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Key Points
- Upgrade faucets, hardware, and light fixtures to avoid a dated look and add lasting charm.
- Avoid accent tiles, vessel sinks, and sheet mirrors, as they can make a bathroom feel impractical or outdated.
- Timeless design choices ensure your bathroom stays stylish and functional for years to come.
Timeless ensuite bathrooms and powder rooms have high-quality tile, stately faucets, natural stone countertops, and light fixtures that look meant-to be. What they don’t have? Cheap-looking hardware, sheet mirrors, vessel sinks, and accent walls, in a nutshell. (Yes, the latter aren’t just limited to living rooms or bedrooms.)
Read on to find out what designers don’t recommend for a bathroom, especially if you want it to look charming for years to come.
Meet the Expert
- Laura Jenkins is the founder of Laura W. Jenkins Interiors.
- Susan Hill is the founder of Susan Hill Design Group.
- Danielle Davis is the founder of 56th Street Design Studios.
Cheap Hardware
Laura Jenkins, the founder of Laura W. Jenkins Interiors says “nothing screams dated to me more than plumbing fixtures with a bad or cheap finish,” she says. “If there is one thing you can do to updated your bathroom, at least change out the faucet for a nicer, upgraded version.”
The designer suggests unlacquered brass as opposed to regular brass, for example.
It “will always look authentic and will eventually patina,” Jenkins says.
Once you’ve updated your faucets and drain covers, go ahead and refresh bathroom hardware like towel bars and hooks, too, she suggests.
“Find lines with high quality finishes that can match your new faucet or a style that adds a little whimsy,” she says. “Bathrooms typically don’t have too much hardware, so don’t be afraid to splurge a little here.”
Dated Lighting
Similarly, a dated light fixture can stand out like a sore thumb, and even just removing builder-grade lighting in favor of something with a bit more personality will work wonders, Jenkins says.
“If you have a really traditional bathroom, consider adding a slightly more contemporary fixture to create some style tension or vice versa,” she suggests.
Accent Tile
Just as many designers aren’t fans of accent walls in living spaces, they’re also often not big proponents of accent tile in the bathroom, whether that’s on the walls, on the floor, or in the shower.
“I steer away from using accent tile in niches or shower floors unless I can repeat it in a classic approach,” Susan Hill, founder of Susan Hill Design Group, says.
She notes that homeowners add this type of tile with the best of intentions, hoping that it will add interest to a space, but in reality, a “fun” tile can quickly make a space appear dated.
Vessel Sinks
Danielle Davis, the founder of 56th Street Design Studio, says a vessel sink isn’t practical or timeless.
“It takes up space on a countertop and visually breaks up the sight lines in a bathroom,” she says.
Your best choice, Davis adds, is an undermount sink, which she considers to be a classic pick.
Hill says she agrees and saves vessel options for powder rooms if at all.
“They cause issues around using the sink efficiently and make cleaning more difficult especially when shaving or using makeup,” she says.
Frameless Mirrors
Frameless mirrors aren’t a timeless choice, Davis says.
“They lack character and leave the bathroom feeling cold,” she says.
Hill agrees that builder-grade sheet mirrors are a no-go.
“We avoid this at all costs on custom projects, unless there is some type of layering [or] beveling of the glass or pattern we are creating using mirror,” she says.
Instead, opt for a framed mirror or period-appropriate medicine cabinet, perhaps.
Read the original article on The Spruce
