Houzz Identifies 10 Bathroom Design Trends You’ll Want To Incorporate

Photo courtesy of Houzz

Designer: Sebring Design Build; Photographer: Allison Elefante

Houzz just released the 2025 U.S Houzz Bathroom Trends Study. It’s full of information regarding the motivations for creating or renovating a bathroom, where homeowners are finding space to create a bathroom, and the top styles, features, colors, materials, and more. These are some of the top bathroom design trends.

Bathroom Design Trend 1: Horizontal Stack Tile Patterns Surge

According to Marine Sargsyan, Houzz staff economist, home trends expert at Houzz, horizontally stacked shower wall tiles are up 5 percentage points from last year, and she says they’re now selected by 18% of renovating homeowners. “However, horizontal brick remains the top choice (31%), with vertical stack again ranking second (20%),” Sargsyan explains.

Bathroom Design Trend 2: Homeowners Expand To Create A Bathroom

Almost a third of homeowners (31%) built a new addition to expand their bathroom. Also, 22% are willing to repurpose a closet, while 20% will repurpose a bedroom. In smaller numbers, Sargsyan says hallways (9%), and laundry rooms (8%) are sacrificed. In addition, 3% of homeowners take space from the following areas: other bathroom, garage, and basement. However, only 1% are willing to take room from the kitchen. Learn the top home renovation trends in a seller’s market.

Bathroom Design Trend 3: Frosted Glass Tapped Most for Windows

When upgrading window treatments in the bath, Sargsyan says homeowners most frequently choose frosted glass (27%). “Only 10% choose Roman shades, and other window treatments are selected even less frequently: faux-wood blinds or curtains (7% each) and window film or motorized shades (5% each),” she explains.

Bathroom Design Trend 4: Lighting Fixture Preferences Expand Beyond Recessed

Recessed styles remain the most popular lighting choice in renovated bathrooms (40%), although Sargsyan says the share choosing them dropped by 4 percentage points year over year. “Ceiling and wall-mounted options are close behind, with equal shares of renovating homeowners choosing sconces and ceiling lights (34% each) and 33% opting for wall lights,” she explains.

Bathroom Design Trend 5: Wet Rooms Are On The Rise

According to Sargsyan, wet rooms now account for 1 in 6 renovated bathrooms (16%). “The share of projects featuring wet rooms grew by 3 percentage points year over year,” she says. Among homeowners choosing to have a wet room, 50% want to make better use of the space, 29% like the aesthetic appeal of a wet room, and 26% want to increase accessibility.

Bathroom Design Trend 6: Accessibility Is A Priority

While 26% of those creating a wet room wanted to increase accessibility, it turns out that a whopping 68% of homeowners consider special needs in their bathroom projects. That’s because 47% believe these needs will arise in five or more years, and 31% renovate to address the current needs of a household member. Check out these 7 home design tips to help homeowners age in place.

Bathroom Design Trend 7: Flat-Bottom is The Top Tub Style In Wet Rooms

Among those with wet rooms, Sargsyan says freestanding flat-bottom bathtubs are preferred by 57%. This compares to 27% choosing an alcove tub. In much smaller numbers, homeowners like freestanding claw-foot tubs (6%), deck-mounted tubs (4%), and corner tubs (4%).

Bathroom Design Trend 8: Transitional Style Leads The Way

Among homeowners updating bathroom styles (79%), transitional style is the top choice (22%). Contemporary style has grown from 16% to 18%, and modern style has grown from 15% to 16%. Traditional style has held steady at 11%.

Bathroom Design Trend 9: Wellness And Self Care Are A Priority

Sargsyan shares that 25% of homeowners say they use the primary bathroom for rest and relaxation. “Also, 24% use it for beauty and pampering purposes,” she says. So, how are homeowners supporting these activities? Sargsyan says 36% of renovated bathrooms have wellness-oriented features, such as upgraded lighting (30%), soaking tubs or spa baths (18%), and water features, like fountains or water walls (13%).

Bathroom Design Trend 10: Neutrals Paint The Walls

When choosing a color for bathroom walls, Sargsyan says white is the most popular color for both the shower (36%) and nonshower areas (25%). However, this color has declined in popularity by 5 percentage points compared to last year. For shower walls, off-white is preferred by 18%, followed by 11% choosing gray, 8% selecting beige, and 7% selecting blue.

For nonshower walls, 25% prefer white, 21% like off-white, 12% select gray, and 9% each prefer beige and blue. Check out these paint colors to avoid when selling your home.

Read more bathroom design trends in the 2025 Houzz Bathroom Trends report here