ByRebecca Deczynski,Lydia Geisel
UpdatedAug 1, 2024 11:29 AM EDT
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After a long day of traveling, there’s nothing quite like the serenity that hits when you finally check in to your room, line up all your toiletries on the gloriously expansive bathroom countertop, and sink into a hot shower (or bath, if you’re lucky). Hotel designers put extra care into making sure their bathrooms create a calming experience for guests—which is exactly why they’re a gold mine of inspiration for our own homes.
Whether you’re tackling a tiny DIY project or a full-blown bathroom renovation, there are loads of design tricks to swipe from the most luxurious, unique accommodations around the world. Here are some of our favorites.
In a narrow bathroom, like the one in Flat 02 atHotel Julie, you might not have the clearance for a traditional console sink. But with a custom stone solution, you can tweak the basin dimensions to be long and slender while still making a design statement.
Putting a tub in your bedroom might seem like an odd call for your real-life home, but we think it’s a recipe for the ultimate serene wind-down. Incense and sound machines have nothing on thisMaison Brummell Majorellesuite.
Hotel Genevieveschools us on monochromatic bathroom design, pulling the shower tile, wall paint, and vanity stone into the fold. Even the hotel’s signature kimono robe, designed withBlock Shop Textiles, picks up on the theme.
While each tile in this shower at Lodge at Marconi was intentionally placed to create a patchwork effect, who’s to say you couldn’t pull off something similar on a budget by hoarding sample tiles and scraps from other projects?
You don’t need to do more to achieve a spa bathhouse feel—you actually need to doless. Instead of putting up glass walls and curbs around your shower, make the whole room a wet zone by leaving it open. Yes, this will require digging into the floor a bit for proper drainage, but you could end up with something as dreamy as this bathroom at Marrakech’sFarasha Farmhouse.
Part of enjoying your bathroom is, well, being naked. Beige-yellow walls reflecting off fluorescent overhead lighting is not exactly a recipe for feeling great about yourself, so we suggest going with a dusty pink hue on the walls and a sexy pop of glossy red—seen here in theAlice in Wonderland–inspired hotelCowley Manor, designed by Dorothée Meilichzon.
In other bathrooms at Cowley Manor and atMontesolin Ibiza, Meilichzon added some shine with basin surrounds in enameled lava stone. Yes, we’re talking about the same lava rock that comes out of a volcano—except after it’s quarried, it’s cut into slabs, glazed, and fired at high heat.
Companies likeMade a ManoandPyrolaveoffer tons of different colors of the superdurable material and will often let you customize your surface to whatever shade your heart desires.
Instead of installing an XL sheet of glass or two boring round mirrors, have some fun with your double vanity design. At theUlyssesHotel in Baltimore, Ash Hospitality got theatrical with burl-wood frames that look like vases holding flowers that are actually lights. Yes, really.
Checkered shower tile is having a major moment right now, but throwing off the scheme a smidge—say, a random black tile here, another over there—can keep your space feeling unique and timeless. Leave it to Kelly Wearstler, who designed theDowntown L.A. Proper, to remind us of this.
If you want your bathroom to always look tidy but can’t stomach the thought of all-white everything, lean into light shades of green. There’s something about a minty zellige or square tile paired with chrome plumbing fixtures—as seen in this space atHôtel de la Boétiein Paris—that somehow tricks the mind into thinking you can skip cleaning day.
When it comes to color, why stop at just one? L.A.’sFirehouse Hotelis bursting with inspiring color combos, including in this bathroom, where mustard yellow tile and tomato red cabinets are an unlikely power couple.
Try to name a feature more luxurious than a standingshower thatalsocontains a bathtub. We’ll wait. TheAce Hotel New Orleansmakes a compelling case for this doubled-up bathing situation, which sports glossy gray tile and a charcoal ceiling to keep things cohesive.
The über-coolHotel Des Grands Boulevardsin Paris made waves for its bold design—and the bathrooms are no exception. Why limit yourself to one tile pattern or color when you can have three? In this space, hexagon wall tiles ground the pale blue paint and pink checkered floor tile, making for one very sophisticated room.
Rebecca can usually be found elbow-deep in vintage treasures, whether she's scouring a flea market or scrolling 1stDibs at midnight. She's Domino's go-to for the hunt, the score, and the story behind it.
Lydia Geisel has been stirring the creative pot at Domino since 2017. She writes and edits her way through home tours and design stories like it's a competitive sport. She lives in Brooklyn—because of course she does.
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