal button hardware are falling from design favor and will age the look of your renovated bathroom space.

8. Don’t Forget the Towels!

If you’re spending time redesigning and renovating your bathroom, make sure you invest in a new towels, curtains, and floor mats. It’s easy to forget this small upgrade while thinking of much larger structural redesign, but no bathroom is complete without a new set of chic, soft, and luxurious towels.

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